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Argyle approves Valley Creek Church site plan with variances and a lighting condition
Summary
The council approved a site plan and several variances for Valley Creek Church (7.45 acres, ~35,000 sq ft), including reduced landscape‑buffer and parking-stall depth variances; approval included conditions to remove 28 front parking spaces, expand a 407 buffer and add a dark‑sky style lighting condition limiting full outdoor lighting to periods when the building is active.
The Argyle Town Council approved a site plan and several variances for Valley Creek Church, a proposed ~35,000 square‑foot building south of FM 407 and west of Gateway Boulevard.
Staff (Harrison) summarized the application as substantially the same plan that previously received approvals in 2020 but expired after construction delays. The church’s current submittal proposes a seating capacity of up to 750 (applicant estimates typical attendance around 350) and requested variances from the town’s updated standards: reducing a 50‑foot landscape buffer along Gateway Boulevard down to 10 feet, allowing 18‑foot parking stalls in constrained locations where retaining walls prevent a 2‑foot overhang, and reducing some landscape island widths from 8 feet to 6 feet.
Applicant representatives Justin Lansdowne (McAdams) and Brad Lanham (Valley Creek Church) told council the variances preserve parking and avoid moving the building or redesigning the plan — changes that would add months and significant expense. Brad Lanham asked the council for “grace,” saying the proposed layout balances landscape enhancement on 407 (the applicant will remove a row of 28 head‑in stalls to expand the buffer on 407 and add a 3‑foot berm) while keeping a 10‑foot buffer on Gateway.
Planning and Zoning recommended approval with conditions: removal of the northern 28 parking spaces adjacent to FM 407, expansion of the 407 landscape buffer to 28 feet with a 3‑foot berm, reduction of light‑pole height to the town’s 25‑foot maximum, compliance with the town’s lighting and glare standards, and a new condition to limit full outdoor parking‑lot lighting to periods when the building is active. The last condition was read into the motion: “Full outdoor lighting may only be used when the building is active. During other times, only minimum safety lighting is allowed.” The council moved, seconded and approved the site plan and the variances with the stated conditions.
Why it matters: the approval allows construction to proceed with the applicants’ requested parking and setback configurations while adding a town condition designed to limit nighttime light impacts in keeping with Argyle’s emerging 'dark‑sky' standards. The council also discussed traffic mitigation: the site will require a traffic impact analysis and will fund a required eastbound deceleration lane in the TxDOT right of way.
Provenance: staff presentation, applicant remarks, public hearing (no public opposition reported) and council motion and vote on item 17.
