A proposed nursing home in Flower Mound failed to get approval from town officials.
The Flower Mound Town Council denied a zoning change at 3428 Wager Road that would have allowed a nursing home to be built during the Nov. 18 meeting.
The details
Kenneth Lin, the applicant behind the proposed master plan amendment from agriculture district to planned development district, hoped to get the land use amended from estate density residential to office use to allow for the nursing home.
Lin proposed 16 beds at the facility which would generally require 11 parking spaces. However, the town allows a 20% deviation from required parking minimums so only nine parking spaces were proposed for the property.
He also proposed allowing all other office uses on the property, meaning Lin would be able to develop the property into other things, such as a bank, community center or book store. This caused concern for some of the planning and zoning commissioners, as well as residents and council members on Nov. 18.
Diving deeper
Codie Freeman, a planner with the town of Flower Mound, told town planning and zoning commissioners at their Nov. 11 meeting that the town council approved a specific use permit for a nursing home on this site back in 2009. Later, however, the town code was amended to no longer allow nursing homes in agriculture zoning districts.
“[The specific use permit] basically became not applicable anymore,” Freeman said.
Commissioner Gregory Schultz made a motion to recommend approval of the changes at the Nov. 11 meeting but only allow a nursing home or congregate facility, select required institutional uses, and uses that would have limited impact on the surrounding community.
What else?
Resident Beth Soderberg, who lives on Wager Road, where the nursing home would be situated, spoke in opposition to the proposed changes.
“We are not in favor of rezoning this property for office use or any type in a residential area and on our street,” Soderberg said.
Council member Adam Schiestel said he had concerns about the property being used for other office uses aside from a nursing home if the rezoning was approved.
Schiestel moved to deny the changes and the council unanimously denied the nursing home.