City approves two new subdivisions, money for road projects
Where once it denied construction of an apartment complex Mission’s city council has approved a new town home subdivision. It is one of two the city council approved Monday that could bring 157 new homes to the city.
On Monday the council gave its approval for a preliminary plat design of 69 town homes with a community pool and common area for other recreational amenities. The Taikin Subdivision will be a gated community located on about 6.6 acres of land along the south side of 1 Mile South Road between Los Ebanos Road and Scenic Way. The subdivision will be located just south of Leal Elementary School. The developer, Taikin Group, LLC, previously proposed a 140-unit apartment complex at the location but the request was denied by the council after neighboring residents objected it would create too much congestion and interfere with the school’s traffic flow.
The common area will be maintained by a homeowner’s association and not the city, according to documents filed with the city’s Planning and Zoning Department. The city approved a zoning variance to allow the community to be gated.
The council also approved a final plat for another gated community consisting of 88 town homes on the city’s east side. The MAR Subdivision will be built on just more than 12 acres of land located a half mile north of 2 Mile Road on the west side of Shary Road. The developer is Mar Design & Construction, Inc., and the engineer is Mario Salinas Engineering, LLC. The council’s action included approval of a zoning variance to allow the community to be gated.
In other business Monday the council approved Police Chief Robert Dominguez’s request to prohibit U-turns in the 2700 block of North Holland Avenue. The new ordinance prohibits U-turns in front of the IDEA North Mission School. Dominguez said the request to place no U-turn signs in the area was in response to complaints from neighboring residents who said parents dropping off students at the school and then making U-turns were creating a traffic hazard.
Also Monday the council approved spending $313,434 to install approximately 2.5 miles of sidewalks along Inspiration Road. City Engineer Juan J. Terrazas said the additional expense will provide sidewalks for both sides of the street with wheel chair ramps. The expenditure also includes striping, guardrails and drainage items. Terrazas said the city’s cost would only be about $7,500 with the remainder coming from other entities.
The council also approved spending $2.39 million for right of way acquisition for the Taylor Road expansion project. The joint project with McAllen and Hidalgo County will widen Taylor Road from two to five lanes with a center turn lane from Expressway 83 to Mile 2 North. All three entities must approve the expenditure before properties can begin to be purchased, Terrazas said.
