City Council 11/6/25

Council approved Kirby Ice House's rezoning of the restaurant pad 8-1 on November 6, 2025, with Al Zapanta, then a Council Member and now Mayor, the lone vote against. The restaurant carries about 17,300 square feet indoors, an 8,000-square-foot patio, and 720 seats. At the work session, Council Member Mark Cronenwett understood the Las Colinas Association to be requiring the restaurant before the apartments, and regretted that the City had not required it:

Zapanta asked whether the restaurant split the site from the apartments, then objected that Morgan had brought it to Council as one development:

The August zoning had already required a completed restaurant foundation before the mixed-use building's final certificate of occupancy, and the City wrote that inspection onto the master permit. On May 15, Chief Plans Examiner Jason Russell first read the condition as holding a temporary certificate too, then agreed with Morgan's architect that the zoning's word "final" is what applies.

Damian Miller wrote in support of the restaurant pad on October 30, 2025, the one reply to the City's seven notices:

City Council 8/28/25

Council had denied the land-use change 7-2 on May 1, 2025, on Zapanta's motion, which left the zoning moot rather than denied and free of the six-month wait; Morgan brought the identical site plan back that summer. At the August 28 work session, Zapanta objected to more apartments in his district and to a height below eight stories before the City's new multifamily ordinance took effect on September 1:

Cronenwett called it a difficult case. He wanted the higher, steel-frame buildings Council had been steering toward and called the SH 161 exit short of SH 114 "a very congested intersection."

Then-Mayor Rick Stopfer backed it for its Kirby Ice House anchor, which would keep the ground-floor space from sitting empty, and for interior finishes such as countertops and in-unit laundry that site plans rarely commit to. He warned that a denial could bring:

Council Member Dennis Webb asked what Senate Bill 840 would change the following Monday:

That evening Zapanta was not ready to support the third version he had seen:

Cronenwett found the case little changed and the access from SH 161 through the SH 114 intersection a problem:

Abdul Khabeer backed the mix and the business it would bring:

Webb moved approval of the land-use change.

Council approved the land-use change 6-3, with Council Members Adam Muller, Zapanta and Cronenwett opposed; then the zoning 7-2 on Khabeer's motion, Zapanta joining the majority and Muller and Cronenwett opposed.

No one signed up to speak against the project at either hearing, and the City's eight mailed notices drew one written reply, in support, from Damian Miller on July 31, 2025:

Planning & Zoning 8/4/25

On August 4, 2025, the Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval 7-1, Commissioner Daniel Denny voting against.

Morgan pointed to two changes since the spring: the office owner next door needed the amenities more after losing a major tenant, and Senate Bill 840 would soon limit the City's control over multifamily.

At the work session, commissioners asked whether the walkable Community Village would reach beyond the site, how much commercial Morgan had added to answer Council, and about access along the SH 161 service road:

Chair Joshua Skinner was ready to try again:

At the hearing, Secretary April Myrick asked about the share of retail and how the live/work units would work, and Haacke returned to access along the SH 161 service road.

City Council 5/1/25

Morgan's first plan for the 10.59 acres at Royal Lane and SH 161 had 378 apartments, 36.8 units an acre, and about 54,160 square feet of commercial space anchored by a Kirby Ice House. The Planning & Zoning Commission recommended it 4-3; on May 1, 2025 Council denied the land-use change 7-2 on Zapanta's motion.

It needed a zoning change from FWY to S-P-2 (Mixed Use) and a Comprehensive Plan amendment from Business/Office to Community Village. The apartments flanked a six-level garage, with ground-floor commercial on a central promenade and trails along Hackberry Creek.

Morgan presented itself as a long-term holder: a third-generation family company with its own general contractor and property management, more than 30,000 units built or acquired and 19,000 owned and managed.

Piedmont, then Piedmont Office Realty Trust, owns the three office buildings directly south, 6 to 9 stories and more than 600,000 square feet.

Piedmont's Damian Miller backed it:

The development proposed two primary components:

The buildings would rise to 85 feet (60 feet to top plate, 85 feet to peak of roof), with a walking trail along Hackberry Creek and a central promenade connecting the buildings. Parking would be accommodated through 369 surface spaces and 659 spaces in a six-level garage.

The commercial space faced Royal Lane and the promenade.

Council argued the case at the five-hour work session; that evening the team presented and the motion to deny came without discussion.

Al Zapanta said the plans were not what Morgan had told him on site:

He also raised the grade beside SH 161.

Brad LaMorgese cited the apartments already nearby, traffic, and the site's future as an office campus:

He doubted the fitness center would serve the public:

He also cited new flooding along Royal and the offices and data centers around the site:

Mark Cronenwett, whose District 5 holds the site, asked whether the apartments would come first and the restaurant later, or never:

He also noted the site's only access would be from Royal, with none from SH 161.

Kyle Taylor, District 7, and Dennis Webb, District 8, voted against the denial.

Planning & Zoning 4/7/25

The Planning & Zoning Commission recommended both requests 4-3 on April 7, 2025.

Morgan's case: the site falls 30 feet from the President George Bush Turnpike and has no highway visibility, so it never worked as the office its zoning planned. Piedmont, then Piedmont Office Realty Trust, held six Irving office assets valued at over $200 million.

378 multifamily units (36.8 units/acre)

At 11.08%, the commercial component just clears the 10% threshold required by the State Highway 161 Overlay District for mixed-use designation, comprising:

Live/work units were 21,777 of the 54,160 square feet, about 40%. The plan's 1,028 spaces, 369 surface and 659 in the garage, exceeded the 926 required.

Morgan asked for two approvals:

Community Village typically allows 8 to 30 units an acre; the plan asked 36.8. Both votes were 4-3, with no written opposition from notified owners.

Secretary April Myrick asked about the restaurant and the rest of the plan.

Piedmont backed the project as an amenity for its offices across Royal Lane, and Debbi Haacke, then Vice Chair and now Chair, spoke well of Piedmont from her own experience with its buildings. Kirby Ice House president Russ Morgan appeared in person; the Houston concept said it averages $7 million a year per location, ranks in the top 20 for alcohol sales in Texas, and chose this site for its first DFW location over Frisco, Plano and Addison.

The plan had trails along Hackberry Creek, a dog park, a pool courtyard and a promenade, with 14-foot ceilings in the commercial space and 10-foot in the apartments.