Council approves 35‑lot Stewart Street subdivision with 15 conditions including 20‑foot buffer

Carrollton — The Carrollton City Council voted Dec. 2 to rezone 23.41 acres on Stewart Street to allow a single‑family subdivision limited to 35 lots, approving the project subject to 15 conditions that officials said address design, neighborhood compatibility and public safety.

Planning staff described the changes offered by the applicant, including reducing the proposal from an initial 50 lots to 35 and setting a 12,000‑square‑foot minimum lot size with a 2,000‑square‑foot minimum house. The approved conditions require a mandatory homeowners association, an architectural control committee, limits on leasing (no more than 20 percent of homes may be leased), driveway and parking standards, and minimum roof and porch requirements. The list also includes a requirement for a green‑belt spur to connect the development to Carrollton’s green belt, an 18‑month sunset clause for infrastructure completion that would revert zoning to ER1 if not met, and the installation of Flock public‑safety cameras.

“Originally, we were proposing 50 and … we reduced that by 30% all the way down to 35,” developer Brian Preston told the council, adding the project would use wider 75‑foot lots so “we do have the room to do some bigger ranch style houses.” He said some houses will include basements and that prices would start in the mid‑$400,000 range for the smallest plans.

Residents at the public hearing voiced mixed reactions. Lyn Smith, who said she was born and raised in Carrollton and whose family has owned part of the property since 1956, told the council the parcel’s proximity to downtown and existing amenities made the plan appropriate and said she supported making the land available for others to enjoy. “It would be a wonderful place for people to live,” Smith said.

Opponents raised safety and tree‑loss concerns. “I don’t let my son go out to check the mail because… they drive 50,” said resident Valerie Barry, who spoke about chronic speeding on Stewart Street and the loss of backyard trees and privacy that the development would bring. Thomas Bass, a neighbor who owns a house backing the tract, asked the council to require a 20‑foot undisturbed buffer along the Grove Park border; staff confirmed the buffer would be added to the conditions and that the conditions list should be read as 15 items after correcting a numbering typo.

Council Member Bridges moved to approve the rezoning subject to the conditions; the motion was seconded and the mayor announced the motion carried with no recorded opposition.

The approved concept plan shifts the subdivision entrance to the south side of Stewart Street (staff and the applicant said this improves sight distance) and includes commitments on materials and architectural elements—porches of at least six feet and non‑vinyl siding among them—that staff said are intended to ensure compatibility with nearby Grove Park homes. The 18‑month timeline for infrastructure and permit completion is intended as a safeguard; staff said the property would revert to ER1 zoning if the developer does not complete the required work within that period.

Next steps identified by staff include final engineering, land‑disturbance permitting and construction of the internal streets and infrastructure; the council did not set any additional deadlines during the meeting.