Last week, Canyon Falls residents spoke out against a developer’s plans to build 3.7 million square feet of warehouses in their backyard.
Crow Holdings Industrial is in the process of purchasing 263 acres of undeveloped land near the northwest corner of Hwy 377 and FM 1171, adjacent to the Canyon Falls subdivision and Argyle High School.
Crow has submitted an application to rezone the land from Interim Holding to industrial zoning, which is largely in accordance with the Flower Mound Master Plan land use map, though part of the Master Plan for the property does not allow for tractor-trailer parking, which Crow is seeking.
The planned development, called the Cross Timbers Business Park, would have eight warehouses with some office space in each, including one 1.5 million-square-foot building, one that is 1 million square feet and one that is over 500,000-square feet. The five smaller buildings would range from 84,000 to 170,000 square feet.
The warehouses would have truck bays and considerable tractor-trailer traffic. Crow Holdings is also requesting an exception to Flower Mound’s maximum height requirements, 45 feet, for part of the property so they can having buildings as tall as 60 feet.
Will Mundinger, founding partner and senior managing director of Crow Holdings Industrial, said they want taller buildings to increase their interior storage space. The company proposed increased setbacks to mitigate the impact of the taller buildings from surrounding properties.
Mundinger said the full buildout of the business park is expected to take three to four years. He said an economic impact study indicates that once the project is complete and leased, it would generate $2 million a year in tax revenue for the town of Flower Mound and $7 million for Argyle ISD.
Crow Holdings Industrial leaders held presentations last week to share their plans with Canyon Falls residents, answer questions and take feedback. More than 80 residents turned out for the meeting on Thursday night, and the overwhelming sentiment was opposition to the proposed Cross Timbers Business Park. Residents expressed concern about noise, light pollution, truck traffic and the development’s impact on property values.
Many residents questioned why Crow Holdings would choose this land, right next to a large subdivision, to build an industrial park. “This could go somewhere else,” several said.
Brad Cooper, managing director of Crow Holdings Industrial, said the location — close to the I-35W/Hwy 114 interchange, at the corner of two other major thoroughfares — was key, as was the land availability and the town’s Master Plan. Residents said they would much rather have something else be built on the property, such as a grocery store, restaurants and other retail options.
The Cross Timbers Business Park is currently under town staff review and is subject to revisions before the final documents are scheduled for public hearings at future Planning & Zoning Commission and Town Council meetings. Canyon Falls residents who oppose the planned development are emailing all of the P&Z commissioners and Town Council members to ask them to deny the Crow Holdings requests.
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