Neighbors’ opposition delays Keller housing development for a second time
The Keller City Council voted Tuesday to postpone consideration of a 50-acre home development to give the developer time to reach an agreement with neighbors.
Coppell-based Holmes Builders, the developer of the nearly 50-acre plat known as Armstrong Hills, wants to create a 49-home neighborhood at 8740 Davis Blvd. Starting at $2.4 million, the houses would sit on lots averaging three-quarters of an acre.
The builder has worked on the project for about a year and first came to council at the beginning of April asking to change the zoning requirement from 36,000 square foot lots to 25,000 square foot lots.
The council postponed a decision because two of the seven council members, Tag Green and Chris Whatley, voted against it. Due to opposition from over a fourth of the neighbors surrounding the property, a supermajority of six votes is required to pass the zoning change.
Terry Holmes, President of Holmes Builders, said a couple of postponements by the council won’t wear him down. Holmes said he has already met with the surrounding neighbors and come to an agreement, but he’s waiting on two of those confirmed approvals to retract their letters of opposition from the city.
Between the April 1 council meeting and Tuesday’s meeting, the opposition fell from 30.9% to 27.7%. Only two more votes of opposition need to be flipped for a regular majority vote to approve the zoning changes.
Through public comment at council meetings and letters of opposition, homeowners on the surrounding streets of Creek Road, Rollingwood Lane and Bandit Trail have said their main concerns are traffic, water drainage and the density of the neighborhood.
Davis Boulevard is a six-lane road with a speed limit of 50 mph. Texas Department of Transportation plans to converting the middle left-turn lane into a median in early 2026 so that cars coming out of the neighborhoods would be forced to turn right.
Bob and Nelda Cruson, residents of the Creek Road development north of the Armstrong Hills property, said with everyone having to take a right and head north, the intersection at Bear Creek Parkway will be overrun with cars trying to U-turn and head south.
The developer has shown through a traffic analysis that the impact would be minute but has added an acceleration and deceleration lane at the entrance to allow for an even smaller impact.
The second concern about water drainage was partially appeased with schematics showing that the developer would add three drainage points.
Holmes said in the month leading up to his next city council meeting, he is going to look into small changes in the neighborhood’s layout that neighbors have said would mean a lot to them.
Once the permitting phase is done, Holmes expects to start construction near the end of this year.
“It’s going to be a really cool development and full of artistic homes,” Holmes said. “Hopefully it’ll be a gem for 49 people.”
This story was originally published April 16, 2025 at 3:29 PM.