We are putting this petition together to express our strong opposition to ZC-23-137, the proposed rezoning of 12650 Willow Springs Road. While we understand the need for growth and affordable housing options in North Fort Worth and that as local residents we may be unable to prevent this detrimental development, nearly all 281 homes of SK Spring Ranch, Estates at Spring Ranch and Estates at Spring Ranch, Phase II (collectively, the ‘Spring Ranch Neighborhoods’) oppose the zoning change to multi-family detached dwellings.  

In addition to serious traffic concerns and the potential lowering of the property values of the existing communities, the applicant has attempted on numerous occasions to misrepresent the proposed development to community residents and misrepresented their willingness to hear and work with us, the adjacent communities to develop a plan that both the applicant and our residents can consider mutually beneficial.

Traffic and safety of pedestrians within our communities is a top concern.   The 95 homes of SK Spring Ranch were built prior to sidewalk requirements and the 51 homes within Estates at Spring Ranch were built with limited sidewalk requirements,having only a marked pedestrian lane along the streets.  Pedestrians within these neighborhoods must walk along the streets.  These pedestrians include our communities’ children as they walk to and from the bus stops within the Spring Ranch neighborhoods.  Further, the proposed plan would connect in three locations – Whisper Willows, Aspen Springs, and Silent Springs – directly impacting the 135 homes within Estates at Spring Ranch, Phase II. With the already congested roads of Willow Springs, Avondale-Haslet and 287 Service Road, our neighborhoods already receive vehicular traffic attempting to ‘get around’ this congestion.  These drivers are unfamiliar with our lack of sidewalks and are often reported as speeding through the neighborhood.  The proposed plan would potentially increase traffic by 300 multi-family units with a larger potential impact should the roads further connect our neighborhoods to the recently approved Nann’s Ranch master-planned development.

The HOA Board Members of all three neighborhoods met with Rick Faroush, the applicant’s representative on Friday, September 15.  The board members expressed these traffic concerns to Mr. Faroush.  We requested a traffic study be completed to allow us, along with the City, to understand what potential traffic impacts the additional units would have.  Mr. Faroush indicated in that meeting that he would be open to obtaining a traffic study and establishing another meeting with the three HOA Boards to review once received.

Property values are another concern for our residents. Our households range from ¼ acre to 2 acre lots with semi-custom homes whose square footage value averages $250 per square foot. The addition of multi-family adjacent to our homes will be detrimental to our property values as well as inconsistent with the character of our neighborhoods or other surrounding multi-family developments.  The location of the approximately 79 acres is set back from the highway with no direct access to a city thoroughfare or neighborhood commercial, is surrounded by A-43, A-5 and A-7.5 residential zoning and is significantly impacted by flood plain zones.

During the meeting on September 15, the HOA Board Members expressed concerns around property values.  Mr. Faroush originally told board members that the development would be for-sale and for-rent, with townhomes ranging in the $500,000 - $550,000 price range.  It was only after additional questions around how the project was entitled did Mr. Faroush admit that the entire development was intended as rental townhomes.  After Mr. Faroush admitted the true nature of the project, the Boards further expressed their concerns. The Board asked if Mr. Faroush would consider a true residential zoning within the scope of for-sale townhomes.  This would guarantee architectural and design controls for harmonious buildings as well as maintenance controls through an HOA.  Mr. Faroush indicated that he would be open to investigating that zoning since it would still allow for the desired density while providing controls to maintain and enhance property values.

Finally, there is a lack of trust between our neighborhoods and the applicant.  The applicant has on numerous occasions misrepresented the plans for this acreage.  Most recently, the applicant installed signage (Exhibit A) which advertised the lots as one-acre, custom homes.  Imagine our surprise when we met with the applicant and were informed that these wouldn’t even be residential for-sale housing, commiserate with the standards of our neighborhoods.  Further, Mr. Faroush left the September 15 meeting with commitments to investigate the Boards’ ideas and schedule another meeting. We were not informed that the applicant intended to go before the Planning and Zoning Commission in October and discovered this through the City’s notification processes rather than the applicant’s notification.  Two days prior to discovery that the case had been placed on the October agenda, the applicant was still engaging board members in conversations about both the traffic study and residential zoning.  Due to the applicant’s duplicitous nature, the Boards are concerned that any rezoning without a formal development agreement and plat would result in providing the applicant an opening to further change his mind and sell to whomever will provide the biggest paycheck.  We believe there is no guarantee that the plan presented today will be the plan that is developed.

We urge the Commission to disapprove the proposed rezoning, and request that the applicant fulfill the commitments made to the three HOAs on proposed changes.

We thank the Commission for their continue service and support to our communities.