Prosper council adopts UDC amendments for Dallas North Tollway, adds time limits, lighting rules and dual-brand hotel conditions

The Prosper Town Council on July 28 adopted amendments to the town's Unified Development Code for the Dallas North Tollway district that staff said will convert previously advisory development standards into enforceable regulations.

"What these amendments that are being proposed do is to take those suggestions and turn them into regulations," Development Services Director David Hoover told the council as he outlined changes including time limits for dormant applications, landscape and setback increases, new parking configurations and a definition for so‑called "jellyfish" lights.

The adopted package includes several specific changes: staff will send a notice after five months of applicant inactivity and the application will be void if the applicant does not reactivate within 30 days; dual‑brand hotels will be allowed only where a full‑service component represents at least 60% of rooms and the two components must meet the respective ordinance requirements or, by the council's agreement, be approved via a special‑use permit (SUP); front landscaping or setback areas in some locations increase—staff cited figures up to about 60 feet—and parking near the front façade will be limited to two rows with remaining parking located to the side or rear of buildings to reduce large "sea of parking" lots; and a definition for "jellyfish" lighting limits that form of decorative lighting to residential eaves and prohibits flashing or strobing that could create a nuisance.

Council members pressed staff on details. A member asked what share of applications currently sit idle beyond five months; Hoover estimated "probably no more than 12 to 15%." The town attorney explained enforcement: code enforcement typically starts with a notice or personal visit and, if noncompliance continues, the matter may proceed to a municipal court judge to determine whether the condition constitutes a nuisance.

Councilmember Marcus Ray moved to approve the amendments subject to two agreed adjustments—requirement that dual‑brand hotels be considered subject to an SUP where appropriate and a time window restricting jellyfish lights from midnight to 6 a.m.—and Amy Bartley seconded. The motion passed unanimously, 6–0.

Planning staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission had previously recommended approval; Hoover told the council the changes do not rezone land but will make the tollway development standards enforceable in the UDC.

The amendments will be codified into the UDC and become the baseline for future development reviews in the Dallas North Tollway district. Staff said they will implement the new tracking for application timelines and update permit guidance for applicants and builders.