A new middle school proposed for Canyon Falls is expected to one day become the new Argyle High School.
Flower Mound Planning and Zoning Commissioners unanimously voted to recommend for town council approval three record plats and a site plan for Canyon Falls on Monday.
A record plat and site plan called for a 154,536-square-foot middle school to be built on an estimated 107.5 acres set aside for a school in the master-planned community situated in Flower Mound, Northlake and Argyle.
The plan is to build a middle school first and move the existing middle school from the shared campus with Argyle High School to Canyon Falls. At some point, depending on projected growth, the middle school will be expanded with additional facilities to house Argyle High School while the existing high school becomes the middle school, officials said.
The middle school will accommodate about 1,000 students in the two-level school. The first level, at 118,858 square feet, will include administration space, a 75-student media center, band hall, 500-student cafeteria, a 452-seat competition gymnasium and physical education court with locker rooms and 20 classrooms. The second level at 35,678 square feet will have 17 classrooms and six combined science classroom/lab spaces.
The school’s main entrance will face the northwest with about 224 parking spaces. A four-lane cinder practice track and field area is planned with no lighting or visitor seating.
A record plat for 72 single-family homes with minimum lot sizes of 5,000 square feet are proposed in the second and third phases of the development on about 18.279 acres.
A second record plat for 50 single-family homes with a minimum lot size of 5,000 square feet is proposed in the second and third phases of the development on an estimated 12.44 acres.
The plats are consistent with a development plan approved by the town council in February 2013 for Phases I and II for an estimated 423 lots.
“We believe that Canyon Falls will be a great addition for the Town of Flower Mound and the rooftops generated within the development will support the future plans and growth of Flower Mound for commercial and retail development along the western side of its town limits,” noted Tom Dayton, vice president of J. Volk Consulting, Inc., in a letter to town officials.
Officials told commissioners the Argyle school district was working with Canyon Falls on a location for an elementary school.
Commissioners indicated it was the first time Flower Mound has worked with the Argyle Independent School District on a school facility.
In other business, commissioners voted to recommend for approval to the town council a proposal for development of 1.3 acres off Churchill Drive. The property, considered one of the last pieces to be developed in what was known as the original downtown Flower Mound area, is being proposed to be a combination of restaurant, office and retail use.
The original master plan had designated a two-story office complex on the vacant property. The developer asked for a master plan amendment and rezoning to expand the potential uses for the property in a way that would be compatible both with neighboring businesses and a neighborhood across Churchill Drive. The plans call for adding about 6,000 square feet of landscaping with drought-tolerant foliage as a buffer between the parking area and the neighbors. The request also sought a reduction of the buffer area from 24 feet to 15 feet. The plans also call for a trail to be connected across the property for continuity.
Neighbors were notified and met with developers in late February. The proposed businesses range from a 2,000-square-foot restaurant with no drive-thru, about 2,000 square feet of office space and 10,000 square feet for neighborhood retail such as a dry cleaners or dance studio. No leases had yet been signed.
Commissioners asked that adequate lighting be included on the property to ensure safety.
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