The Flower Mound Planning & Zoning Commission voted Monday night to recommend approval of the proposed Furst Ranch development in west Flower Mound.
Four hours after the meeting began, all P&Z commissioners voted to recommend approval except for Greg Wilson and Janvier Werner. Flower Mound Ranch, aka Furst Ranch, a large proposed mixed-use development on all four corners of the Hwy 377/FM 1171 intersection, will now go to Flower Mound Town Council on Oct. 3 for full approval.
Landowner Jack Furst and local design and engineering firm McAdams presented a plan that includes homes, apartments, commercial and office space, parks, trails, schools and possibly a resort hotel, corporate headquarters and a hospital. High rise buildings up to eight-stories would be allowed, but warehouses are no longer in the plan.
After three months of negotiating with town leadership, the number of multi-family units has dropped substantially.
The revised concept plan calls for 6,000 apartments, with 1,000 of them being age-restricted for seniors. That number is down from Furst’s application last fall that included 10,448 apartments. In addition, the apartments will be phased-in based on Furst bringing in new commercial space.
“For the first 10 years, I can’t build any more than 2,750 apartments,” Furst said at a recent community meeting.
Along with multi-family housing, there will be 3,000 single-family homes.
“The project is consistent with the [town’s] Master Plan and Smart Growth” said Randi Rivera, director of planning and entitlement for McAdams.
During Monday’s meeting, Rivera reiterated the property’s vested rights for mixed-use development. Many residents spoke out against the proposal, primarily because of the number of apartments. Before voting to recommend approval, P&Z commissioners discussed the value of the commercial property versus the density of the apartments, ultimately mostly deciding that the pros outweighed the cons.
This spring, the Town Council approved Furst’s request to rezone 544 acres in the north and west parts of the property to one-acre home lots.
Furst set aside 50 acres for a new Argyle ISD elementary and middle school, and will donate 15 of those acres to the school district, with the district purchasing the remaining 35 acres.
Thirty percent of the land will be open space with 12 miles of trails, and Furst is donating 97 acres on the south side of the property to Flower Mound for a town park with ball fields.
Plans also show restaurants lining a boardwalk on the shore of Burger Lake in the middle of the property.
Furst is proposing a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone to help finance the infrastructure of the development, which would need approval from the Flower Mound Town Council.
The project includes 6 to 8 million square feet of commercial uses along six miles of road frontage on FM 1171 and Hwy 377. Furst estimated the commercial tax base generated by the project at buildout will be in the $5 billion range.
“This is an opportunity for us to create the western gateway of Flower Mound,” Furst said at the community meeting. “We’re trying to create a quality development that has unbelievable tenants, both residential and commercial.”
As far as what stores would come, Furst said he is talking with HEB Grocery.
As far as traffic, Hwy 377 will be widened with an overpass spanning FM 1171 and TxDOT is working on plans to widen Hwy 377 south into Roanoke.
The project will be built in phases gradually over the next 30-40 years, with the first residents possibly moving in by the end of 2026. At buildout, the development is expected to be home to 20,000 people.
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