At Monday’s meeting Flower Mound Town Council approved NEM Senior Living, a 55-and-older independent living development that will be located along FM 2499 and south of Timber Creek. The project was approved with a 4-1 vote with Council Member Sandeep Sharma casting the lone dissent vote. The project is the town’s first independent senior living community to be approved under the town's new senior overlay district. The overlay district was created to address demand for affordable, high-quality senior housing options for persons 55 years of age or older, according to town officials. "We've been trying to get something like this for 30 years, and finally with this senior district overlay we got something," Council Member Kevin Bryant said. The overlay district includes sites located 2,500 feet on either side of Long Prairie Road (FM 2499) from Justin Road (FM 407) down to the northern boundary of the Lakeside Business District but not including the Lakeside Business District. Developers are incentivized to build in the district by the Town Council, who would grant certain park and SMARTGrowth requirement waivers through an agreement. NEM was tabled at the Oct. 1 and Oct. 15 Town Council meetings in order to allow adequate time for the developer and the town staff to finalize the terms of the development agreement. NEM will include one four-story, 242,000-square-foot building with 178 units and four two-story buildings with garages on the first floor and living units on the second floor. The four-story building will have an internal, fully enclosed courtyard that will feature a community swimming pool, outdoor grill, putting green and seating areas. The four other buildings will have three-bedroom units above the garages.