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Farmers Branch Planning & Zoning
11/13/23
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November 13, 2023
145-Unit Multifamily | 12055 Luna Road | Postponed
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Roers Luna Road Phase II 12055 Luna Road
Southwest Farmers Branch | 2.49 Acres | 145 Units | Postponed
The developer, Roers Companies from Minnesota, seeks to rezone and construct a 7-story, 145-unit multifamily asset on a 2.5-acre site. The project received mixed feedback from the Planning and Zoning Commission. Most importantly, it highlighted the difference between commissioner views on slightly denser housing.
Initially, the Commission voted to recommend denial of the rezoning. Concerns were raised about the potential impact to nearby single-family neighborhoods.
‟I'm not thrilled about the balconies that might be overlooking the community.
The project had also received negative feedback from some adjacent homeowners prior to the Commission meeting.
‟I would ask you to vote against approving this looming hulk, apparently 201 feet, from the neighborhood behind it.
Neighbor Khed Aus echoed concerns about increased traffic and loss of privacy, stating that the future residents are just ‘staring at you,’ because living in a single in a single family home is ‘living underneath them.’
On the other hand, some Commissioners saw benefits in continuing multifamily housing development in this area to provide more housing options.
Commissioner Amber Raley argued that there are opportunities especially in the entertainment district with redevelopment providing amenities like park areas. She described the benefits of living in this type of housing, drawing on her personal experience and the general growth plan in general for Farmers Branch.
On Higher Density Housing
A discussion between Commissioner Amber Raley and Harold Froehlich II shows both the traditional and changing perspectives among Farmers Branch commissioners.
Froehlich expressed doubts that residents would desire living there due to the density and the expected traffic.
"I'm concerned about going from a transient type property hotel motel...to putting another 145 or so residents into an already pretty dense location".
He adds concerns about traffic impacts, density, and the complex "look[ing] like it ought to be a hotel motel site".
Commissioner Raley disagreed, suggesting not having a "paternalistic view that we can designate what other people want or desire". She said residents should "hear from people firsthand" rather than officials "telling them how they should feel".
In response to the concerns raised, the developer emphasized that the traffic impact is expected to be similar to that of a hotel. They also aim to create an aesthetic consistent with, but not identical to, the adjacent apartment development.
The Commission originally voted to recommend denial of the rezoning request. However, a subsequent motion to table the issue for further study passed.
Overall, while valid issues were raised, the Commission demonstrated a willingness to study the matter further and find potential solutions rather than rejecting the project outright.
Developer: Roers Companies, Logan Schmidt, LinkedIn, Phone: (763)285-8808
Staff Report: 23-ZA-05
Project Plans: 23-ZA-05
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