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Flower Mound Council OKs Lakeside DFW (updated)
By Chris Roark, croark@starlocalnews.com
The Flower Mound Town Council approved three items Monday that will finally put the Lakeside DFW project in motion.
Lakeside DFW is a 150-acre, mixed-use project that will be located near the intersection of FM 2499 and Lakeside Parkway, backing up to portions of Grapevine Lake.
The council approved a land use plan change of 155 acres from Lakeside Business District and Low Density Residential to Mixed Use and to allow residential to be included within the project.
It also amended the thoroughfare plan to change Lakeside Parkway from 265 feet west of International Parkway to the southernmost traffic circle to an Urban Minor Arterial with On-Street Parking, thus making it more pedestrian friendly.
The project, which is highlighted by its access to the lake, is set to include shops, restaurants, outdoor/lakeside dining, a hotel, offices, a specialty grocery store, parks, trails and entertainment venues, such as an amphitheater.
A mix of residential pieces, including single-family detached homes, condominiums, townhomes, apartments, villas and senior housing, are also planned.
“I think this project is going to be a large piece of Flower Mound’s future,” said Councilman Bryan Webb. “It’s going to transform us from a place to come live and to raise a family with a high-quality life. It’s going to have all of that, but it’s going to add another turn to that. It’s going to be a vibrant, exciting place to live.”
Webb also credited the work of Mayor Pro Tem Kendra Stephenson, who was not at the meeting, in helping bring the project forward.
Lakeside DFW is the first project in Flower Mound to fall under the mixed-use ordinance, created in 2008 as a result of a recommendation from the master plan update committee.
A replat request and a site plan will still need to come before the planning and zoning commission and the town council, and those could come in the first quarter of 2013.
But the rezoning and land use change were key. The mixed-use ordinance provides a different set of guidelines the project will adhere to, all while making use of transition zones throughout.
Jimmy Archie, managing director of Realty Capital, said the first components to be built will likely be the buildings at the entrance of the property, which will feature retail/restaurants on the ground floor with commercial or residential above. Other first-phase components will be some of the single-family homes that will be adjacent to the existing neighborhoods, as well as a bulk of the multi-family units.
Phase II will include more single-family homes, multi-family units and commercial buildings.
Phase III will likely include Lakeside Village, where many of the lakeside entertainment options (restaurants and shops) will be located. Archie described the restaurants located here as regional destination and unique concept type of restaurants. He also said there is a possibility of having a “water taxi” to take guests from the restaurants to the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine across the lake.
Archie said a bungalow hotel and the office towers would likely be the final pieces developed.
Councilman Bryan Webb said the most intriguing part of the project appears to be Lakeside Village and asked if that can be done sooner.
Archie said he was in discussions with a developer recently who was interested in Lakeside Village. But he said developing the other components first is important to get them here.
“They want us to prove that we have a project they want to be a part of,” Archie said.
Mayor Tom Hayden asked what safeguards are in place to ensure the project won’t just feature apartments and nothing more.
“For one thing, we’re building residential units on top of commercial space,” Archie said. “You can’t have residential if you don’t have commercial underneath it.”
Archie said while there will be 735 apartment units, there will also be 857 units above commercial space. In all, Archie said there will be 2,200 residential units, including 250 single-family homes. The rest would be condominium units.
Archie said another safeguard is that the developers agreement provides triggers in which certain components are built once residential permits are pulled, such as the boardwalk, an observation deck in Lakeside Village and the amphitheater.
Council members also asked about the height of the towers set to be located along Lakeside Parkway. The mixed-use ordinance has a height limit of five stories, though it can be extended if certain criteria are met, such as distance from an adjacent neighborhood.
Just south of the southernmost roundabout on Lakeside Parkway, there is a proposal for three office towers that could be 25 stories tall. There are two other towers proposed to be near the northernmost traffic circle, which would be 18 stories tall.
Archie said the height is necessary to take advantage of the views of Grapevine Lake.
“When we ask for taller buildings, this picture is the reason why,” Archie said, showing a depiction of the sunset on the lake from high above. “This is a million-dollar view.”
Archie said developers are looking to attract high-end companies and for them to make Lakeside DFW their corporate location or regional headquarters. He said views like that would help.
Only one person in the small audience voiced opposition to the project, and the concerns centered on the towers.
“I’m not sure people understand how tall 25 stories is,” said resident Sam Marshall. “Go look at the Embassy Hotel in Grapevine. That’s 12 stories tall, so double that. Those buildings will dominate this town.”
Doug Powell, the town’s director of development services, reminded the council that before the mixed-use zoning was approved, the previous zoning would have allowed for towers to be constructed up to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, which would have reached 45 stories.
Lakeside DFW officials also said the towers would not be as visible because of the tree line.
Council members also responded to other concerns they received via email before the meeting. One concern was the impact on the town’s infrastructure, in which council members pointed to the SMARTGrowth criteria they said the project passed.
Other concerns centered on the speed of the project and how the public hearing was taking place the week of Thanksgiving. Council members noted the many meetings the town has had during the last year.
“We’ve been looking at this for the last year, and there have been many opportunities for people to express their opinion,” Hayden said. “[The public hearing] just happens to fall at this time. But they’ve waited a year for this, so it’s time for them to have their day.”
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
eikcaj231 wrote on Nov 28, 2012 10:37 AM:
" "Lakeside DFW officials also said the towers would not be as visible because of the tree line." When was the last time you saw a 25 story building hidden by a 100 ft tree? What a ridiculous statement. "
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