Richardson City Council unanimously approved a rezoning that will allow for the school’s planned expansion and renovations in their Dec. 8 meeting.
The gist
Brett Holzle, an architect with Stantec Architects who is working with RISD to renovate Richardson North, presented the expansion plans to council. The proposed expansion includes constructing a new gymnasium; demolishing and rebuilding portions of the west side of the building; and adding new athletic, dining, administration, career and technical education and fine arts spaces, according to city documents.
The total building area would increase from 94,000 to 228,016 square feet, and the school’s enrollment is expected to increase from approximately 592 to 700 students in its first year as a middle school, with projections to reach 1,000 students in future years.
“All of that existing building does get renovated, so it all looks and feels like one new building together, and not old versus new,” Holzle said.
The background
Forest Meadow and Lake Highlands became the first middle schools in the district last year as part of RISD’s initiative to shift all junior highs into the middle school model. This adds sixth-graders to the schools already serving seventh and eighth graders, which is the model that the majority of Texas school districts operate under.
“This is not about capacity or things of that nature,” said James Watson, senior executive director of operations for RISD, at the meeting. “This is literally a transformation to meet that board resolution to change our grade configuration.”
Renovations and some expansions are also planned at Richardson’s five remaining junior highs. The transformations, including the construction at Richardson North, will be funded by the district’s bond that voters approved in November.
Richardson’s City Plan Commission unanimously recommended approval in their Nov. 18 meeting to rezone Richardson North and allow for the planned construction to proceed.
The details
Richardson North’s zoning already allows for construction, but the proposed renovations don’t fully comply with the existing zoning standards, so the district requested this rezoning to allow for modified development standards. The modified standards include:
- A higher maximum height of 52 feet allowed all buildings
- No height restrictions on buildings that are allowed within 150 feet of residential areas
- Fencing for athletic facilities allowed to exceed 8 feet in height
- No requirement for a screening wall to separate the site from residential areas
- A chain-link fence allowed to be installed around the site perimeter
Holzle also presented a reconfigured traffic circulation plan to accommodate the additional students, with plans to add a new drive to ensure there are enough areas on the site for queuing during drop-off and pickup in order to prevent parents from lining up on residential streets.
What they’re saying
Council member Arefin Shamsul said the reimagined circulation plan will make “a huge difference.”
“Traffic will flow much smoother,” he said.
Council member Dan Barrios expressed concern at the waived requirement for a screening wall, saying that the greater population of students and increased traffic could create more daytime noise in the neighborhood.
“With so many residents working from home these days, I’m concerned about that,” Barrios said. “I personally would prefer a masonry wall.”
Senior planner Derica Peters said that a drainage ditch and an alley already serve as additional buffers between the school and residential homes. Adding a masonry wall could be difficult due to the layout of the campus, Holzle said, and might require moving a fire lane near the school or removing some parking.
Mayor Amir Omar recognized the concerns around the masonry wall but discouraged council from voting against the measure for that reason alone, and City Manager Don Magner added he was confident that the city can work with RISD to explore further measures for noise mitigation.
What’s next
Following the unanimous approval by City Council, construction is expected to start in May 2026, with Richardson North set to welcome sixth graders as a middle school in fall of 2028. The current seventh and eighth grade students will continue to attend school on the campus throughout construction.
