Little Elm council approves rezoning and development agreement for Lakeside Village after traffic and fee concerns

The Little Elm Town Council on April 7 voted to approve Ordinance 18-38, clearing the way to rezone roughly 9.9 acres near the intersection of El Dorado and Old Highway 24 for a 75-unit townhome development called Lakeside Village. Council members said the approval was conditioned on correcting an erroneous tree-mitigation figure in the staff report before final implementation.

The rezoning request — presented as a plan development district with alley-served, two-story townhomes, approximately 1.7 acres of open space and shared amenities — had previously received a 6–1 denial recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission. Olga, a planning staff member who summarized the application to council, said the applicant had reduced density from an earlier proposal and revised the site layout after the commission review. "This property is within the West Side study… designated as neighborhood residential, with a 3 to 6 dwelling unit per acre density," Olga said during her presentation.

Residents who live near the proposed site told council the project would worsen safety and congestion at the El Dorado–Caywood area and questioned how a gated secondary access would be monitored. Joshua Childers, who lives on Caywood, told council: "I do not believe that 75 townhomes with the potential for 140 to 200 people is the answer there," and added that the intersection already experiences hazardous traffic conditions.

Town staff and the engineer said a traffic-impact analysis is part of the development process and that some roadway improvements are already being designed for the area. The town engineer explained that traffic studies evaluate trip generation and peak-hour impacts to identify necessary intersection or roadway improvements; staff also noted developments pay roadway impact fees at permitting.

Developer Shane Jordan, introducing himself as the project representative, said developers and staff have worked on revised plans and development agreement terms. "I want to thank Olga and everybody else on staff for the amount of time they've spent with us to get us to this point," Jordan said, and offered to answer council questions about the design and operating plans.

Council members discussed density, compatibility with the West Side study, and the need for additional traffic mitigation. When the ordinance came to a vote the motion to approve — with the condition that the tree-mitigation figure in the staff packet be corrected — carried. Members then approved a related development agreement that captures negotiated conditions for the project, including measures intended to incentivize owner-occupancy and limit short-term rental concentration.

The development agreement attached to the rezoning includes deed-restriction and HOA provisions that (as described by staff) limit short-term rentals to 25% of units and prohibit any single entity from owning more than two units; short-term rental permits would require town application, and the agreement requires further permitting and compliance steps before construction. Council voting records in the meeting transcript show the ordinance and the DA passed following motions and seconds; the staff presentation noted the DA and permits remain subject to technical plan review and required construction permits.

What happens next: the rezoning and DA approval allow the applicant to proceed with final plats, permitting and the engineering steps that are required before construction starts. Council conditioned the rezoning on correcting the tree-mitigation fee listed in the staff report; staff indicated that the corrected figure will be incorporated before the project advances. The council also noted that traffic studies and any identified roadway improvements will be addressed during the engineering and permitting phase.