North Texas

Mustang Square Development Denied by Plano City Council

Plano is known for making moves to attract growth.

But after a contentious City Council meeting Monday night, plans for a large development called Mustang Square are now on hold.

City leaders denied a request to rezone a piece of property on the southwest corner of Highway 121 and Rasor Boulevard.

Hemal Doshi attended the meeting to support the idea. He and his wife, Nia, moved to Plano 20 years ago, when toll roads were two-lane highways and his neighborhood was nonexistent.

"This area was a farmland," he said.

The Doshis live near the proposed Mustang Square and say they're disappointed the development is no longer being considered.

"I was sad, and I don't think the City Council made a leadership choice. They made a choice based on emotions," Hemal Doshi said.

A split crowd packed City Council chambers Monday, about half in support and half against plans for Mustang Square.

It would be built on a 38-acre piece of property. Office space, retail restaurants, a hotel and an assisted-living facility were part of the plan. However, it's the 450 planned apartments that critics opposed the most.

Those against the apartments worry more people will make already congested roads even worse.

"We want the high-density housing that's very much en vogue right now to stop, because it's going to do nothing but fill the city with an awful lot of people that we can't handle, we don't have the infrastructure for," said Alan Samara, with the organization PlanoFuture.org.

But proponents, like Doshi, see it differently and feel that denying development is a step in the wrong direction.

"I don't see the development should stop because of infrastructure issues. You can actually grow infrastructure and make it more compatible with each other," Doshi said.

With plans for Mustang Square now on hold, it is up to the developer to decide what to do with the property next.

Right now, it is zoned for businesses like big-box retailers.

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