The Municipal Development District board recommended approval of the grant at the Jan. 9 meeting.
The overview
The 18-acre property is 0.5 miles west of US 377. Argyle resident and veterinarian John Bitter owns 12 acres of the property and the town owns 6 acres, purchasing the land from Bitter in September. The town bought the 6 acres to build a law enforcement center and a municipal development center.
Mike Silvaggio from LandCore development asked the board to consider granting $40k to do preliminary studies for the future development of a town center. The studies would include traffic impact assessments, water flow studies and utility studies.
The grant was approved 4-1 with Pamela Batson, vice president of the Municipal Development District, in opposition.
“[Mike Silvaggio] is a little bit new to our town but the property is owned by Bitter,” said Mayor pro tem Ronald Schmidt, who’s also a board member of the Municipal Development District. “Maybe not everyone knows him but he is a very very well respected man in this town. His name is on the line. I stick my name behind his. He’s going to turn out a good product.”
The background
At an open forum Dec. 16, Silvaggio presented ideas to Argyle Town Council for the town center, though no concrete plans were made.
Silvaggio emphasized the importance of incorporating a grand entrance on the town’s property facing FM 407 to bring the entire property together and working directly with the town to develop both properties.
Additional ideas included first floor retail and commercial spaces with second and third floors including loft living. They also discussed having town homes on the south side of the property. The council was against having apartment complexes or high density residential spaces.
“I’d like to see a little less [density], a little more green space,” said Mayor Rick Bradford. “If it’s truly going to be a town center, those that I’ve seen done really well incorporate a lot of green space. I would love to see this as truly walkable.”
What’s next?
Town Council must approve the $40k grant, which will be considered at the next town council meeting Jan. 20.
Silvaggio said it would take 90 days to complete the studies and they would have some plans they could present to council after that.
Argyle staff is looking at potential bond possibilities and are in the process of hiring a project manager for the law enforcement center and municipal development center. The town is expecting to take four to five years to save up money before starting construction on their property.
