Farm-Themed Project Coming To One Of The Largest Remaining Tracts Of Vacant Land In Plano

A mixed-use project on 142.5 acres of farmland is coming to Spring Creek and Windhaven parkways in Plano following approval of a zoning request by the city council.

Stillwater Capital, in partnership with the Haggard Enterprises, plans to bring an agrarian-themed development to the vacant land that will include a farm-to-table restaurant known as The Almanac as its main feature. The site of the project, which has been greeted with community opposition, is one of the largest remaining tracts of undeveloped land in Plano, according to council documents.

“The driving force of all this ... is an agrarian-inspired legacy project that is both suitable for the [Haggard] family … a quality development that is economic and feasible from a capital perspective, and also something we feel is very much needed in this part of Plano,” Stillwater Managing Director Clay Roby said at the meeting.

The proposal includes up to 749.5K SF of office, 31.6K SF of restaurant space, 700 multifamily units, 427 retirement housing units, 90 townhome units and a 98-room boutique hotel. Plans for an event space and parks are also in the works, Roby said.

The Haggards have owned the property for 156 years, according to Rutledge Haggard, who said his family has fielded many offers over the past few decades but has waited for the right team and proposal before developing the land. 

“One of the things the family stands for is quality,” Haggard said. “Now we’ve put together a good team to do a quality development that the family demands — a signature development that the city would want and that the neighborhood would want. In no way would we ever want to be a detriment to anybody who lives adjacent to us.”

Christina Day, director of planning for the city of Plano, said the project received 534 pieces of correspondence, including 391 in opposition, 142 in support and one neutral. Representatives for the neighboring Avignon Windhaven neighborhood said they were in support of the project.

Some opposition rested on the density of the residential component, which Roby argued is integral to the success of the overall development.

“Essentially, every large office campus that exists in the marketplace today is trying to figure out how to add residential and retail to ensure it is a vibrant neighborhood where people actually want to come to work,” he said. “As you can imagine in a post-Covid world, it is harder and harder to get employees back to the office.”

Council Member Julie Holmer said current zoning permits up to 3,000 independent living units, so the proposal from Stillwater is less dense than what is entitled.

“A lot of residents don’t understand that if they choose to do that, that doesn’t come to us for permission,” she said. “So, really, it’s a gift to have the developer come to the residents and say, ‘How do you want to develop this?’ and ask for input.”

After two-and-a-half hours of debate between council members and comments by the public, the proposal ultimately passed in a 5-3 vote. Council members Anthony Ricciardelli, Shelby Williams and Rick Smith opposed.

“The vast majority of residents who provided a position were opposed, and that includes people who are just across the street to the south,” Riccardelli said. “I can hardly say they are far enough from this development that their views should not matter.”

The first phase of development will include The Almanac, 10K SF of small-scale retail and a 100K SF boutique office complex, Roby said. The residential component will be constructed in Phase 2.