Calling Trophy Club

Trophy Club Clock Tower

You paying attention out there?

You better be.  A developer wants to develop and side step the council and planning and zoning commission.  Read the story and the letter to the editor (from a citizen who's paying attention) in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

To Town Manager Mike Slye, the 26 acres east of the clock tower are "our golden nugget" that could reduce residential property taxes if the owner is allowed to develop the land for commercial and other uses.

What has some residents concerned are the prospective uses, the owner and a proposed new way of approving zoning changes.

Rumors arose last week after a joint meeting of the Town Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission to discuss an 88-page proposal by Scott Beck, whose family once owned much of Trophy Club, to develop land bounded by Texas 114 and Trophy Club and Indian Creek drives.

At Monday night's council meeting, about two dozen residents sought assurance that Beck's plan would not be approved without their input.

"I'd like to see the whole concept so we can let you know if we think it's right," said Jodi Ashby, who said she opposed the 12-story buildings in the plan.

If approved, Slye said, the town's staff could authorize changes to the Beck development without having to take it back through the zoning commission and council. The changes would have to meet the restrictions of the original plan, he said.

Slye said the council and commission will have a workshop Oct. 10 and a public hearing Oct. 17. The plan could go for a vote Oct. 17, he said.

Planned development

I attended a Trophy Club workshop on Monday about a rezoning document for the development of the 26 acres by the clock tower entrance of our town.

I know we have a lot of new residents who don't know the history of Trophy Club, but the ordinance change is being presented so that the site developer is not required to get full independent review of his development by our Planning and Zoning Board.

The Planning and Zoning Board is made up of residents and is in place to protect us from letting a developer do whatever he wants with only minimum guidelines. On Monday I heard our city manager mention apartments, brownstones, town homes and possible hotel sites.

Residents of Trophy Club should contact City Council members to inform them that all developers should have to go through full independent review with the Planning and Zoning Board for everything. No exceptions. It's not that we don't want development; we just want to be sure that all precautions are made to keep Trophy Club as beautiful as it is at this time.

-- Jennifer Winmill, Trophy Club

UPDATE - For the latest on Trophy Club corruption, go here.