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Council denies amendment to PD 20 for I‑35 hotel after resident opposition
Summary
After public opposition and council concern about the I‑35 corridor and hotel tax performance, DeSoto council voted 5–1 to deny a developer's request to amend planned development PD 20 to allow a 120-room Residence Inn-style extended-stay hotel without a full-service restaurant.
The DeSoto City Council voted 5–1 to deny a proposed amendment to Planned Development 20 for property at 1307 North I‑35 East, rejecting the applicant's request to reduce a hotel-room requirement and remove an on-site restaurant requirement.
Planning and Zoning Manager Cambria Jordan summarized the request and the notice process: staff received four letters of opposition from property owners within the 200-foot radius and none in support. Councilman Andre Byrd moved to deny; Mayor Pro Tem Crystal Chisholm seconded the motion.
Kevin Patel, the engineer of record for the applicant, told the council the hotel use was allowed by right under zoning and that the product was an extended-stay Residence Inn by Marriott with kitchens in rooms and a bar/lounge. "If complete cooking facilities are provided in each guest room, no restaurant is required," Patel said, adding the developer preserved a green belt adjacent to the residential edge.
Councilmembers expressed concerns about concentration of hotels on the I‑35 corridor, past tax-compliance issues at some hotels and whether a room-count reduction to 120 with kitchenette units would produce a full-service product. Mayor Pro Tem Chisholm said the city needs an intentional roadmap for development along I‑35 and said she would not support another hotel in that location without a clear plan. Councilmember Byrd warned smaller, limited-service products can yield long-term maintenance and tax-collection problems.
After the motion to deny passed 5–1, the council did not approve the requested amendments; the applicant retains by-right development options but not the requested deviations.
