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Zoning change by Plano City Council makes way for affordable housing community

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5 years ago

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PLANO, TX – Plano City Council approved a zoning request that allows for a proposed multifamily development with the goal of providing affordable housing in Plano.

The 5.3 acres of land on the corner of K Avenue and Park Boulevard is now rezoned from commercial to a planned development space.

The rezone was approved with a 5-3 vote during a Feb. 22 meeting.

The Plano Housing Authority is currently under contract to purchase the now rezoned land from the city of Plano for a proposed multifamily community called the K Avenue Lofts.

The development expects to include up to 226 apartments made up of a mixture of one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Forty-seven units will be open to any renter, while 179 units will be restricted to workforce households at 60% of the area median income, or approximately $60,000 maximum gross income.

The project aims to have a community aspect for residents, with planned property amenities such as an open community pavilion, a computer room, a pool, a dog park, activity and fitness rooms and an art park, project representatives said. A focus on high-level finishes, security and amenities at the complex will encourage change and improvement in the area, a representative said.

The land is also located in a space close to food, schools and transportation via the Dallas Area Rapid Transit station, said Earnest Burke, Plano Housing Authority executive director.

“We’re in a hub area there, where everything that is needed for family to get to in a short distance is right there in that corridor,” Burke said. “We have centered ourselves in a position where … the ones living in the development will [also] have access to other housing authority-related things that will make their lives better and improve their standard of living going forward.”

The zoning change included a request from Plano planning and zoning commissioners to improve or repair DART fencing along the western portion of the property. The rezoning was also written in a way that if the property is not developed by the housing authority and its development partners, it would revert back to previous zoning, Planning Director Christina Day said.

Council Members Lily Bao, Shelby Williams and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Anthony Ricciardelli opposed the change. This decision for Ricciardelli was based on the isolation of the property making it not fit for residential use or on par with the city’s comprehensive plan, he said.

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