Richardson planning commission recommends rezoning for Richland Village at 300 S. Plano Road

The Richardson City Plan Commission on Aug. 6 unanimously recommended approval of Zoning File 26‑15, a request to rezone the property at 300 S. Plano Road (the Burlington building) to a Planned Development with a Local Retail 2 base district.

Planning staff described the site as roughly 6.7 acres with a 73,725-square-foot building and said the proposal would downsize Burlington to about 34,000 square feet, leaving roughly 38,974 square feet available for other tenants. Staff told commissioners the plan would provide 379 parking spaces and 7.1% landscape coverage, add four landscape islands with canopy trees, maintain an existing 8-foot masonry screening wall and a 165-foot setback from the adjacent south neighborhood, and add a light pole at the southwest corner in response to neighborhood requests.

Maxwell Fisher, representing the applicant (Zone Dev), said the current 20-year Burlington lease ends in 2026 and the owner is seeking a market-aligned reuse for the underutilized building. "This property screams and under utilization," Fisher said, arguing that a fitness user would be a destination use that could improve visibility and trigger building upgrades including new entrances, roof work and architectural enhancements. Fisher said the applicant is requesting a modified parking ratio (1:150 to 1:100) supported by a parking study showing complementary peak hours between Burlington and a fitness tenant.

Commissioners questioned staff and the applicant about landscape compliance (staff said the site is currently at about 5.8% landscape coverage), whether certain uses would be allowed by right under LR‑M2, and protections for Twin Rivers Park west of the site. Vice Chairman Thomason and other commissioners noted the tradeoff between neighborhood "quiet enjoyment" and economic activity on an underutilized commercial parcel.

A motion to recommend approval was made by Commissioner Shashak and seconded by Commissioner Beach; the commission voted to recommend the rezoning as presented and the motion passed unanimously.

The staff report accompanying the case noted that earlier amendments to the comprehensive zoning ordinance require special permits for large-scale retail (70,000 square feet or more) and that the proposal's conversion and prohibited-use list would limit some intense uses for the site. The recommendation to the City Council includes the plan development standards shown on the concept plan and elevations provided to the commission.