The Southlake planning and zoning commission approved the site plan for a 17.6-acre senior living community on the southeast corner of North Carroll Avenue and East Highland Street on property owned by Carroll ISD and Gateway Church.
The zoning change, site plan and changes to the future land use plan were approved during the committee's Oct. 8 meeting and will move to the city council for a vote in November.
The details
If the facility is approved, it will be developed, owned and operated by Touchmark, which has 18 facilities throughout the United States and Canada.
Touchmark’s senior living community in Southlake would have a total of 357 units, including units for independent living, assisted living and memory care, according to the city.
The minimum age of residents would be 62, although the average age of residents at all Touchmark communities is closer to 85, according to Touchmark data.
The development plan includes 8 acres of open space and an underground parking garage.
The debate
Southlake residents spoke for and against the development plan. Concerns included the number of units and the effect on traffic.
Southlake resident Laurie Schneider said the number of units on the property would make the development too dense.
“I have never seen our town be okay with such density,” Schneider said.
Roxann Taylor was hired by Carroll ISD to market the property and said the development will benefit the city through property taxes and create another space for older adults in Southlake.
“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to live in my own home,” Taylor said. “And there’s very few places for us to move to if we still want a Southlake mailing address and we enjoy living in Southlake.”
There would be 419 parking spaces total on the property, but Kendra Lackey, president of development & construction at Touchmark, said older adults tend not to drive very often.
The zoning ordinance prohibits the community from being converted into apartments and changes would require council action, according to the city. The assisted living and memory care suites are not dwelling units and could not be used as apartments.
Sorting out details
Mayor Shawn McCaskill posted on Facebook on Oct. 1 to dispel rumors that the property would automatically be sold to a religious institution if the deal with Touchmark does not go through.
“There is not any ‘backup contract’ between Carroll ISD and any religious institution. If the Touchmark deal falls through, CISD will continue to own the property, and CISD will make the decision on whether to sell that property and to whom,” McCaskill said. “If CISD sells the property to someone other than Touchmark, any application to develop that property will go through the same city review process and City Council vote.”
Cameron Bryan, president of the Carroll ISD board of trustees, said during the board's Oct. 5 meeting that he was responding to “fabricated misinformation” about what would happen if the property sale is denied by the city council.
“If that occurs, the board will determine the district's next course of action after the Touchmark process has been completed,” Bryan said. “At that point the board would have a few options. One option would be to take no immediate action and retain the property rather than sell it at this time. Another option would be to remarket the property and solicit new proposals from prospective buyers.”
Also of note
The Carroll ISD board is also looking into selling other properties owned by the district that are not currently being used, Bryan said at the board’s Sept. 28 meeting.
Old Dragon Stadium was sold to the City of Southlake and will become a park that preserves the field, according to previous reporting. The $8 million in proceeds from the sale were invested in the Texas CLASS government pool, generating interest for the district, Superintendent Jeremy Glenn said.
The former CIS building is currently under contract and will likely close before the end of December. A tract of land adjacent to Old Union Elementary is also under contract and the transaction is expected to close in the next four to six months.
Bryan said the Durham Intermediate School property will likely be under contract by the end of October.
“By responsibly disposing of surplus property we can convert an underutilized asset into financial resources for the district without raising the tax rate simply to generate those resources,” Bryan said. “We’re not just selling property to sell property, we are strategically managing the assets of Carroll ISD.”
