The Metro Council on Wednesday sided with developer Windy Gladney and denied Councilman Trae Welch’s bid to overturn a Planning Commission’s decision to greenlight the first phase of Cheval Trails, a large mixed-used development Gladney has long planned on the outskirts of Zachary.
The council voted 4-3, with one member declining to vote and four absent, at its zoning meeting to uphold the Planning Commission’s decision last month reaffirming the final development plan for Cheval Trails’ first phase, despite concerns from Welch and Zachary officials about traffic congestion and whether the plans conform to the growing city’s present-day infrastructure needs. Some Zachary officials also wanted the development annexed to the city.
But Gladney’s attorney, Brett Furr, argued that overturning the Planning Commission’s decision—which reaffirmed plans that were approved about a decade ago—would establish a bad precedent.
“We’re giving away jurisdiction. We’re giving away traffic fees. We’re giving away permitting fees. We just don’t have the spare change to give away right now,” Furr said. “It’s a very slippery slope for the council to get on. Developers won’t know that what they had approved can stay approved.”
It’s been roughly a decade since the plans for Cheval Trails were originally approved. The first phase includes 106 low-density units. The entire development, though, would include 760 houses and 25 acres of commercial development. Gladney has previously said the development has been delayed by the recession and other circumstances.
Welch opposed the development because Zachary has changed so much since the development was first approved. He claimed the development would get most of its utilities and fire protection from Zachary without the city benefitting. Ultimately, the council sided with Gladney.
“This is a well-planned development for the area and we look forward to a great addition to the community,” the developer said via a text following the vote.
—Alexandria Burris
