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Rowlett council votes down plan to reclassify 23-acre Merritt Road parcel for 185 townhomes
Summary
After hours of testimony from residents, property owners and the developer, Rowlett City Council denied the proposed change to the comprehensive plan and the developer's regulating plan for a 185-unit townhome project at 8500 Merritt Road by a 1–6 vote.
Rowlett City Council rejected a request to amend the city’s comprehensive plan and to adopt a regulating plan that would have allowed BridgeTower/Bridgetower Homes to build 185 townhome units at 8500 Merritt Road.
Derek Hall, the city’s Community Development Director, opened the public hearing describing the proposal as a request to change roughly 23.6 acres from "employment center" to "medium density residential" and to approve a regulating plan and a minor access warrant to connect the site to Merritt Road. Hall said the site plan showed 185 Townhome 2 units, two parking spaces per unit plus about 90 visitor spaces and five open-space lots. He also noted that Planning & Zoning had earlier recommended denial following a split set of meetings.
Shaiwali Desai, Bridgetower Homes’ director of entitlement, presented the developer’s case, saying the project meets form-based code standards and provides 14% open space and pedestrian amenities. Desai told council, “We are requesting tonight is approval of a regulating plan, approval of a comprehensive plan amendment to medium density residential, and approval of a minor warrant to connect to Merritt Road.” (speaker 19)
More than a dozen residents and affected landowners offered testimony both for and against the proposal. Supporters, including several property owners, framed the proposal as a chance to finally sell and develop long-held family parcels and to add housing supply. Opponents raised drainage and runoff concerns, argued the proposal would fragment the long-planned North Shore employment center, and warned about increasing rental-style development along Merritt.
Council debated land-use policy, long-term economic strategy for the North Shore opportunity zone, property rights, and constituent emails (the mayor noted 94 emails were received: 12 in favor, 82 opposed). After discussion, Councilmember Shoop moved to approve the item "as presented"; the motion failed by a 1–6 vote, with Councilmember Bowers recorded as the lone vote in favor. By denying the amendment, the council kept the site’s employment-center future land use in place.
