DTX-DEN: Impact 10/13/2025

Members of the Denton Planning and Zoning Commission discussed adding a residential overlay district to Southeast Denton at an Oct. 8 meeting.

This potential overlay district would be part of the Southeast Denton Area Plan.

A closer look: The proposed residential overlay district area encompasses approximately 422 acres and includes the historic neighborhoods within Southeast Denton, such as Solomon Hill, New Quaker, Freedman Town, Fred Moore School, Lincoln Park and Willow Creek.

The potential residential overlay district would maintain the scale and character of the neighborhoods, according to city documents. This would apply to new construction and substantial expansions to existing homes.

Regulations within this district may include:

• Height limitations
• Reducing front yard setbacks for smaller lots
• Allowing infill on small lots
• Setting a minimum size for front porches and stoops
• Requiring specific roof forms
• Requiring enhanced front elevations, such as larger windows and covered porches

Chicago-based sandwich chain Potbelly will open nine new restaurants in North Texas, including locations in McKinney, Flower Mound and Denton, according to a Sep. 3 company press release.

The gist: he expansion is part of a franchising agreement with father-and-son franchising partners Barry and Remington Burke, who have previously franchised five Wingstop locations, the release states. The sandwich shop offers a variety of toasted sandwiches as well as salads, soups, macaroni and cheese, milkshakes and more, according to the company's menu.

When Corey Hyden, along with his wife Kelsie Hyden and brother-in-law Richard Tregilgas, opened Free Play in Richardson in 2015—followed by a location in Denton in 2018—he expected the primary customer base to reflect people like himself. However, in the ensuing decade, he has been pleasantly surprised by the far-reaching demographic his arcade business attracts.

“I was 29 [years old] and a lawyer, so I assumed we're gonna target young professionals,” Hyden said. “I very quickly found out this is a place for everyone. Our primary core [demographic] is families and the going-out-at-night crowd.”

The setup: An entry fee of $12.89 per person allows customers to play over 95 arcade games and pinball machines, which are all set to free play. Guests under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Adult-only times are in effect after 9 p.m.

Construction crews are improving several roads and sidewalks near the University of North Texas. Check out these five road projects currently underway. This list is not comprehensive.

Welch Street
Welch Street between Prairie and Highland streets, and between Hickory and Mulberry streets, is closed for gas line replacements. The stretch of road between Prairie and Highland is scheduled to reopen Nov. 24, according to UNT’s construction report.

Welch Street between Hickory and Mulberry is expected to reopen Dec. 24, per UNT’s report.