Developer representative outlines 'living screen' and amenity center for Preserve subdivision

A presenter at the council meeting described landscaping and site plans for the Preserve subdivision, including an interim "living screen" to provide visual separation between SH 121 and adjacent homes where TxDOT ownership of right-of-way prevents a masonry wall.

"They proposed to plant what's called cross sparring, to cover and screen, to become what's some call a living screen, along that whole border there," the presenter said, explaining the developer’s approach to achieve faster visual screening while larger canopy trees establish over several years. The presenter noted TxDOT typically does not allow masonry walls or plant material on its right of way and described the planting as a practical stopgap that the HOA would maintain.

The presenter also walked council through amenity-center plans. He estimated the enclosed portion of the amenity center would be "around ... 800 square feet" and described the broader plan as retaining a larger, native-landscape-focused area with a playground and a future loop trail. Council and staff discussed timing triggers in the developer agreement — for example, when building-permit counts reach a threshold for constructing pedestrian bridges and other amenities.

Why it matters: The plan affects neighborhood design, long-term maintenance responsibility (HOA), and how the city coordinates with TxDOT on right-of-way constraints.