Master Plan Update 2013

Municipal Sewer - Cross Timbers Conservation District

Rick Lust, Mayor 1998-2000

December 2, 2013

Honorable Mayor and Town Council:

        I’m writing today regarding the consideration of running sewer in to the Cross Cross Timbers conservation district. I believe this question needs to be handled with the utmost of thought and that there are several points to be considered.

        At this point in Flower Mounds history we have spent several hundred thousand dollars to create and implement our Master Plan. The firm of Wallace Roberts and Todd (WRT) has played a big part in the plans creation. The vision of Flower Mound for as long as I’ve lived here has been to accommodate and guide growth with a spectrum of housing and commercial choices, while at the same time preserve a part of our rural heritage. (“the city, the county”)  This vision is unique to the greater DFW area and is what makes Flower Mound a special place to live. I believe WRT has done a successful job in creating a plan that serves that vision. 

        The Cross Timbers district was specifically designed without sewer as a master plan fundamental to help preserve the rural aspect of the Town’s vision for the following reasons:

First, traditionally, density follows sewer. Limiting sewer assures the lower densities that the plan calls for and what our capital recovery fees were based on.

Second, The Cross Timbers district does not gravity feed to our current sewer plant and as such would currently require a network of lift stations that the town would have to maintain forever.

Third, the Cross Timbers area has some of the most limited access because of Grapevine Lake to the south and build out to the north. If you want to mitigate future traffic congestion and headaches for the town as a whole, keeping this area a very low-density area would certainly help.

Lastly, this area contains some of the premier tree growth and topography in our town. It is this area that was designed to retain the “rural character” signature of our town as our town evolves. Look at our Town logo. It embraces the above vision. If we open the Cross Timbers district to sewer we risk losing the one aspect of our town that sets us apart from all other suburbs of the DFW area.

         Although developers, builders, and realtors deserve the utmost respect I believe the Councils first priority is to the citizens that live here.

         Since the Roanoke sewer plant is not yet operational and we have many large projects currently in progress I see no reason to rush such a significant decision that may change the signature of Flower Mound forever.

Respectfully yours,

Rick Lust