Trees Vs. Houses: In The Fight to Build More Housing in Colleyville, Who Wins?

Trees, a limited resource to some and plants that stand in the way of progress to others, are at the center of the latest Colleyville controversy.

From high-rising street monuments to school board elections, Colleyville frequently has some sort of issue that’s the height of gossip in coffee shops and on social media. The current dispute involves 14 acres located between Pool Road and Wilkes Drive in the Tarrant County suburb.

On Jan. 5, the city council held a public hearing concerning those 14 acres being rezoned from agricultural to “single-family ‘estate’ residential.” This special meeting followed the city’s five-member planning and zoning commission’s unanimous decision to reject a developer’s plan for The Bluffs at Colleyville, a proposed gated community with luxury homes. WillowTree Custom Homes appealed the decision at the special meeting.

The council took no action, but a formal vote is expected during another special session, now set for 7 p.m. Feb. 7. The need for housing and the city’s prior policies are at odds. Colleyville also has adopted a tree policy to protect trees, although many residents were outraged over the recent scraping of dense trees from land now occupied by the city’s new gateway towers.

The Bucolic Draw of Colleyville

Being midway between Dallas and Fort Worth and near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Colleyville is a popular residential choice for business commuters and business travelers. Another draw is the school district — Grapevine-Colleyville ISD — highly ranked in the state.

Shannon Schreyer, a Colleyville resident and a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty of Southlake, said school policies, town politics, core values, large homes on large land, and the ability to own exotic animals are reasons homebuyers are drawn to the suburb.

“They come to Colleyville because they want the country atmosphere and the good schools,” she said. “But we’re, for all intents and purposes, built out.

“Colleyville residents on the west side were excited to see it stay farmland and watch cows and horses roaming around, keeping in line with the idyllic small-town, country feel, and are disappointed to know now it’s just going to turn into more houses,” she said. “One of the reasons people move here is that not every square inch of land is developed, but there are still open spaces, trees, houses with character, and farm animals in pastures, but with each passing year it’s turning more into a concrete jungle.”

So there’s a tension, not easily resolved, between the demand for attractive housing and the want for mature trees in a country-like setting. Opponents of rezoning have organized, employing letter-writing campaigns, a petition, and a website.

Trees as Old as Texas Itself

Tim Waterworth, a Colleyville resident for more than a quarter century, opposes the new development. His home in the Ross Downs neighborhood is near the 14-acre urban forest, which he wants to be preserved.

“The thing about this particular rezoning proposal, it was denied by the planning and zoning commission by a vote of 5 to zero to deny the application to rezone,” Waterworth said. “I thought the planning and zoning commissioners did a very good job of stating why.”

Waterworth is a part of a group concerned about the loss of “heritage trees,” trees that grow at a rate of one inch every eight to 10 years.

“These are ancient trees that could have been there well before Texas was a state,” he said.

According to Waterworth’s count, there are 811 protected trees growing on the 14-acre urban forest. Of those 549 are oaks, 149 are pine trees, and 199 are heritage trees. “That means they’re large trees,” he said, “and I think this was in the P and Z’s rationale. I think our city has done a good job so far in repelling this.”

Requests for comment from the developer were not answered.

Protecting The Urban Canopy of North Central Texas

In 2017, the Texas Trees Foundation, dedicated to the greening of north central Texas, released an urban heat island study. Janette Monear, the non-profit’s CEO, said the study “continues to be a wake-up call for all of us who call Dallas and North Texas home. North Texas, she said, is seeing unprecedented growth, resulting in more buildings and roads.

“It’s imperative that we come together to balance the grey with the green to ensure North Texas is a desirable place to live and work,” said Monear.

According to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, Colleyville is home to 26,057 people, and the suburb has 9,395 housing units. The latest Census Bureau figures also report the average household income to be $180,698 in 2021 dollars. Information on the website Realtor.Com lists the average Colleyville home price as $949,000 and the average price per square foot as $252.

Situated in northeast Tarrant County, Colleyville began as a rural community in northeastern Tarrant County. After it was incorporated in 1956, the population continued to grow, reaching a population of 6,700 in 1080 and 11,300 in 1989. Growth since then has more than doubled.