One of Elon Musk’s businesses is moving closer to setting up shop in Flower Mound.
But electric vehicle automaker Tesla still has to clear some hurdles with town requirements.
At the Flower Mound Town Council meeting Aug. 7, council approved in a 4-0 vote—with Council Member Brian Taylor absent—a site plan for Tesla to build a car sales dealership and service center. The building would be located south of Justin Road and west of Stone Hill Farms Parkway. The item included a public hearing, which included one comment from a resident, who supported the Tesla operation coming to town as he said he drives a Tesla and has to go to the Tesla service center in Plano.
“Welcome to Flower Mound,” Flower Mound Mayor Derek France said after council approved the site plan.
During the meeting, France jokingly asked whether Musk was in attendance to make a presentation.
The background
Council’s approval came with a couple of requested exceptions from Tesla: one for underground utilities and one for architectural standards, the latter of which includes the exterior color scheme. The business will be built on a 5.33-acre lot and contain 51,391 square feet for the car sales dealership and service center.
“Tesla is looking forward to being a member of the Flower Mound community,” said Bill Hofman of Hofman Planning Associates, based in Carlsbad, California, which submitted the site plan review.
His letter to the town outlined how the building where Tesla will operate will feature a vehicle sales and service center but will not have an auto body repair operation.
“There will not be any other uses conducted onsite,” Hofman’s letter stated.
What you need to know
The next steps for Tesla before it can build here are for Hofman Planning Associates to get a replat approved by the Flower Mound Planning and Zoning Commission, obtain a site development permit to install the required infrastructure to develop the site and obtain a building permit. The town has received a replat application and a commercial building permit application, which are under review, Flower Mound Communications Director Melissa Demmitt said.
A letter from Tesla in the council agenda packet stated standard servicing and repair of electric vehicles will be performed here, including software updates; tire replacement; tire balancing; and the replacement of bolt-on parts, such as for window regulators, door handles, suspension components, bumpers and more. Customers will be able to set the delivery of their new car at this location by appointment only, the letter stated.
Tesla Design Manager Dhwani Dave told council that vehicles on-site are for test drives and display purposes. Customers custom-order their vehicles online.
Dave said the Flower Mound site would generate 50 to 70 jobs. Those jobs range from technicians to engineers to associates. The site will offer charging stations, but they will be for Tesla vehicles only. She told the commission last month that Tesla was seeking to come to Flower Mound because of the “huge” demand for the product there.
