Facing rezoning, homeowners in far north Fort Worth plead for stores, not homes

The CVS nestled at the intersection of Diamondback Lane and Sendera Ranch Boulevard floats as the lone retailer in a sea of homes, fields and gas wells.

Fort Worth zoned the 9.39 acres of untouched land hooking around the store for commercial use. In January, a developer keen on breaking into the bustling housing market in the city’s far north applied to change the designation, clearing the way for multifamily residences.

Nearby homeowners have fought the effort, hoping to preserve what slivers of space remain for the future retailers they say they desperately need.

Out with the old, in with the old

Two months ago, the land’s then-owner Sendera BK Group LLC applied to reclassify 13951 Sendera Ranch Blvd. for “medium density multifamily” use on behalf of Dallas-based developer Journey Capital, the current proprietors.

Given the greenlight from city council, Journey plans to replace the site’s rubble and overgrowth with a “restricted” housing community for seniors — only those 55 or older need apply (they anticipate a clientele in the 70-plus range).

The development would consist of 91 units split into in 33 buildings, ranging from duplexes to “sixplexes,” and an array of amenities, including a pool, a community center, and a shuttle service linking it all together.

“Our community is designed to be low impact on the surrounding area, less dense than what is permitted by right, and architecturally consistent with the surrounding area,” Masterplan, a zoning consultancy hired to lobby for the plan, wrote in its application.

Should the city maintain the property’s commercial designation, Journey intends to build a variation on the theme: an assisted living facility ringed by small houses, a slightly less homey arrangement that, city planners say, fits with the land’s current designation.

The developer already manages six senior living spaces across the Metroplex.

Hopes and needs

Fort Worth’s surging growth is feeding an insatiable appetite for homes. Relative quiet and good schools lure many prospective homeowners to the city’s northern outskirts.

But as new subdivisions mushroom across old ranch and prairie, some existing communities are left wanting another pillar of suburban life: places to shop.

“What we have is severely lacking in stores,” one Sendera Ranch resident told zoning commissioners during a public hearing for the case Feb. 14. “We are one of those areas that fell behind,” his partner, standing beside him, later added.

The closest supermarket to the contested site is a Walmart Supercenter, around three miles west. Those craving a bit more variety can make a roughly 20-minute drive south to WinCo or Kroger.

Retailers tend to be reluctant to open shop in areas with fewer homes and less accessible roads. Sendera Ranch struggles on both fronts.

“In the next three years, I don’t anticipate seeing a lot of retailers wanting to come in and use this site,” zoning commissioner Jacob Wurman predicted. “Based on population density and things like that, we’re not going to see the next grocery store show up until the next two and three thousand homes come into play.”

Planned road improvements in the area, like the expansion of Avondale-Haslet Road, will take years to finish, Wurman added. Residents themselves described the frustrations of being penned in on two sides by railroad tracks, a factor simultaneously driving neighborhood desire for more commerce and potentially limiting its spread.

The developer’s team stressed the point to advance their case.

“They have no desire to be there,” Trenton Robertson, a consultant with Masterplan, told the commission. “There’s not enough infrastructure to support good retail development.”

Neighbors pushed back, insisting the growth prospective businesses desire is imminent.

“We’re right on the cusp of attracting the right businesses that the land is designed for,” another Sendera Ranch resident, one of four to speak before the commission, commented.

Homeowners weren’t especially enthused by the prospect of bordering a care home instead of cafes. But some feared the developer would dump the property once it secures residential zoning (and, supposedly, boosts the real estate’s value).

“If this goes to multifamily, and something happens and they sell, whoever comes in can come and put in apartments that we don’t want or don’t need,” a resident said. “That’s our biggest concern.”

“We plan to own it,” Robertson replied, attempting to assuage their worries. Journey Capital did not respond to requests for comment.

Fort Worth planning staff had originally suggested rejecting the change, finding the developer’s proposal incompatible with surrounding land uses and the city’s vision for the area. They hadn’t yet reviewed the assisted living facility.

Ultimately, the zoning commission followed suit, unanimously recommending the council deny the rezoning proposal. (Commissioner Wes Hoblit, a managing director at the firm helping the developer re-designate the land, recused himself.)

“I think over time commercial will come as those houses continue to build,” commissioner Willie Rankin said just before the vote. “We just have to hold onto the land and allow commercial to come.”

The City Council will have a final say on the case next month.