The request was to rezone 15.8 acres at the southeast intersection of Dixon Lane and Long Prairie Road from agricultural to Planned Development-167.
The property will be divided into two tracts: One tract will include three two-story office buildings; the second tract will include Watermere at Flower Mound, an age-restricted multifamily development for age 55 and up.
Watermere at Flower Mound would include a total of 224 senior housing units. All of the units will be for rent only. It will contain one three-story building with 114 one-bedroom units, 84 two-bedroom units and 12 three-bedroom units. The development will also feature 14 villas. Five elevators are planned for the three-story building.
The villas will be an average of 1,729 square feet and will feature garages. Residents will also have the choice to have covered parking at an added cost.
Amenities would include a full commercial kitchen, optional housekeeping, courtyards, a clubhouse with a game room, an indoor swimming pool that will be heated, a lounge area, a kitchen with dining, a salon, a dog park and pathways.
The development was met with some resistance from residents in the Waterford Park Estates subdivision, who stated the housing project will add traffic in the neighborhood.
The homeowners association president said the project puts the neighborhood residents' "quality of life at risk." He also noted the neighborhood has a problem with traffic as their roads connect FM 407 with Dixon Road, a road that already is used by nearby Marcus High School students.
There were also several seniors at the meeting who spoke in support of the development, such as former Council Member Paul Stone.
"This is just another example of the choices our seasoned citizens will have that will allow them to be able to stay close to their children and their grandchildren without leaving Flower Mound," he said. "I don’t share the concern of traffic because seniors don’t generate as much traffic as single-family residences."
This is the second senior independent-living facility that has been approved since the Town Council created the Senior Housing Overlay District in March 2017.
The district provides developers incentives to build age-restricted, for-rent, multifamily independent-living facilities. NEM Senior Living—the town’s third senior independent-living community—was approved by council in November.
