Garden Ridge planning commission recommends rezoning of 20.16-acre Miller tract for 20 estate homes

The Garden Ridge Planning and Zoning Commission on July 8 voted to recommend that City Council approve rezoning a 20.16‑acre tract conveyed to Bradley K. and Tamara L. Miller (deed recorded in document no. 200306022245) from Agricultural Homestead (AG) to Residential Estate (RE), clearing the way for a 20‑lot estate subdivision proposed by Scott Felder Homes.

During a public hearing, residents pressed the commission on stormwater, municipal water supply, traffic and wildlife. Ronnie Bolt asked bluntly, "Where's the water coming from? Period," saying taps in parts of town already run slowly. Marcus Moreno, the developer's representative, said the builder will not move forward without water: "We cannot build a subdivision without water." Moreno said Pape Dawson Engineering will design drainage and utilities and that the project is intended to follow the city's recently updated subdivision ordinance.

City staff described the proposal as consistent with Garden Ridge's low‑density land‑use vision and said the application calls for roughly 20 single‑family lots with a three‑quarter‑acre minimum lot size. The developer and staff gave somewhat different price and size estimates: city materials cited anticipated home values of about $895,000–$995,000 and home footprints of about 2,800–4,000 square feet, while the developer estimated base prices "about $799,000 to $1,000,000" and said smaller marketed homes would be roughly 2,600 square feet and larger homes up to about 4,800 square feet. Moreno also said lots will be served by septic and that the final layout will be refined during engineering.

Neighbors described observed and potential downstream impacts from recent nearby development. Several residents said existing runoff has already deposited inches of topsoil behind their fences and pushed out boundary lines; others worried about a single entrance onto Benzel/Benzile Lane and increased daily traffic. Crystal Miller Welty, a descendant of the city's founders, warned about effects on groundwater recharge and a nearby Mexican free‑tailed bat colony. Written comments from adjacent property owners urged denial or major modifications, including robust stormwater controls and possible culverting to protect downstream properties.

Commission discussion noted that many technical issues raised by residents—drainage calculations, easements, tree removal, road improvements and utility connections—are addressed in the subdivision and development‑plan review process under the city's updated ordinances and through third‑party plan review. Staff said the city is preparing a street capital‑improvements program and that developers are typically responsible for frontage improvements; additional city funds would be considered post‑development.

A motion to recommend approval of the rezoning (application by Scott Felder Homes LLC on behalf of Bradley K. and Tamara L. Miller) was moved, seconded and recorded as passed. The commission's recommendation will be transmitted to City Council, which is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the rezoning on Aug. 5, when the council will make the final decision.

The commission record shows the recommendation passed on a recorded vote; the chair noted he does not vote except to break ties. The vice chair, Richard Howard, was absent from the meeting.

Next steps: the P&Z recommendation and the rezoning application will be considered at City Council’s Aug. 5 meeting, where additional public comment will be accepted and the council will vote on the final zoning change.