Lewisville ISD owned the land off Josey Lane with future plans to build a middle school at the location. However, city documents said the entire acreage would not be needed, so the district sold 47 acres to Lyfe Residential, a developer and builder. The zoning change was from public-use district zoning to planned development estate townhouse residential.
The details
The proposed housing development is near the Lakewood Hills housing development and across from Memorial Elementary School. The Indian Creek floodplain will create a natural buffer between the proposed lots and Josey Lane, according to city documents.
The property is north of the proposed future middle school.
The impact
The planning and zoning commission voted to approve the zoning change, but there were concerns with traffic on Josey Lane and open space.
Planning Director Richard Luedke said a traffic study would be done during the next step of the project, adding that this approval was simply for the zoning change to allow for a housing development to take the first step.
He said there will be a little more than 9 acres—about 38% of the project—dedicated to city parkland, which could connect to a major regional hike and bike trail in the future.
What they’re saying
Luedke said the city had received a lot of interest in the property from multifamily developers but said the city did not feel that would be the best use of the land.
“We were very happy that a single-family developer moved forward,” he said. “Staff feels that that's the highest and best use for that area that complements the surrounding neighborhoods.”
