A Dallas developer has cut the size of its long-contested Walnut Hill Lane housing project for the third time, dropping the plan from an original 60 homes down to 37 as it heads toward a City Council vote next week. Centurion American Development Group’s Fifty36 at Walnut Hill, a 3.7-acre residential community near Walnut Hill Lane and Marsh Lane, has been reshaped repeatedly since neighbors and council members raised objections over density and building height.
The latest version trims the previous 41-home plan presented during an August City Council meeting down to 37 homes, with only 12 of them now three stories tall, according to The Dallas Morning News. That is a sharp turn from the developer’s original vision, which called for all 60 homes to be three stories. The updated plan also raises the median lot size to about 3,600 square feet and sets aside 16.8% of the site as open space, including two pickleball courts and paved walking trails, per the same report. Farmers Branch-based Centurion American expects the homes to sell between $900,000 and $1.2 million, according to a company statement cited in that coverage.
The largely vacant property near Walnut Hill Lane and Betty Jane Lane is a former church site, and People Newspapers reported on the October 2019, North Dallas tornado. The site currently carries R-16a single-family zoning, which requires a minimum lot size of 16,000 square feet, according to council documents referenced in The Dallas Morning News report.
A Project Denied, Then Reworked Again
Centurion American’s push for a Planned Development district to replace that R-16 zoning has not gone smoothly. Neighbors opposed the development during an August 2025 City Plan Commission meeting, and the City Council denied the measure following that resident opposition. CEO Mehrdad Moayedi reapplied after the denial, and the measure advanced back to City Council, per the same Dallas Morning News account…