More than 11,000 people have moved to Flower Mound in the past 10 years, according to census data. Residents are moving westward to a mostly rural area, but that means town officials and developers look to develop that area, said Lexin Murphy, the town’s director of planning services.
To account for growth happening, Flower Mound officials look at several housing developments west of Shiloh Road.
“Growth out west is happening,” Mayor Derek France said. “People want to live here, which drives residential development, and that—coupled with the fact that people who already live in our western neighborhoods want more •amenities and services near their homes—will drive commercial development.”
One project that continues to grow out west is the Canyon Falls development. It is located in Flower Mound, Argyle and Northlake. It houses 1,882 residents, according to Flower Mound data. Several phases of construction have been completed since the initial groundbreaking in 2013, and even more growth is under construction.
However, growth is not limited to Flower Mound. Denton County is one of the top 10 fastest-growing counties in the country, according to the U.S. Census, seeing a 38.1% population increase from 2010-20. About 82 people move to Denton County every day.
As a result, the Denton County commissioners look to residents to pass a $650 million bond this November to address transportation infrastructure needs.
From 2010-20, Flower Mound saw a 17.45% population increase from 64,669 to 75,956, according to the U.S. Census. It saw an estimated population of 77,243 in 2021.
Similar growth can be seen in other Denton County municipalities. Highland Village saw a 5.59% population increase from 2010-20, while Argyle saw a 34.16% population increase, according to the census.
The town of Argyle has a population of 4,403, which is less than what is seen in Argyle ISD. The district serves students from several neighboring communities, including Northlake and Flower Mound. As developments—such as Canyon Falls—continue to grow, so does the school district, Superintendent Telena Wright said.
The district regularly keeps track of developments that are being discussed within district boundaries, because that contributes directly to the student population, she said.
“There is still immense growth going on in both the northwest part of the district and the southern part of the district,” Wright said. “There will continue to be, also, most likely on the east side of [US] 377 as well as the west side of [US] 377.”
In Flower Mound, town officials held a series of public discussions in July called “FloMo Convos” to get community feedback as the town continues to grow. These conversations will be used to help City Council make future decisions.
“We heard a desire for more retail and restaurant options and amenities out west,” France said. “But we also heard folks express a desire to keep future residential and commercial development low density to conserve our rural landscape and feel. It’s a balancing act.”
Growth continues to happen along the I-35W corridor, said Tommy Dalton, Flower Mound assistant town manager.
“Growth is not only impacting Flower Mound,” Dalton said. “It’s a regional deal.”
Westward expansion
The majority of Flower Mound residents live east of Shiloh Road. But as more and more people move to the town, residents move westward, according to town officials.
“The new frontier is the western end of town,” Dalton said.
As the population grows, development will follow, Murphy said.
“One thing is, just as the population grows, the people there inevitably want services available to them,” she said. “They’re looking for more retail options, and doctors and other kinds of services, whether it’s hair salons or that sort of thing.”
Canyon Falls is a 1,242-acre master-planned community within the Denton Creek District, with about 626 acres located in Flower Mound city limits. It features different village types based on the natural features prominent in the area. The development broke ground in May 2013.
Since the first groundbreaking, additional phases for the project have gotten underway, including Canyon Falls Village 4B. The addition is under construction and will bring a 24-lot residential subdivision with three open spaces.
Flower Mound Parks and Recreation officials are also working on the Canyon Falls Park, which is set to complete construction this fall, department Director Chuck Jennings said.
The park sits on 10.8 acres, and it will be the closest park to those west Flower Mound residents, who typically would drive upwards of half an hour to the closest town park, Jennings said.
“We’re very excited about it,” he said. “It will be one of our first parks out in west Flower Mound.”
Commercial and retail space will be available toward the west and northwest part of the property near I-35W, according to development details.
There are other projects though that are under review with the town that will likely bring more homes and other mixed-use developments.
“I would say the most major development that is currently under review is Flower Mound Ranch,” Murphy said.
Flower Mound Ranch is a proposed mixed-use development that is under staff review and subject to revisions before the final documents are scheduled for public hearings.
The proposed project plans on capping the number of single-family homes at 3,000, the number of multifamily units at 5,000 and the number of age-restricted dwellings at 1,000. It looks to mix a number of uses, including retail, hospitality, entertainment and offices, according to project details.
“That is currently an application for mixed-use zoning that’s under review,” Murphy said. “It’ll likely be moving forward soon, and that would bring in additional nonresidential development, if approved.”
Denton County bond
To help provide additional infrastructure for upcoming growth, Denton County commissioners unanimously voted during their Aug. 16 meeting to call a $650 million bond election for the Nov. 8 ballot.
The Nov. 8 ballot item focuses on transportation projects and come as the county continues to see population growth, one of the fastest in the state. The projects are slated to provide congestion relief and safety improvements, according to county officials. More than 110 projects have been identified to date in all four precincts of Denton County.
Among proposed projects are expansions of Loop 288 West and Loop 288 East frontage roads, expansion of FM 1171 West, construction of various I-35W frontage roads, reconstruction of US 377 North, and more.
“We wanted to focus this bond election on our roads and bridges, and that’s exactly what we did,” County Judge Andy Eads said during the Aug. 16 meeting.
Denton County will use funds from the bond to begin engineering, right-of-way acquisitions, utility relocations and other startup costs to ensure state and federal highway projects are potentially given higher priority, according to county officials.
“Great roads invite great economic companies to come to the county of Denton to provide more tax dollars so we can do greater things,” Commissioner Bobbie Mitchell said during the Aug. 16 meeting.
The proposed projects come after two public bond workshops that were held this summer to get resident feedback.
"I would anticipate these bond proceeds to be working here in the county to be issued over the next 10 years,” Eads said. “I would appreciate the consideration of the voters as they look through this as we work to improve Denton County and work on projects that will truly outlive each and every one of us.”
