Neighbors Push Back on Plan to Add Hotel, Restaurant to Massive Denton County Mansion

North Texas’ largest estate has gone commercial -- but not everybody is welcoming the changes.The Champ d’Or, a 48,000-square-foot French chateau-style mansion that sits on a 40-acre property in Denton County, has been rebranded as the Olana, a wedding and event venue by Walters Hospitality, and more changes could come for the property.Developers working with the hospitality group are seeking a zoning change that would allow the addition of a restaurant and a two-building hotel, a change that's been met less than enthusiastically by some of the megamansion's closest neighbors.Residents in the town of 4,596 worry the additions will bring noise, traffic, drunk drivers and reduced privacy. The town council for Hickory Creek could vote on the changes as soon as Tuesday. If passed, the sprawling property that's been on and off the market since its completion in the 2000s would be designated for use as a wedding and event venue with up to 60 hotel rooms, a restaurant and a spa/sauna. A previous agreement allows the property to operate now as a wedding venue.The mansion, modeled after Paris' Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomt, cost more than $50 million to build. It's name translates literally to "Field of Gold" and is a homage to its original owners, CellStar Corp. founder Alan Goldfield and his wife Shirley. It once listed for $72 million.   Continue reading...