FORNEY, Texas — The Forney City Council will host a special meeting Thursday night to hear public comments before going into executive session to discuss the proposed HEB store that was announced late last year and recently approved.
FORNEY, Texas — The Forney City Council will host a special meeting Thursday night to hear public comments before going into executive session to discuss the proposed HEB store that was announced late last year and recently approved.
Scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 PM at Forney City Hall, the council will take up to 30 minutes of public comment before reconvening into executive session.
The majority of comments and discussion will be around a current proposal brought by Union Pacific Railroad that would close three railroad crossings — two in downtown Forney and a third at County Road (CR) 212 — and creating a new railroad crossing at the HEB property site.
"During a special meeting on March 22nd, the council discussed a new railroad crossing for the HEB site plan. In order to open a new railroad crossing, Union Pacific requires that three existing crossings be closed. In this meeting, Forney City Council authorized the City Manager to write a letter in support of closing the crossings at Elm St. and Center St. These crossings have been proposed as they are the least traveled crossings with only an average of 1,000 vehicles per day. In comparison, Bois D’ Arc St. averages approximately 10,000 vehicle crossings per day," the City of Forney stated on its Facebook page on March 24, 2022.
The proposed site plan is available here on the city's website.
"The meeting’s purpose was to talk with representatives of HEB and to also consult with our City’s legal counsel about this important decision. The meeting was not 'last minute,' 'under the radar,' or in any way 'secret,'" stated, in part, Forney Councilwoman Sarah Salgado of the March 22nd meeting. "The City posted the agenda and public notice for it last Friday, March 18th, and anyone was welcome to attend the open session portion of the meeting."
"While there are of course always different opinions, the overwhelming majority of residents I’ve spoken with are excited about HEB coming to town. That’s also how I feel. This development will be a huge boon to Forney’s economic growth, tax base, and community. HEB is known for being an amazing community partner-that includes their work with non-profits, school districts, and many other community partners. It’s also a high quality business in line with the sort of community we want Forney to be," stated Salgado.
As HEB's first store east of Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex — a market they have largely avoided previously — HEB is a huge win for any town anywhere in Texas. Towns across Texas are "pining" for an HEB, according to one local chamber of commerce official.
Forney's expansive growth and traffic is what has attracted HEB to Forney and the surrounding area. However that growth hasn't been met my infrastructure improvements from the federal level on down in years.
Congressman Lance Gooden of Terrell said he is working with Union Pacific officials in Washington, confirming to inForney.com that he met with them on Wednesday about how they can help with traffic congestion.
Gooden tells inForney.com that working with Forney's mayor, Amanda Lewis, he feels positive about conversations with Union Pacific to find something acceptable and they're actively working to minimize closures.
"This is my top local priority and Mayor Lewis and I are keenly aware of the seriousness of already-difficult traffic situations. We will work to make this right and Mayor Lewis and I won’t agree to anything that our constituents find unacceptable or unreasonable," Gooden tells inForney.com
"The closure of the three crossings are only proposed, and have not been approved by Union Pacific. If approved, they would only be closed after the completion of HEB, which is 18+ months-plus away," Salgado says.
"The closure of Elm and Center will not hinder or help our response times for Police or Fire," Salgado's comments continued. "If there is a train on the tracks at Bois D’Arc, that means there is also a train at Elm, Center, and Chestnut. The problem of getting our Police and Fire across the tracks to respond to calls is being addressed by council-as with our recent vote to approve a temporary south side fire station."
"It is not a permanent or final solution, but it’s a step in the process of getting a permanent station built. Other measures to alleviate traffic build up at the Bois D’Arc intersection were discussed Tuesday night," she says. "We are aware that more needs to be done, and plans and ideas are being discussed."