A proposed $800 million mixed-use development at the southwest corner of Preston Road and Royal Lane is generating both support and opposition as developers seek zoning changes for the 7-acre site in Preston Hollow.
The project, led by Burk Interests and Greenway Investment Company, would include a hotel and condominium tower rising to approximately 299 feet, an apartment building at 250 feet, and an 11-story office building. The site is currently zoned for buildings up to 54 feet tall.
Developers say the proposal would transform what they describe as an auto-oriented intersection into a more walkable, mixed-use district with residential, office, restaurant, and hotel space centered around landscaped public areas and pedestrian improvements, and would include funding for additional traffic lights.
“We’ve been listening to the neighbors. We’ve been listening to staff at the city. And we will continue to listen,” said developer Leland Burk.
Architect Evan Beatty said the revised proposal reflects changes made following community feedback, including reducing the height of the tallest tower from earlier concepts and shifting taller portions of the development toward the center of the property. Beatty said portions of the southern edge of the site would remain at 54 feet, consistent with existing zoning allowances.
Plans for the development include underground parking, 188 on-site trees, expanded landscaping, pedestrian improvements, and a central green space spanning more than half an acre.
Opposition to the proposal, however, has remained organized as residents raise concerns about height, density, traffic, and the project’s impact on nearby single-family neighborhoods.
Yard signs reading “No Skyscrapers, No Rezoning at Preston & Royal” are posted throughout nearby neighborhoods, and Preserve Preston Hollow, a group opposing the proposal, says more than 2,600 residents have signed a petition against the rezoning request.
On April 28, around 200 residents attended a community meeting at Northaven Methodist Church hosted by Preserve Preston Hollow.
John Tynan said the scale of the project would permanently alter the surrounding area and neighborhood views.
“The problem with the scale of this project being so massive … is we can never mitigate it. It’s permanent,” he said during the meeting. “Those of us at 5800 Royal, we’re never going to see the eastern sky again. And those of you over on Orchid, you’re never going to see the northern sky again.”
Tynan also said the proposed towers would reshape neighborhood sightlines.
“Many of us are going to get a daily solar eclipse, and it’s going to rotate all the way over from past the library on Royal and circle all the way around over to St. Mark’s,” he said.
Doug Hazelbaker said the debate centers on building height rather than land use.
“This is all about height. This has nothing to do with uses,” Hazelbaker said, adding, “They’ll also be digging the world’s biggest hole there for a long time,” referring to plans for underground parking.
Developers have said the project could take about 30 months to complete and that they plan to coordinate with city officials and nearby neighborhoods on construction staging and traffic management.
The proposal remains under review by city staff. A hearing before the City Plan and Zoning Commission has yet to be scheduled. A community meeting and discussion on the zoning, hosted by Mayor Pro Tem Gay Donnell Willis, was scheduled to be held May 18, after this article’s publication.
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