Garland Rezones 317 Acres for Mixed-use Project

Garland City Council overturned a zoning decision to allow for a new mixed-use district like Plano’s Legacy West.

Three weeks after the Garland Planning and Zoning Commission rejected the application, City Council approved a sweeping rezoning plan for more than 300 acres on the city’s south side, the Dallas Business Journal reported.

The 317-acre site is currently made up of commercial, industrial and planned development parcels; the plan rezones the site into urban residential and urban business districts. The site sits just north of Interstate 635 on either side of South Garland Avenue and is being pitched as a potential “gateway” to the city.

There are no confirmed development plans tied to the site yet, but the city views the zoning change as the essential first step toward attracting higher-quality projects and fostering pedestrian-friendly development, like Legacy West or Fort Worth’s Near Southside.

“This proposed zoning is a redevelopment tool to set the stage for meaningful conversations to have a great destination to happen in south Garland,” planning director Nabila Nur said at the meeting.

The vote followed weeks of heated debate.

Dozens of business owners in the area opposed the change, fearing it could disrupt longtime commercial uses and render many operations “nonconforming.” That status wouldn’t immediately displace existing companies but it would restrict future redevelopment and expansion options. Notably, CarMax, which employs 185 people in the district, voiced strong opposition to the rezoning at recent public meetings.

Under the new rules, nonconforming businesses would be barred from rebuilding if their properties were completely destroyed by fire, weather or other disasters. They also wouldn’t be allowed to resume operations if a space sat vacant for more than six months.

District 4 Councilmember Margaret Lucht, who represents the area, urged approval despite the opposition.

“This rezoning effort means so much to me,” she said. “South Garland has missed out on a lot in the last five decades, and this is the first time that we’ve received the attention that we deserve.”

— Judah Duke