The Terrell City Council on Nov. 5 approved Ordinance No. 3064 to create Planned Development PD 24-05, known as Evening Star Development, covering 499.138 acres on the west side of State Highway 34 in the Kings Creek headwaters, by a 3-2 vote.

The plan filed by the property owners and developer proposes a mix of uses across the site: about 999 single-family residences, 790 multifamily residences, approximately 194,000 square feet of neighborhood services, 29.7 acres of commercial retail, an 11.3-acre community center with amenities, a 15.1-acre regional park and a 16-acre future school area. Business development manager Dana Wampler told council the application includes a voluntary annexation request into the Terrell city limits and that staff recommends approval of Ordinance 3064 under the terms shown in Resolution 2167.

Why it matters: If built as proposed, the Evening Star project would add several hundred housing units and new commercial and civic amenities near Terrell, shaping growth patterns and municipal service needs in that area.

Owners and nearby landholders who spoke at the public hearing described long ties to the property and ranged from support to conditional acceptance. "It was our privilege to work with the broker, the development team, but most of all, with all of you from the city of Terrell," owner Sarah Karen Miracle said, adding the family has owned the Evening Star property for generations. Dan Hooper, a relative of a neighboring landowner, said earlier objections over a shown walkway and utility easement had been largely resolved if the final map omitted the easement: "As long as the city council passes this plan without the easement . . . we will remove our objection for lack of information on the development." John Porter, who manages nearby pastureland, said he had "no objection to the Evening Star development" as presented but reiterated concerns about people walking along property lines and potential effects on cattle operations.

Council and staff discussion centered on which map the council was voting on and the status of a proposed walking trail/easement that had divided the planning and zoning vote. Wampler and other staff clarified that the council was voting on the ordinance as presented for the four owners' parcel only and that construction-level items such as traffic, sewer, drainage and the precise layout of connectivity would return later as part of construction plats and civil plans. Wampler noted the Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval on Oct. 24 by a 5-3 vote.

Letters to adjacent owners: City staff mailed 23 notices to property owners within a 200-foot buffer; 14 responses were returned — eight in favor and six opposed. Several people who had earlier objected told the council they would withdraw objections provided the final ordinance map did not include the walkway/utility easement.

The motion to approve Ordinance No. 3064 was made by Phil Robinson, deputy mayor pro tem, District 5, and seconded by Ronnie Velasquez, District 3. The ordinance passed on a 3-2 vote; the council recorded the mayor's yes vote during the roll call.

Next steps: Staff and the developer will return with construction plats, engineering drawings and any development agreements required by the city's resolution that authorized the city manager to negotiate terms. Those subsequent submittals will address infrastructure (roadway, drainage, sewer), construction phasing and any future right-of-way or easement needs.

The council opened and closed the public hearing on the item during the Nov. 5 meeting and voted on the ordinance on first reading that night.