Flower Mound Town Council unanimously approved a pre-design services contract with architects Hoefer Welker and Bora Architecture and Interiors, during the Oct. 6 meeting. The arts center will be located on roughly 3.76 acres in the River Walk mixed-use development.
The overview
Flower Mound and Denton County officials selected a design team of Hoefer Welker and Bora in June, said Brian Waltenburg, Flower Mound’s director of public works. The pre-design contract will cost Flower Mound $583,500, according to town documents, and will include:
- Updating the existing market assessment completed in 2020
- Updating the existing business plan completed in 2021
- Identifying and researching project funding opportunities
- Benchmark tours
- Stakeholder and community input sessions
- Site master planning
- Programming
“In scoping the design, we realized that while we know generally what the facility is going to be, the workshops and community engagement is going to help determine that,” he said. “We don’t know what the design is until we do all of this.”
Hoefer Welker will serve as the project’s architect of record, which includes overseeing project management and delivery, while Bora will be the design architect, focusing on design leadership and interior design, said Richard Miller, a partner with Hoefer Welker.
How we got here
The town’s 2018 cultural arts master plan included a recommendation to town officials to explore developing a town arts center, Waltenburg said. A potential business plan for the project was presented in 2021.
Flower Mound acquired land for the arts center in the River Walk last September, Waltenburg said. In November 2024, council approved a five-year extension of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 1 in Flower Mound, which covers the River Walk mixed-use development, and Denton County also approved participation in the zone.
What they’re saying
Mayor Cheryl Moore said council members are looking forward to being involved in the planning process and that she personally is excited about the project.
“This is something I’ve been looking forward to for many, many years and one of the many reasons why I’m involved with the town,” Moore said. “This is going to bring a lot of vibrancy to that area.”
Council member Adam Schiestel emphasized a desire to see a space where the town could potentially host events and bring more traffic to the River Walk area, while also having a unique space.
“If we come out of this when we have the model and it’s the Grand Theater or the Coppell [Arts Center] rearranged, then I’m going to be very disappointed,” Schiestel said. “I don’t want us to try to be everything for everybody. I want us to figure out what makes Flower Mound unique, different and special and do something that separates us from Coppell and Lewisville and from the other cities that have done a performing arts center.”
What’s next
Miller said the pre-design phase could last around 15 weeks and will be followed by design work, permitting and the development of a guaranteed maximum price for the project. Once underway construction is expected to last for two years.
Based on a timeline presented during the meeting, the arts center could open as early as spring 2029, Miller added.
