Residents of a small town outside Dallas have forced a developer to back off his plans to destroy lush, green farmland in their community and turn it into a shopping center.
The Haggards, one of Plano’s most notable families, own the 13.5-acre portion of the farm they wanted to convert into a Sprouts grocery store, commercial space and approximately 33 townhomes.
Fairview Farm Land Company, headed by a member of the Haggard family, called on the city of Plano to rezone this land so new development could move forward.
But the owners spoke out against the idea and sent hundreds of opposition messages to Plano officials, NBC Dallas Fort Worth. reported.
The 13.5-acre portion of the Haggard farm that was to be transformed into a Sprouts grocery store, commercial space and approximately 33 townhomes.
All the pressure from locals seemed to force Fairview Farm Land Company into action and, in a surprise move, it sent a request to the city asking it to withdraw its rezoning request.
‘While we were hopeful that our proposed development would be seen as a positive addition, it is clear that is not the case and we do not want to proceed with something that does not have the full support of the community. Thank you for your consideration,” the company wrote through a representative.
The Plano Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to accept the application, leaving the proposed shopping center dead in the water.
“It’s such a residential neighborhood that we wanted to keep it that way,” said Sara Stettler, a resident who owns a home near the Haggard farm.
“We have a lot of empty shopping centers available, so we didn’t feel it was necessary to build them here,” he added.
Sara Stettler, pictured, opposes the new use of the land and prefers that it remain residential.
Christina Day, Plano’s planning director, said it’s not typical for a developer – in this case the Haggard family – to invest time and resources, get this far in the approval process and abruptly back out.
“It’s not unheard of, but it’s rare,” Day said.
“This doesn’t mean they can’t file a new case at some point,” he added.
The 13.5-acre area is already zoned for single-family homes or townhomes, but not retail, meaning the Haggards could move forward with a revised proposal that is solely residential.
Over the years, the Haggard family has sold or developed fragments of their undeveloped land.
The developers pulled out and stated that the project would not move forward without the full support of the community.
In 2021, the city council approved a massive new mixed-use development on 124 acres of Haggard farmland on the east side of the Dallas North Tollway.
Construction is underway and the new area will contain a hotel, restaurant, commercial buildings and housing, NBC Dallas Fort Worth. reported At the time.
Day acknowledged that despite the 2021 passage, which also generated massive community opposition, the city has policies in place to limit the emergence of retail stores overwhelming the area.
“We’ve long had policies to limit zoning and commercial development where possible in the city and that’s because we realize we have three times the national average of retail,” Day said.
Stettler urged his fellow residents to continue organizing, as future developments that alter the character of Plano are not out of the question.
“If something is not right for Plano, then we have to make our voice heard and in this sense, it worked, so we are very glad that we were heard,” Stettler said.