Southlake commissioners table proposed medical-office rezoning at 360 Randall Mill after residents raise design and privacy concerns

The Southlake Planning and Zoning Commission on March 5 voted to table a proposed land-use amendment and SP-1 zoning/site plan for 360 Randall Mill to the commission's April 9 meeting at the applicant's request, after roughly an hour of public comment and commissioner questioning highlighted significant neighborhood concern.

Staff said the applicant requests changing the consolidated future land use from low-density residential to office commercial and rezoning from SF-1 to SP-1 with a detailed site plan. The submitted plan shows a single 15,620-square-foot building (about 12,000 square feet for medical uses and 3,620 square feet for general office), 98 parking spaces, proposed on-site detention, a reduced building setback of 30 feet from FM 1938 in the corridor zone (in lieu of a 50-foot standard), and a tree-conservation target that preserves about 45.11% of the canopy on site. Staff reported 28 notices were sent to adjacent property owners; six written responses in opposition were received within the 300-foot buffer and two outside the buffer, while 20 responses in favor were submitted from outside the buffer.

Neighbors who spoke cited a common set of concerns: building height and visual scale, headlights and light pollution from parking oriented toward backyards, the proximity of dumpsters to residences, increased traffic and safety on Johnson Road and Randall Mill, drainage and grading impacts on existing low-lying backyard areas, and potential nighttime operations. Roger Aldinger, whose property borders the site, said the proposal "does absolutely nothing for any of the residents" and added, "If it is to go forward, it has to be done much differently." Clayton Reed told the commission, "We're simply asking that it remain consistent with the residential neighborhood that already exists on all sides of this but one."

Several medical professionals and other residents spoke in favor, saying the site could provide daytime specialties missing west of the area. Dr. Hassan Asgar, a periodontist and Southlake resident, said the planned offices would operate during regular business hours and "serve the community and the neighborhood," and Dr. Rob Capranelli, who manages multiple clinics in the region, said expanded local specialty access benefits residents who otherwise must travel outside Southlake.

Commissioners pressed site-design questions: whether parapet height was necessary to screen rooftop equipment, whether architecture could be made more residential in character, and whether relocating dumpsters and adding an eight-foot screening fence would mitigate impacts. Staff confirmed a shared-access easement exists for the proposed southern driveway and noted that, as submitted, the reduced setback and the scale made some commissioners uncomfortable. Recommendations from commissioners included lowering the building height toward a 20-foot benchmark, adopting more residential-style elevations, placing dumpsters away from residential lots, limiting light poles and fixtures to downcast cutoff fixtures at 12 feet, and restricting hours to daytime operations.

At the applicant's request the commission voted to table both the consolidated future land-use amendment and the zoning/site-plan application to the April 9 meeting so the applicant can meet with neighbors and revise the submittal. Commissioner (speaker 3) moved to table; another commissioner seconded the motion and the item was tabled.

Next steps: the applicant has said it will organize a neighborhood meeting and return with revisions; the commission indicated it expects to see design changes that address height, screening and hours before making a recommendation to City Council.