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About 40 residents gathered July 15 at Chapel Hill Methodist Church to organize a formal opposition campaign ahead of a July 27 Farmers Branch Planning and Zoning Commission hearing, where commissioners will hear a proposal that would remove the 55+ age restriction from a planned senior housing development and allow construction of a 301-unit apartment complex instead.
The meeting focused on sharing verified information, identifying questions for the property’s owner and encouraging residents to participate in the public hearing.
The planning and zoning commission voted 5-2 on June 22 to table the request from Cive Inc., giving the Houston-based developer more time to justify the change before a vote. The case is scheduled to return to the commission at 7 p.m. Monday, July 27.
Jessica Knowles, one of the neighborhood organizers, said the group wants to focus on facts rather than speculation as discussions continue.
“We are being very specific because there are people calling us out for having misinformation,” she told attendees.
The property, just east of Dallas Medical Center and formerly known as Spot @ Myra, has sat unfinished for years. The city approved an age-restricted independent living development there in 2019. A detailed site plan was adopted in 2020.
The original developer, MarketSpace Capital LLC, completed a parking garage but stalled before building the residential structure and later went bankrupt.
The property was purchased by Cive, which is now asking the city to remove the 55-plus restriction and build a conventional 301-unit apartment complex with a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom units, along with four single-family homes south of Myra Lane.
At the June 22 meeting, city staff recommended the approval of the amendment despite noting that it does not align with the Farmers Branch 2045 Comprehensive Plan’s designation for that site.
Throughout the neighborhood meeting, residents discussed concerns ranging from increased traffic, neighborhood character, public safety and infrastructure to whether every option for preserving the originally approved senior housing project has been explored.
Residents said they want more information about why financing for the age-restricted project could not be obtained, whether additional lenders or senior housing developers were approached and whether alternatives remain viable.
“I would want to have some semblance of accountability for these developers,” resident Ashley Valdez said. “Why couldn’t you secure lending? What specific type of loan did you apply for? How many lenders did you reach out to?”
Former Mayor Bill Glancy, who attended the meeting, provided historical context for the site. He said residents frequently asked the city to pursue additional senior housing more than a decade ago, leading him to explore locations near the hospital campus.
Glancy said consultants at the time concluded the Medical Parkway property was a viable location for a senior living community because of its proximity to medical services. He told residents he still believes the concept deserves consideration before the city changes the zoning to allow unrestricted apartments.
“When I left office, I thought it was in place,” he said.
Former Mayor John Dodd encouraged organizers to look outside the neighborhood for support. “We need to be inclusive and get as many people as involved as possible,” he said.
Farmers Branch City Council Member for District 5 Roger Neal also attended the meeting. After listening to the presentation, he answered questions about how residents can communicate with city council members individually without creating a walking quorum and encouraged them to share their concerns directly.
Farmers Branch City Council Member for District 4 Elizabeth Villafranca, whose district includes the property, was not in attendance. Nor were any other city officials or representatives from Cive.
Organizers encouraged nearby property owners to submit formal protest letters if they received them from the city and circulated a petition opposing the zoning change. They reminded attendees that anyone wishing to speak at the July 27 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting should arrive early to complete a speaker card. Each speaker will have three minutes to address the commission.
The Planning and Zoning Commission will consider only whether to remove the age restriction from the existing zoning. If that request is approved, additional approvals would still be required before development could move forward.
According to the city's planning department, a protest provision for rezonings and change of zone is enforced by the city upon receiving written protests from owners of at least 20% of the property covered by the zone change. "The calculation is not based on 20% of the number of owners; it is the owners of at least 20% of the land within 200 feet of the project site. In this calculation, streets and alleys are included in the calculation of the distance. This also includes areas in other municipalities as well," a spokesperson for the city wrote in response to the Branch Herald's question about how how the protest provision works.
If a protest provision is enforced, it requires a supermajority vote for the Farmers Branch City Council to override it and does not apply to the Planning and Zoning Commission because that board has a recommending advisory capacity only.
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