​City Council Stomps on Comprehensive Plan

On Monday, November 7, 2023, the City Council passed zoning case 2023-003 by 7-1. In-case you need to refresh your memory about this case, you can read about it on our site at https://www.planospoliticalpitbull.com/posts-about-council/another-zoning-case-that-fails-to-comply-with-the-comp-plan
This rezoning goes against the current comprehensive plan. The plan that required a special resident committee to work on it for a year. The plan that finally brought the residents together after a four plus year lawsuit over the previous plan. Council decided it would just ignore the comprehensive plan, and do what it wanted instead of what the residents wanted. The council also ignored the 41 residents that opposed the zoning change on the cities website, and all the residents who wrote to the members telling them to vote no.
The only council member to stick by the comprehensive plan and the residents was Shelby Williams. If you would like to watch the meeting you can go to https://planotx.new.swagit.com/videos/280434
The only thing this writer can compliment the council on is the fact that they changed the ordinance language to try and make sure a life science research center will get built on the property. Members asked the developer if he would do housing only for the workers, and the developer just said no. He never gave a reason why and they did not push for an answer. Council did not care about density or having buy-able housing. Councilwoman Maria Tu even recommended to have some kind of financial help for the lower income workers to live in the apartments. So, the taxpayers have to help people live in unwanted apartments.
This is not the first time the new comprehensive plan has been ignored. At this point, why even bother having one? The council clearly does not care about it or take it seriously. They trample on it any chance they get.
Most of the council members seem to have forgotten their place. They act like they work for the developers and not the residents. It is time the residents of Plano remind these elected officials who they work for, and who can fire them.
This is Mary Lema for Plano’s Political Pit Bull signing off.