It won’t be an H-E-B, but Argyle will be getting a grocer, Baylor Scott & White and retail space on the southwest corner of I-35W and Robson Ranch Road after the town council approved the zoning change during Monday night’s meeting.
Landowner Jim Wills spoke on behalf of the development team, who officially announced they had lost out on H-E-B to Denton, but said it could open up other opportunities for Argyle.
“We may miss out on the glitz and glamor of H-E-B. Everyone loves H-E-B, but there is a positive,” said Wills.
He said H-E-B had restrictions on the businesses that could be built around it because it wanted to mitigate competition. Without the grocer, Argyle now has more flexibility to choose its own tenants, which could make the plot a more desirable destination for businesses, bringing in more sales tax.
Wills didn’t specifically mention any brand, but said a certain high-density retail business has become a possibility now. That could refer to a membership warehouse, a Target or a home improvement store like Home Depot or Lowe’s.
“What we’re going to end up making is a strategic decision instead of an emotional decision,” said Mayor Pro Tem Ron Schmidt.
Only about 25% of H-E-B’s goods would have been taxed, resulting in revenue for Argyle. Comparable grocers could have 65% or more of goods sold that will result in tax revenue for the town, according to Schmidt.
The council and the Planning and Zoning Committee had worked back-and-forth with the developers for a while before coming up with the updated proposal that was approved. Both parties agreed it was what was best for this development.
“We’ve pushed for a quality project and that’s what this is,” said Mayor Rick Bradford.
The developers made some last-minute requests that were allowed by the council.
- Along I-35W, the plot was supposed to have trees planted one per every 25 feet. That buffer was extended to one per every 30 feet. The developer committed to planting more than 1,500 trees throughout the plot.
- For landscaping, the developer’s plan was for 15% of the total area to be landscaped. The P&Z Committee recommended 20%. The council and developer settled on 15% landscaping per lot and 20% of the total area be landscaping.
- The council placed a slight restriction on the amount of medical use zoning in areas A, B and C. That keeps the areas open for mostly retail spaces, which allows the town to make sales tax revenue and leaves most of the medical use to areas D and E where it is specifically zoned.
- The need for a meeting to approve a high-density retailer or home improvement store in area B of the plan was taken out. The developer will have the freedom to bring in either of those if it is what is best for the town and the development.
The council’s decision to allow the latter concession was to make it easier for a retailer to sign and start occupying the space. Its original worry was the ability to find a business that was “compatible with Argyle,” but it showed trust in the developers to find a good fit.
“This is one of the best locations for a big store,” said councilman Casey Stewart. “It’s on one of the more updated roads and doesn’t impact the Cross Timbers, so this is exactly what we’re looking for to occupy this space.”
The developer also committed to help mitigate the traffic in Argyle that will be caused by the new development.
Wills said the work between the council and the development team was a “team effort” and that’s how they made it work. He complimented Argyle for its efforts to thoroughly plan the project and do what is best for its community.
