Plano council approves rezoning appeal for 7.7-acre Spring Creek parcel after flood-risk debate

Plano — The Plano City Council voted to approve an appeal that rezones a 7.7-acre parcel on the east side of Spring Creek Parkway from neighborhood office (with a veterinary clinic special use permit) to single-family (SF-6), after staff cautioned about floodplain constraints and a dam-breach analysis and the applicant presented engineering work intended to mitigate those risks.

City planning staff told the council the property appears on the parks master plan as part of the city’s open-space network but is privately owned and thus may develop under existing zoning. Staff recommended denial on grounds including the site’s mix-of-uses nonconformance with the comprehensive plan and concerns about life-and-safety risk in downstream breach scenarios. Christina (staff member) told the council the Planning & Zoning Commission denied the request 6–2 and that a supermajority of six council votes would be required to overturn that denial.

Developer Brian Robertson said the project would likely yield about 13 residential lots and argued single-family use would reduce daily vehicle trips compared with a previously approved office plan. “There’s a decrease of over 400 vehicle trips per day with single-family versus the currently zoned office,” Robertson said, describing anticipated lot prices in the $2.2 million–$2.5 million range and arguing the proposal fits nearby development patterns.

Mitchell Jensen, a civil engineer and certified flood‑plain manager with Kimley‑Horn Associates, told the council the applicant’s fully developed hydrology model shows finished floors could be set at least two feet above both the FEMA and fully developed floodplain elevations. Jensen said his preliminary breach modeling indicates the proposed grading and lot layout would not add additional homes into the modeled breach inundation area and that the majority of lots would sit above the modeled breach elevations. “Our finished floors for the lowest homes are about three feet above the 100‑year fully developed event,” Jensen said.

Neighbors and supporters spoke during public comment. Shane Jordan, representing the property owner, said prior office-scale proposals left the site underused and that smaller single‑family lots make the fragmented site developable. Lisa Price, who lives roughly 550 feet away, spoke in support of residential development over an office or veterinary clinic because of traffic and neighborhood compatibility.

Council members pressed staff and the applicant on the weight to give the parks master plan designation (a policy rather than an ownership claim) and on whether the dam‑breach analysis sufficiently addresses long‑term notice and safety issues. Staff and the applicant emphasized that the city’s preliminary-planning review and any required variances would further examine technical constraints.

After discussion the council moved to approve the zoning appeal; the presiding officer called for hands and recorded the motion as passed. Council paused briefly to complete required written findings before the next agenda item. The Council’s action overturns the Planning & Zoning denial and allows the applicant to proceed to subsequent development steps, including preliminary plat review and any needed variances or conditions.