Argyle Town Council on Oct. 20 approved an updated site plan for the Marsden (Marston) tract — SP 25-07 — after a lengthy public hearing that included both supporters and opponents of the redevelopment proposal.

The staff recommendation, delivered by planning staffer Mike Sims, was to approve the revised site plan with two variances and a set of conditions; the council approved the plan in a 5-0 vote. Sims told the council the applicant had withdrawn an earlier submittal that the Planning and Zoning Commission had rejected and submitted a reconfigured plan that, among other changes, removes a planned fire-lane connection to the property north of the site.

Why it matters: The project sits at the heart of Argyle’s planned Town Center and affects adjacent businesses and public amenities, including the Argyle Nature Trail and the red-brick Professional Depot building that the developer proposes to use in a shared-parking agreement. Residents and business owners said the plan’s details — parking counts, cross-access and tree preservation — matter for traffic, safety and livelihoods in the near term.

What staff told council

Sims said the applicant scaled back its original submission after Planning and Zoning voted against the first set of drawings. The updated site plan preserves existing head-in parking along US 377, reconfigures drive access and provides a U-shaped fire access route that avoids the previously proposed north-side connection to the neighboring property. Sims said the applicant (developer-proponent) withdrew several variances from the initial filing and narrowed the request to two variances: (1) allowing parking in the front yard in place of a required 50-foot landscape buffer and (2) reducing the number of required dedicated loading zones from two to one. “The staff recommendation is to approve the updated site plan,” Sims told the council.

Key conditions described by staff (excerpt of conditions in staff presentation)

- Applicant must satisfy all site plan submittal requirements and conform to the Town’s development standards.
- The site plan must receive recommendation/approval from Denton County Emergency Service District No. 1 (fire marshal).
- Applicant must secure TxDOT right-of-way permits where required.
- Landscaping that cannot be planted in a required buffer must be planted elsewhere on-site; tree mitigation and replacement must follow Article 5 (Tree Preservation) of the Town’s code.
- No use may cause required parking in excess of 91 spaces unless a shared-parking agreement is executed; the applicant provided a shared-parking template with the adjacent Professional Depot building.
- A specific, large specimen tree on the Marsden property must be preserved; preservation will be enforced during grading and plan review.

Public comment: supporters and opponents

Supporters — including local business owners and members of the Municipal Development District — told council they want the corner to be redeveloped, said the developer has a proven track record in the area and argued the plan would help build a pedestrian-oriented town center. Emily Holt, a tenant on the Marsden tract, said: “If you want this town to be something to be proud of 5 years from now, this property should be the next 1 to improve given the state of the building.” Several other business owners and MDD members said they expect the reconfigured site to support the Argyle Farmers Market and create pedestrian connections to the Argyle Nature Trail.

Opponents — most prominently Little Joe’s restaurant owner Jim Reed and other nearby business representatives — urged caution and more time to resolve parking and cross-access concerns. Reed said the project “deserves more time, more transparency, more communication input by the community,” warning that a reduction in available parking could harm Little Joe’s and nearby businesses that rely on overflow parking and on-street parking along US 377. Reed and others asked the council to pursue amendments to the Special Use Permit (SUP) and site plans for adjacent properties to lock in new parking arrangements and to remove the option for cross-access through their properties.

What council decided

Council voted to approve the updated site plan SP 25-07 and to dismiss the applicant’s earlier submittal that P&Z had rejected. The motion included the staff-recommended conditions described above. The council vote was recorded as an approval; the motion carried and staff and the applicant agreed to continue to engage with neighboring property owners and with emergency services and TxDOT on the remaining technical items.

Next steps

The approved site plan is subject to the listed conditions, including final review by Denton County Emergency Service District No. 1 and issuance of any required TxDOT permits. The applicant will also finalize landscape and tree-preservation details and must execute the shared-parking agreement with the Professional Depot owner if parking beyond the 91-space threshold is needed.

Ending

The approval advances the Town Center redevelopment concept while leaving several operational questions for follow-up work: final grading and tree preservation plans, detailed shared-parking arrangements and confirmation from the fire marshal and TxDOT. Staff committed to continued outreach with neighbors and to enforcing the preservation and mitigation conditions during permit review.