Rowlett planning commission approves amended and preliminary plats, grants tree-removal permit

At its May 12 meeting, the Rowlett Planning and Zoning Commission voted on multiple land-use items: it approved an amended plat for Lot 11R of Rowlett Business Park 2, a preliminary-plat amendment for Coyle Lakes townhomes, and the Merit Crossing preliminary plat; it also approved a tree-removal permit tied to the Merit Crossing project.

What the commission approved: the amended plat for Lot 11R (Item 4c) corrects a variable-width drainage and utility easement and was approved by voice/show-of-hands 7-0. The Coyle Lakes preliminary-plat amendment (Item 4d) phases the previously approved development of 61 townhomes into a 45-lot first phase and a 16-lot second phase; the commission approved the amendment 7-0. The Merit Crossing preliminary plat (Item 4b) covers roughly 23.6 acres at Merritt Road and Fayetteville Avenue and will facilitate development of 186 townhomes and 8 open-space lots; the commission approved that preliminary plat 7-0.

Tree removal and mitigation: staff presented a tree-removal permit for the Merit Crossing site. According to staff, the site contains approximately 147 trees in total, of which 66 are protected trees (oak, elm and pecan defined by the form-based code). Staff said 54 of the 66 protected trees are proposed for removal and 12 would be preserved. The applicant proposes to plant additional trees on site (transcript lists proposed plantings as 147 trees and at one point 154 trees and references a total of about 441 caliper inches); staff said, under the form-based code's mitigation and credit rules, the proposed plantings mean the developer would not be required to pay into the reforestation fund. The commission approved the tree-removal permit 5-2.

Motions and votes: motions on the plat and amended-plat items were moved and seconded in open session and recorded as passing by a show of hands or roll call; the minutes record the plat motions passing 7-0 and the tree removal permit passing 5-2. Several commissioners offered short public explanations for their votes on the record; for example, one commissioner said he would vote for a plat he publicly opposed earlier because the application meets state and city requirements.

What happens next: approved preliminary plats allow the applicant to proceed to subsequent project phases (site infrastructure and permitting); the tree-removal permit approval allows the developer to proceed under the mitigation and replacement plan described to staff. Any required administrative steps (final plats, permitting and mitigation monitoring) were not detailed in the meeting record and remain to be completed.

Source: Staff presentations by Liliana Morrone (senior planner) and motions/votes recorded in the May 12, 2026 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.