A neighbors' protest site. Not affiliated with The Whiskey Blendery, Liquid Ledger of Plano, LLC, the Little Elm EDC or the Town of Little Elm.
Little Elm, TexasBlended Rules, Broken Trust
Little Elm, Texas · Hardwicke Lane

The deeds say homes. Little Elm approved a 1,000-barrel whiskey warehouse.

Plus a 202-person event building with a second-story patio, right behind our backyards on Woodrow Circle. On public land the Town's Economic Development Corporation bought for $1,025,000 and will lease to the developer for $10.

See the evidence What you can do For reporters
1963Homes-only deed restrictions on the rickhouse lot. Still on record.Denton County Deed Records, Vol. 490, Pg. 573
$10The lease to the developer once permits are in hand. After that, the land is deeded over.EDC Performance Agreement, Sec. 5(a)
1,000Barrels of high-proof spirits planned, about 21 feet from our property line.Developer at P&Z, Dec 4, 2025; developer's fire report, May 30, 2025
202People allowed in the event building, with a second-story patio facing the homes.Town permit record NCB-26-001291
0 ftOf the 8-foot masonry wall Planning & Zoning asked for. Council waived it.P&Z minutes Dec 18, 2025; Council, Jan 6, 2026
The short version

A warehouse and an event venue, built against family backyards

Behind our homes on Woodrow Circle sit about two acres of public land on Hardwicke Lane. The Little Elm Economic Development Corporation (EDC) owns it. In January 2026 the Town Council rezoned it for one private business, The Whiskey Blendery: a two-story barrel warehouse (a "rickhouse"), an event and tasting building with a second-story patio, a members' club and a cigar lounge.

We are not against whiskey, and we are not against business. We are against a flammable-liquid warehouse and an event venue right up against family backyards, on land that has carried homes-only deed restrictions since 1963, after the Town waived the very protections its own Planning & Zoning Commission asked for.

Construction started in June 2026. Steel arrived on October 26. The Town can still fix this. It just gets harder every week.

What we are asking for

Six fixes the Town can still make

None of this stops a whiskey business from opening in Little Elm. It stops one from opening in our backyards.

Move the barrel warehouse away from the homes.

The July 2024 concept design for this project grouped the buildings around a courtyard on what is now the parking lot, not in a line along our fence. There is room. See the layout

Build the 8-foot masonry wall.

Planning & Zoning made it a condition. Council dropped it. Today an old wooden fence is all that stands between us and the project. The wall

Enclose the second-story patio.

P&Z asked for an enclosure. The recorded agreement only says the patio "shall be privacy-screened," and says nothing about noise or light.

Bring back the 9:30 p.m. closing time.

P&Z asked for it, and the developer told P&Z that "in most instances" he would be comfortable with a set closing time. Council removed it.

Show the paperwork before anything opens.

The completed fire review, the written approval of the fire-code alternatives, and the Army Corps of Engineers approval for work below the 537-foot line. We have asked. We have not seen them. Fire & flood

Honor the 1963 deed restrictions.

Homes only, one and a half stories at most. The rickhouse is a two-story warehouse on a restricted lot. Deed restrictions

See for yourself

The public record, one topic at a time

Everything on this site comes from public records, the Town's own meeting minutes and documents, or our own photos. Each page lists its sources.

Deed restrictions

Homes only since 1963

The rickhouse goes on Block H, Lot 11. The recorded restrictions say "No lots shall be used for any purpose other than residential purposes." The EDC's broker wrote "Deed Restrictions: None."

Read the deeds →
The deal

Bought for $1,025,000. Leased for $10.

Public land, an up to $151,889 contribution to the foundation, and "best efforts" to get Town fees waived.

Follow the money →
The process

Decided before we were heard?

The EDC board approved a Letter of Intent with The Whiskey Blendery in March 2025, nine months before the first public hearing.

See the dates →
Waived rules

30 waivers and incentives

A smaller setback, no masonry wall, fewer trees, a cigar lounge by right, and $52,142.98 in tree mitigation waived.

All 30 →
Fire & flood

Who checked?

Whiskey at 40% alcohol has a flash point of about 79°F. The developer's fire report assumed the warehouse is "not publicly accessible." It plans public tours.

Fire & flood →
Promises

"It won't be 'right on the back fence'"

In 2014 the Mayor of Little Elm put that in writing to us. "Whatever it is, it won't be a restaurant." Read what was promised, and what was approved.

2014 vs 2026 →
Who showed up

The neighbors spoke. Two hearings, one pattern.

Dec 4Against: 7 speakers, plus 6 residents who came but did not speak. For: 4 speakers.P&Z minutes, Dec 4, 2025
Dec 18Against: 12 speakers, 3 more residents and 1 email. For: 4 speakers and 1 email.P&Z minutes, Dec 18, 2025
2 of 2At both hearings, the only Little Elm residents who spoke in favor were the EDC's board president and the EDC's executive director.The other supporters gave addresses in Oak Point, Frisco, McKinney and Mount Pleasant.

Planning & Zoning still recommended approval, 6 to 1, but only with three conditions to protect the homes: an 8-foot masonry wall, a 9:30 p.m. closing time and an enclosed second-story patio. On January 6, 2026, the Town Council approved the project and dropped the wall and the closing time. Full timeline

Latest from the fence line

What is happening now

  • The rickhouse pad on Lot 11, a homes-only lot under the 1963 restrictions, is dug out. The approved plans call for the clay to be excavated and moisture conditioned to a depth of 9 feet.

  • Structural steel delivered.

  • The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality accepted our construction dust videos as citizen-collected evidence. The complaint is still open.

  • A Texas Attorney General ruling on the records the Town wants to withhold from our public information request. Due in mid to late November.

  • The State Fire Marshal has not answered our requests for an independent review (sent Aug 6 and Sept 15, 2026).

Stacks of red-primed structural steel and an excavator on the construction site behind the homes
October 26, 2026: structural steel delivered. Taken from our own camera at the fence line.

In the news: NBC 5, "Whiskey lounge plan faces opposition in Little Elm," December 9, 2025.

Five minutes helps.

Email the Council, come to a meeting, or share this page with one neighbor. If you own a lot on Hardwicke Lane, we especially want to hear from you.

Take action Email us