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Trinity Christian Academy seeks approval for athletic upgrades, screening plan in Addison
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Summary
Trinity Christian Academy asked the Planning and Zoning Commission to approve athletic facility improvements including a new grandstand (under 50 feet), covered batting cages, dugouts and a 48-square-foot security booth; staff said the plan removes 12 non-protected trees and will plant 7–8-foot evergreens for year-round screening.
Leslie, planning staff, told the Planning and Zoning Commission the school’s request amends permitted uses and seeks approval of development plans for athletic facility improvements at Trinity Christian Academy, including a new grandstand, replacement bleachers, dugouts, a covered batting cage and a 48-square-foot security booth at the north entry off Addison Road.
The presentation said some features were already in the 2016 master plan while others are newly proposed. "They came back with a revised plan that was more in line with what was previously approved in 2016," Leslie said, describing community feedback and a scaled-back design.
Staff described technical details: the grandstand will be less than 50 feet tall; the security booth is roughly 48 square feet; and the applicant proposes a covered batting cage and two new dugouts on the softball side. Leslie said the applicant will replace existing bleachers and add several new structures shown in the submission drawings.
Neighborhood screening, noise and tree removals were central concerns. Leslie said the applicant proposes to remove 12 non-protected trees (mostly hackberries and Bradford pears), some of which are dead or in poor condition, and to plant larger evergreen screening to restore a buffer along a nearly 700-foot property edge. "They're proposing to plant them at 7 to 8 feet in height," Leslie said, describing Neli R. Stephens Holly and high-rise live oaks as proposed species to provide immediate year-round screening.
A commissioner asked about visibility from adjacent homes and the taller grandstands; staff said screening and planting would reduce visibility over time and argued the proposal balanced neighborhood impacts with the school’s updated program. Staff also noted that minimum code could require a masonry screening wall but that the submitted landscaping plan was judged a middle ground.
During the public comment window a resident who lives adjacent to the fence said she had missed prior notices and was still catching up on the proposal. "My house backs up to that fence you were just talking about," the resident said, expressing uncertainty about how the changes would affect the community; Leslie replied that a full presentation and additional public comment opportunities would occur during the regular session.
No formal vote on the TCA plan was taken during the work session. The commission will hear the formal presentation and public comment during the regular session later in the evening; the application will return to the Planning and Zoning Commission for decision as part of the advertised agenda process.
