An extended-stay hotel property on Municipal Drive could be rezoned for apartments, under a request Richardson's City Plan Commission takes up Tuesday, Oct. 20.
Zoning File 26-20, listed on the agenda as Hawthorne Suites, covers about 2.4 acres at the northeast corner of Municipal Drive and Gateway Boulevard, at 250 Municipal Drive. Wyndham's website lists a Hawthorn Extended Stay by Wyndham Richardson at that address.
What would change
The land is now zoned LR-M(2) Local Retail with special conditions, plus a special use permit that allows an apartment hotel. The applicant wants it moved to a planned development district built on the city's A-950-M Apartment District, with modified uses and development standards, according to the agenda the city posted Wednesday.
The posted agenda does not say how many units are planned, whether the existing building would be converted or replaced, or who filed the request. The supporting staff report is part of the commission's agenda packet. Christine Ross is the staff member assigned to the case.
How the vote works
The commission holds a public hearing and then makes a recommendation; the City Council has the final say on zoning. Under the city's public hearing guidelines, property owners within 200 feet of a site are notified by mail at least 10 days before the commission's hearing, and a second hearing is held before the council if the commission recommends approval.
If the commission recommends denial, the applicant gets 10 days to decide whether to appeal to the council, and overturning that recommendation takes the votes of six of the council's seven members, the guidelines say. A request the council denies generally cannot be refiled for a year.
Commissioners usually give speakers in favor and those opposed 15 minutes each, according to the same guidelines.