The Forney City Council voted 5-2 to approve an agenda bill submitted by City Manager Brian Brooks on Tuesday, February 19, that dealt with a 125.802 acre tract of land that is located on the northwest corner of I-20 and FM 741. The land is not in the Forney city limits, but is within the Forney extraterritorial jurisdiction, known as the ETJ.
The Forney City Council voted 5-2 to approve an agenda bill submitted by City Manager Brian Brooks on Tuesday, February 19, that dealt with a 125.802 acre tract of land that is located on the northwest corner of I-20 and FM 741. The land is not in the Forney city limits, but is within the Forney extraterritorial jurisdiction, known as the ETJ.
The developers for the project are a group called 269 Kaufman Partners, Ltd. Their plans for the property include developing a “high-quality, master-planned, mixed use community, with open space and certain public and private amenities.” The developers representative, Kirk Wilson, explained to the council that a minimum of 50 percent of the land will be used for commercial and/or retail development. The rest of the land would hold housing.
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The City previously requested that there be no multi-family units allowed, and the developers agreed. However, Mayor Darren Rozell and Councilman James Hatley expressed their strong concerns over the fact that town homes and duplexes would be built. Wilson referenced 339 housing units to be added to the area in the years to come, and he described them as “medium density and urban town homes.” The average lot size for the housing units will be .15 of an acre. That size was raised from the developers original proposal which called for an average lot size of only .10 acres.
Mayor Rozell felt that the City would not have enough say when it comes time for the housing units to be built, and he is concerned that the units could be neglected and become run-down within a few years. Mr. Wilson said that his group has worked in a “thoughtful manner” with the City and will continue to do so when they bring forth future site plans for the land in question. The Mayor repeatedly asked Mr. Wilson what would happen if the proposal was not passed or was tabled, but Wilson avoided that question and emphasized that the deal needed to get done immediately. He told the Mayor, “What can we answer for you? Let's get it done tonight.”
Councilwoman Mary Penn had one concern with the proposal, which was that it was presented as a 25-year agreement with the City, with an option for 20 additional years. The City would have an option to annex the land into City of Forney limits only “after the owner completes the development of the entire project...and all persons who funded the construction...have been fully reimbursed.” Wilson ultimately agreed to drop the first term from 25 years to 20 years in order to get the proposal approved.
Ultimately, the developers could have built what they wanted without having any agreement with the City of Forney, because the property is not in Forney city limits, even though it will directly affect Forney in either a positive or negative way. Still, Wilson tried to reassure Mayor Rozell and Councilman Hatley that if the Council passed the proposal, they would still get to approve any future developments, negotiate utilities agreements, and maintenance agreements. When commercial and retail establishments are built on the property, the developers may agree to voluntarily submit sales-tax revenue to the City of Forney. The proposed housing build timetable is 2-3 years, according to Wilson.
Mary Penn made a motion to approve the proposal from 269 Kaufman Partners, Ltd. and the motion was seconded by Councilman Andy Parker. Both voted for the proposal, along with Councilman Hobbs and Stephens, and Councilwoman Powers. Mayor Rozell and Councilman Hatley voted against the proposal.
