The details
The development would sit on the north side of FM 1171 between Red Rock Road and Shiloh Road. The general goal of the development is to bring better quality food sources closer to people’s homes. The website for Eden Ranch promotes amenities such as annual crops grown on farmland throughout the property.
It would currently require an amendment to the town’s master plan to remove a rural collector street. The area plan for the Cross Timbers Conservation District would need to be amended to change standards relating to fencing and proximity of homes to county roads. For the development, about 20 specimen trees would have to be removed, which would require a permit. There’s also a pending application to rezone lots on the property to a cluster development with agricultural base zoning as part of the Eden Ranch plans.
How we got here
Tyler Radbourne, one of the founders of Eden Ranch, told the council that the property was bought in 2022 with plans to build an organic farm community. Radbourne and his wife Julia were initially looking for some 30-50 acres of land for themselves, where they could have a farm of their own but land was too expensive.
“Unfortunately, the land costs in this area are a bit prohibitive for most people,” Radbourne told the council March 17.
Describing the project, Radbourne said, “This somewhat looks like a golf course from above, but instead of golf, it’s a functional farm where people are able to thrive and raise their kids. ... That’s a dream of so many people that is beginning to be out of reach.”
What they’re saying
Some of the council discussion on Eden Ranch centered on the required parkland dedication for the project. The current plan for the parkland dedication includes an equestrian trail throughout the property. There was talk about whether the trail should be considered part of the parkland dedication, which town staff was not in support of, Lexin Murphy, Flower Mound’s development services director, said at the meeting.
“I think the town’s park staff would like to see some additional area that’s not just incorporating the trail,” Murphy said at the meeting.
There was also talk about the density of the project. Currently, quarter-acre lots are being proposed. Town Council member Adam Schiestel challenged the applicants to expand these to three-quarter-acre lots.
“The No. 1 thing people in the Cross Timbers [Conservation District] wanted was that degree of density,” Schiestel said at the meeting. “So, that’s the challenge for you.”
What’s next?
The Eden Ranch development still needs to make it through several boards and commissions before being brought to the council for a vote. Next, it will need to go to the planning and zoning commission for a work session, to the parks board to settle on parkland dedication, and the town's environmental conservation commission to receive a recommendation on the tree removal permit. Then, it will be set for a formally scheduled planning and zoning public hearing.
