A 13.6-acre commercial development planned for the northwest corner of Preston Road and Prosper Trail is moving forward after the Prosper Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-0 to recommend approval, capping a months-long fight with neighbors in the adjacent Saddle Creek subdivision who say they were promised something else entirely when they bought their homes.
The commission’s vote last August followed roughly two hours of public comment, according to Community Impact, with 23 residents speaking in opposition to the project. Many told commissioners their builder or real estate agent had led them to believe the property was zoned for medical offices, though the outlet reports that the site’s 2006 zoning designation is inconsistent with that claim. The land was originally zoned for commercial mixed-use back in 2006, and the town’s planning records show preliminary site plans for commercial and office uses on the same tract were approved in 2007, 2010 and 2016, only to expire before construction was completed, according to the Town of Prosper.
What’s Actually Being Proposed
The formal request, tracked as case ZONE-25-0003, seeks to amend Planned Development-31 and carve out a new Planned Development covering Lots 2R and 3 of Saddle Creek Commercial, Block A. Town planning documents describe a preliminary site plan totaling 108,836 square feet of commercial space spread across five one-story buildings and four two-story buildings, with the two-story structures featuring retail or restaurant space on the ground floor and office space above. That build-out would sit next to an existing 4,242-square-foot dental office already on Lot 3, and the property already includes a bank with a drive-thru.
The 2006 planned development had required the remaining land be used for office space, but allowed up to 6 acres for commercial or retail purposes, including restaurants. The applicant initially proposed expanding the number of permitted uses from 12 to 32 across office, restaurant and retail categories, but commissioners ultimately pared that list down to 23 permitted uses after hearing from the neighborhood.
Neighbors Push Back, Commission Tables Then Compromises
The property is bordered by Saddle Creek lots along Clipston Drive and Packsaddle Trail on its north and west sides, putting homes directly adjacent to the proposed retail buildings. Saddle Creek residents raised concerns about increased traffic, decreased property values, excessive noise and light, and the possibility that restaurant food waste could attract rats. Resident Michael Villalva said the neighborhood shared the sentiment that the project was not what residents were sold when they moved in…