FORNEY, Texas — After months of meetings and revised concept plans, the Forney Planning and Zoning Commission approved the rezoning of 546 acres of agricultural land to a planned development district — making way for a 546-acre master planned community hoping to build 1,860 new residential lots.
FORNEY, Texas — After months of meetings and revised concept plans, the Forney Planning and Zoning Commission approved the rezoning of 546 acres of agricultural land to a planned development district — making way for a 546-acre master planned community hoping to build 1,860 new residential lots.
Similar to a December Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, the Forney City Hall chambers were packed, allowing for standing room only. Nearby homeowners of the proposed development north of Farm-to-Market (FM) 1641, west of Helms Trail, and south of County Road 212, known as Gateway Parks, expressed concerns about smaller homes near their acreage lots, increased traffic, privacy, and crime.
The Gateway Parks planned development is part of a 2,000-acre overall master plan which will span from FM 548 north of U.S. Highway 80 to FM 1641 south of U.S. Highway 80 which will be connected by the Gateway Boulevard and the Gateway Bridge.
The original concept plan for the planned development has been changed several times over the past couple of months to address concerns from neighboring residents including the developers agreement to buildout Gateway Boulevard during the first phase of the Gateway Parks development to address traffic concerns.
The developer has also moved home sites backing up to residents in Grandview Estates and, instead, placed a street and landscape buffer in some places. Grandview Estates residents are requesting the street and landscape buffer be placed around their entire neighborhood and not just the western border.
Current concept plan. Full-resolution PDF.
In addition to the buffer, residents were hoping to see increased lot and home sizes. Jerry Sylo, a developer representative, compared the lot and home size to those in Devonshire and Fox Hollow.
In its current amended state, the concept plan raised the home size minimums from 1,600-square feet to a minimum of 50-percent of the lots will have a 2,200-square feet minimum dwelling unit size and a maximum 50-percent of the lots will have an 1,800-square feet minimum size. A slideshow stated homes in Devonshire and Fox Hollow ranged from 1,809-square feet to 3,304-square feet.
“We fully anticipate those lot sizes and houses sizes [from Devonshire and Fox Hollow] will be coming over into Gateway Parks,” said Sylo. The residents say, it's still not enough and insist on larger lot sizes of at least a half an acre.
“This board operates under the Comprehensive Plan under the City of Forney,” said Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Robert Dobbs. “In the Comprehensive Plan, that is the use that is designed for that property.”
“We’ve got some things we don’t typical get from developers,” Dobbs said speaking of the developers changes to their concept plan based on residents’ concerns stemming from November and December meetings.
The developer has promised to make additional changes to their concept plan before the item is brought to the Forney City Council at a January 20, 2015, meeting. With those promises, Commissioner David Johnson motioned for the approval of the zone change and the rezoning was unanimously approved.
