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E-mail This StoryThe upscale neighborhoods that have been a fixture in different parts of Flower Mound will now have a presence on the west side of town.
The town council unanimously approved three requests at Monday's meeting that will bring Canyon Falls, a 1,542-acre development to Flower Mound. The property will also stretch into Argyle and Northlake, and 626 acres will be in Flower Mound.
The property lies between Interstate 35W and U.S. 377 and north of FM 1171.
Council members voted to create a new zoning classification, amend the Denton Creek Area Plan and to approve a rezoning request from interim holding to planned development.
The creation of a Single Family District 5 (SF 5) category allows the property to have single family lot sizes down to 5,000 square feet in high density areas, in addition to 10,000 square-foot lots, which was previously the minimum allowed by the master plan. That will broaden the reach for people looking for homes as the development will have smaller starter homes as well as bigger homes.
“Canyon Falls aspires to be a complete community with charm,” said councilman Al Filidoro. “And, not just another development.”
The project will have medium and high density residential areas, as well as commercial, regional campus commercial and campus industrial areas.
The site will include six types of residential buildings with a maximum of 972 dwelling units, as well as commercial and office buildings. It will also feature other amenities such as a proposed elementary school and a fire station.
"Demographics played a lot into this," said Casey McGinnis, the landowner. "We just generally liked the Flower Mound and Argyle area. The feasibility analysis showed that there is a large demand for a very upscale product on a smaller lot. So this was a big step in letting us implement that."
The property lies in the heart of a green belt, and Baker said his team will make use of the topography.
"We're proposing parks on the high points to take advantage of the views," said Mark Baker, the director of planning who represented McGinnis. "And, we want to preserve the area of slopes to connect in the trail corridors. It helps maintain the character of the land."
Council members said they liked many aspects of the development, especially that it will be a visually pleasing community on the west side of town.
"I believe it’s an upgrade, because now we have a better choice for high density,” said council member Laurie Long. “This allows the property to be cohesive in the design process. Each part of the development looks like it leads to the next, and it’s not hodgepodge.”
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Tim Trotter said this is an appropriate use for a high density area.
"When you think about where SF 5 zoning can go and the areas that are zoned high density, they are putting in a nicer choice of what could go in a high density area,” Trotter said. “I have faith that you won’t see a lot of master plan amendments coming through to add high density areas of SF 5 across town. It will go in areas that are designated high density.”
Construction of Canyon Falls will have six phases. The first phase, which is expected to include the fire station, should be complete in 2009, Baker said.
In other action, the council voted, 5-0, to approve a site plan to develop a 195,500-square foot headquarters for Gemmy Industries.
Gemmy, an international company that makes holiday decoration, accessories and gifts, has an office in Coppell.
Gemmy officials have touted their plan of making their warehouse building not only attractive in appearance but also environmentally friendly. Plans for the facility include the use of xeriscaping, a geothermal heating system and fly ash in the concrete instead of cement to save energy.
Both ideas helped make the proposal favorable to council members, though Long expressed concern about the destruction of trees during construction.
"The idea is that you’re a green building, but we’re losing so many trees,” Long said to Gemmy vice president of operations Craig Dickson. “I would like it if you would consider replacing trees that are 6 inches or larger so we’ll have that matching program. It’s not just the building itself, but the surrounding area as well. But, I applaud you for making it look like an office building.”
The council also approved a site plan to allow the Zoroastrian Association of North Texas to build a 9,191-square-foot church on a 2.6-acre property located at 1605 Lopo Road.
