Park master plan calls for more tennis courts, trails, pier in Flower Mound

The town contracted MHS Planning and Design, the same firm who helped master plan Trotter Park, to develop an outline of future improvements at Leonard and Helen Johns Community Park.

Funding for proposed improvements at the park will come from the 2025 bond, Jennings said. With the master plan completed, town officials plan to apply for a $750,000 grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to help pay for the proposed improvements, Jennings added. Flower Mound received a grant in the same amount for the Trotter Park project in January.

David Shipp, a senior landscape architect for MHS Planning and Design working on the project with the town, said potential improvements include:

• Five new tennis courts
• A nature-themed play area and amphitheater
• Additional trails within the park’s existing trail network
• A boardwalk along parts of the perimeter of the park’s pond
• A fishing pier
• Potential nature observation areas

“As far as this project, we took great pains to ensure that we were preserving all the natural canopy out there,” Shipp said. “There’s only one tree, at this time, that would need to be removed.”

Some context

Flower Mound acquired an additional 7 acres from Lewisville ISD in 2021. The additional land previously housed a natatorium and administrative offices, with demolition being completed last year, Jennings said.

The master planning process also began last June when council approved MHS Planning and Design as the firm for the project.

For several years, residents have noted a shortage of tennis courts, which will be addressed through the project, Shipp said. Additionally, town officials said the new tennis courts are responsive to residents’ feedback on the supply of tennis courts and could help local tennis organizations plan leagues and tournaments within Leonard and Helen Johns Community Park.

“The tennis community really wants to see tennis courts in one location, not spread around,” council member Adam Schiestel said.

Looking ahead

Once the town selects a design firm for the park, the process will take about 10 months to complete, Jennings said. Construction on improvements to Leonard and Helen Johns Community Park will take between 12-14 months, he added.

Jennings said he expects construction on the improvements to be finished and the park to be open to the public by the end of 2027.

“I think you guys have done a heck of a job,” council member Brian Taylor said. “It works with the land, which is what we always try to do.”