A plan to bring 88 townhomes to the corner of Stacy Road and Greenville Avenue is moving forward, thanks in part to input from residents.
On Jan. 24 Allen City Council members approved a zoning change allowing the construction of Stacy Villas near the southeast corner of Stacy Road and Greenville Avenue. The property was previously zoned for a shopping center.
When the project first appeared on the Planning and Zoning Commission agenda, several neighboring residents wrote letters opposing the change. Developers spent a month meeting with residents and gathering research to alleviate concerns about additional traffic, increased school population, lack of privacy and decreased values.
Traffic studies revealed that, if the property remained zoned as a shopping center, it could generate up to four thousand trips per weekday and five thousand on weekends. By building townhomes instead, the number of trips per day decreased tenfold, to just 500.
The developer consulted Allen Independent School District data and found the subdivision would have a negligible effect on enrollment. A senior Allen Independent School District official confirmed the district had no concerns regarding overcrowding.
In addition, the developer worked with architects to remove some second-story windows overlooking neighboring backyards. Many of the second-story windows will have an opaque finish, further encouraging privacy. The HOA president for the Silhouette subdivision, located southeast of the proposed townhomes, wrote a letter confirming the neighborhood did not foresee negative effects, and are satisfied with the developer’s changes.
As for property values, the townhomes will be priced in the $290,000 to mid-$300,000 range. According to 2016 Collin County Appraisal District records, the average value of adjacent homes is $237,119.
“He really addressed all of my concerns through research,” said Steve Bartels, a resident of the Silhouette subdivision. When speaking to council members, Bartels noted that his home had been described by developers as the property “most impacted” by the townhome project.
“I was dreading a time when a retail development would go in there,” added Bartels. “This, to me, is a much better solution.”
City council members unanimously approved the zoning change. Lenart Development expects to begin construction on the townhomes in spring of 2017 and close on the first home in fall 2018.