A 1,550-acre master-planned community pitched in a boomtown east of Dallas has taken another step forward — but still has a long way to go to win over neighbors.
Main Square Development aims to develop Terra Nova in Terrell along Griffith Road near FM 245. The Terrell Planning and Zoning Commission voted Aug. 28 in favor of changing the zoning for the site to enable the massive development slated to feature 3,600 single-family homes, about 1,200 multifamily units, roughly 145 acres of parks and a 50-acre mixed-use center.
The rezoning also needs the approval of Terrell City Council. The matter could go before the board in October.
The pitched master-planned community and the backlash it has received speaks to the tight balancing act cities have to make between maintaining and welcoming growth and development activity while keeping residents happy. Terrell currently has a little more than 21,000 residents and is located in Kaufman County, which experienced the second-fastest percentage growth in the country last year, according to Census Bureau estimates.
Multiple residents voiced opposition to Terra Nova at this week’s commission meeting and the project has also been the subject of much debate online. Concerns include increased traffic, higher property taxes, strain on infrastructure and overcrowded schools. A petition from residents of the nearby Glenn Haven subdivision and surrounding neighborhoods opposed to being connected to Terra Nova and seeing greenbelts erased received 88 signatures.
Hugo Morales, president of Main Square, said in an email that his firm hopes Terra Nova will seamlessly integrate with the existing fabric of Terrell while also elevating “the city’s attractiveness as a place to live, work, and raise a family.”
“Terra Nova is a carefully designed, high-quality master planned community that directly addresses many of these important considerations,” Morales said. “The plan includes a thoughtfully engineered drainage system, a connected network of major roads to improve traffic flow, and an abundance of hike and bike trails, parks and open spaces to preserve natural areas and enhance community wellness.”
The development has supporters on city council. Council Member Phil Robison wrote on Facebook that despite often being “opposed to many of the developments that are proposed in our community,” Terra Nova “is one of the few proposed developments that I believe will be legitimately beneficial to our community.” He said increased tax revenue from the “high-end development” will provide revenue for needed projects and could even lead to a lower tax rate and that Terra Nova will provide new options for executive housing.
The development is scheduled to be a 14- to-16-phase buildout, allowing for the city to work with Main Square and ensure the firm is held accountable, Chris Snapp, Terrell’s director of municipal development, told commissioners during the Aug. 28 meeting.
“As the phases go through, we’ll look at doing traffic impact studies throughout to see if the changes make a substantial impact to our congestion of [State Highway] 205, and things of that nature,” Snapp said. “We’ll constantly look at that and what evaluations and recommendations we need to do as far as altering paths or increasing roads.”
Phase one of the project will focus on the residential piece along Griffth Road, with construction anticipated to start later this year, pending council approval. Lots in the community will be a minimum of 50 feet wide with home prices slated to start at roughly $400,000, ranging to about $1.2 million. Main Square also plans to invest about $100 million into major thoroughfares and trails and roughly $24 million in new park investment.
Terra Nova is Main Square’s first project since its founding early last year. The firm aims to develop more master-planned communities. The company currently owns about 1,110 acres in Cedar Hill and is exploring other sites in Sherman and Royse City.
Original version appears in Dallas Business Journal.