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A new Argyle ISD elementary school is one step closer to becoming a reality after the Argyle Planning and Zoning Commission approved the site plan April 2.
The site plan was approved 4-2 with Commissioner Marilyn Lewis and Chair Paul Kula in opposition.
The overview
The proposed elementary school will be located on the same lot as the AISD middle school currently under construction on FM 407.
The elementary school will be 104,685 square feet with two stories and 61 classrooms. The building can hold a total of 850 students, according to town documents.
The discussion
The developer requested a variance in landscaping to be consistent with what is planned for the AISD middle school. The site plan has the required number of trees per town standards, but the developer requested to have a trunk of 3-inch and 4-inch diameters, which does not comply with town standards.
The planning and zoning commission wanted more trees to make up for the smaller size of the proposed trees.
Civil engineer Rob Morse from RLK Engineering said they chose the smaller trees because they are easier to maintain. If there are a lot of trees, they will start overcrowding the area when they are bigger, making it harder for them to survive.
“Planting more trees in the short term might be OK, but the problem is you’re going to start losing trees once the canopy starts getting bigger, and the ground cover is going to die underneath them,” Morrison said.
The commission’s approved motion included the condition that six more trees be added in the proposed playgrounds.
Additional details
A traffic impact analysis was done when the middle school site plan was approved.
The analysis showed that the middle school and elementary school will bring in 4,450 new vehicles on an average weekday with 1,433 trips during a.m. peak hours and 815 trips during p.m. peak hours.
This traffic impact requires mitigations to accommodate the increase in traffic, including:
The town will work with AISD and the Texas Department of Transportation to install the traffic signal, with design plans beginning soon, Director of Community Development Harrison Wicks said.
A driveway will be added at Postmaster Lane, and a gate will be installed to restrict the access point for emergency vehicles only.
The applicant is proposing 399 parking spaces for the entire site, including the middle school.
Some context
Argyle ISD is experiencing accelerated growth, requiring the district to build more campuses to house all students.
Currently, 6,100 students are enrolled for the 2024-25 school year, over 200 more than expected, according to Zonda Education data. By 2033-34, the district could serve over 11,000 students, nearly double its current student population.
The district called a $423 million bond election to pay for the proposed elementary school, which will be voted on during the May election.
The middle school is currently under construction, with construction anticipated to finish summer 2026.
What else?
A special use permit for an elementary and middle school was approved by Argyle Town Council on Jan. 22, 2024.
The elementary school was approved with the condition that access to Postmaster Lane or Sam Davis Road be prohibited.
The Town Council reconsidered the special use permit March 18 and approved the emergency access on Postmaster Lane, which allowed the developer to move forward with the site plan.
