Council voted to spend $117,000 on engineering and architecture services for the new town hall and police facility on FM 407 at a July 21 council meeting.
The gist
The town approved a $48,000 contract with Texas engineering firm Dunaway Associates to perform civil engineering services, including a topographical survey, site planning, utility layout and drainage assessment, according to town documents.
Council approved an additional $69,000 for Dallas-based architecture firm GFF to develop a master site plan for the new town buildings.
More details
Council also approved a $750,000 in certificates of obligation to fund pre-construction services, including the engineering and architecture contracts, Town Manager Mike Sims said. The $750,000 will also be used to fund future architectural and engineering work after the initial site plan is complete, Sims said.
"Where will we pay for the other two agenda items, we'll be paying for it out of this," Sims said. "When you get to December you won't be looking at me saying, 'well where is the money for the next step?' We will have arranged all of that."
Town documents state the certificates will be paid back by February 2027.
The background
Argyle purchased six acres of land in September 2024 to build a new Town Center, which is planned to include a new police building and town hall, per town documents.
The Municipal Development District had previously awarded $40,000 to Landcore development to begin preliminary studies for a 12-acre mixed-use shopping and residential district adjacent to the town-owned 6 acres.
In January, council authorized the Ramel Company to facilitate site surveys and find engineering and architecture firms to develop the Town Center. Ramel recommended GFF and Dunaway following a competitive bid process, Town Manager Mike Sims said.
What they’re saying
Council members noted they would like to see a unified architectural aesthetic between the town buildings and mixed-use district.
“One thing we do lack, and we’re in such the infancy stages of developing, is having boundaries or a box in how we are constructing an architectural design,” council member Chad Boyd said.
Mayor Ronald Schmidt said he wants to avoid a "hodge podge" of buildings.
“It’s very important we have some kind of unified look,” Schmidt said.
Looking ahead
Council will vote on a small area plan and zoning overlay at a future meeting, either in August or September, Sims said, with final architectural plans appearing before council in January 2026, according to town documents.
