Documenters: City Plan Commission debates impacts of developments

The Fort Worth City Plan Commission debated the impacts of development to neighborhoods in three cases at their May 14 meeting. — Ken Garlington

Fort Worth City Plan Commission Work Session and Public Hearing

Documenter name: Ken Garlington

Agency: Fort Worth City Plan Commission

Date: May 14, 2025

See more about this meeting at Documenters.org

Notes

The work session started at 9:02 a.m. The commission discussed three cases in preparation for the public meeting (see agenda).

FS-25-026 Golfview Addition Lot 1, Block 1 waiver request — allow multifamily development to be served by a cul-de-sac (continuance from March 19, 2025, CPC meeting). Christine Ross presented for staff. Staff recommends conditional approval if floodplain and drainage concerns are addressed, along with other minor corrections to the submitted plat. Surrounding owners have submitted comments objecting to this request due to traffic congestion and floodplain issues.

FS-25-042 Westcliff Lot 20R, Block 77 waiver request — alternative lot platting arrangements. This request was previously denied by the commission on April 2. Applicant provided a written response, which by state law requires the commission to act: Alexander Parks presented for the staff. Staff recommends denial of waiver for a lot to be platted with double frontage on two residential streets, as well as denial of the overall plot. This lot is adjacent to a lot with a home owned by the applicant. The house previously on this lot has been demolished. One compromise would be to remove the existing gate and driveway curb cut in favor of the proposed.

PP-25-016 McPherson Road waiver request — interconnectivity of neighborhoods (new case): Alexander Johnson presented for the staff. This will be a subdivision with 37 small two-family lots. Staff recommends waiver approval based on the tract size and configuration. The commission raised concerns about whether the configuration would make an adjacent area unavailable for future development.

The work session ended at 9:57 a.m.

Public meeting: Called to order at 10:03 a.m. A recording of the meeting is available via Fort Worth Television (FWTV). Derek Hull of city staff facilitated the meeting. He noted a quorum was present, and read the Open Meetings Act statement. Meeting minutes for the prior two meetings were approved 6-0-3.

The commission then considered the cases it reviewed in the work session.

FS-25-026: Travis Clegg with Westwood Professional Services spoke for the applicant. In response to a commissioner’s request, Clegg noted that while they were going to encourage traffic to use John T White Road (e.g., via signage), they would not be able to block access to the nearby residential street (Clay Court) without requiring a different waiver. 198 units are planned. Kelly Sharp, who lives near the subject development, spoke in opposition to the development (as he did in a prior meeting). He raised concerns about traffic congestion, particularly given existing issues with John T White and its intersection with Randol Mill Road, and how it might encourage the new residents to use Clay Court to avoid those issues. He also raised issues with flooding and drainage. A second speaker also raised traffic concerns. Clegg responded to the issues raised by noting that they had no control over the traffic volume that John T White could support (although they might be required to pay fees later), that they would not be raising the floodplain for their neighbors, and that they were required to connect to neighborhood streets per city ordinance. Commissioners Torchy White and Brian Singleterry also echoed the concerns with the additional traffic. Commissioner Lee Henderson described this as “a really impossible situation.” White, although noting “this is definitely a difficult one,” moved for approval of the staff recommendation, with a second by Commissioner Jim Tidwell. The motion passed 8-0-1.

FS-25-042: Two people spoke in support of their written response to the commission’s prior denial of this waiver request. Krystian Golebiewski, a professional surveyor working on the project, indicated that the new (northern) lot access was intended only for access for maintaining the pool and other property behind the house, which is impractical to reach from the existing southern access that services the front of the house. This configuration is similar to other homes in the area. The property owner (Luke Hejl) also spoke. He apologized for not being present at the prior meeting where the request was considered. He discussed his use of the lot as his family’s residence, his roots in the neighborhood and community, the work he has done on the lot (including a new fence) and his future plans. He requested the commission revisit their denial. Multiple people spoke in opposition to the request. Shirlee Gandy, a neighbor who spoke at the April 2 hearing, objected to the new fence which abuts her property. Matt Vereecke, another neighbor who spoke against the project in April also returned to voice his concerns, including his understanding that the northern access is now part of the long-term plan for the lot. He also objected to the number of vehicles using the street and northern access to the lot, as well as concerns about the size of the combined property. Hejl returned and noted that, although he did say he might change the fence in the future, he had not made a firm plan. He also denied saying that he would not use the northern access in the future. He asked the commission for help in coming up with a solution that would be satisfactory for everyone. The chair closed public comment and asked staff for options. Alex Parks of city staff noted that they had been previously told that the second access would not be used long-term, and that their recommendation was that the applicant needed to come up with a different way to access the lot. He also noted, in response to a question from the commission, that the absence of a home in front of the northern access had no bearing on the waiver requirement. After additional discussion amongst the commissioners, including the impact to the character of the neighborhood of the request, Tidwell made a motion to reaffirm denial of the waiver, with Commissioner White seconding. The motion passed 7-2, with Commissioners Tye Lamberth and Denise Turner in opposition.

PP-25-016: Jace Motheral spoke in support of the request. In response to a request from the commission, Motheral noted that he had not spoken to the neighbors, including those in the area discussed in the work session. Parks noted that the adjacent area could still be developed with the same character as the plat in question with a cul-de-sac at the northern end. Commissioner Efrin Carrion moved, and Henderson seconded, approval of a motion to adopt the staff recommendation. The motion passed 9-0.

The public meeting was adjourned at 11:35 a.m.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at [email protected] with “Correction Request” in the subject line.

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