Fort Worth Residents Ask Zoning Panel to Pump Brakes on New Build-to-Rent Housing

A proposed 79-acre development would bring 300 new build-to-rent homes to Fort Worth’s Willow Springs Drive, but residents say they’re concerned about traffic impacts. 

It was clear during a brief hearing before the Fort Worth Zoning Commission on Oct. 11 that developer Jack Dyer wanted more time to discuss his plans with adjacent property owners. The proposal was postponed for 60 days. 

Dyer is requesting a zoning change from light industrial to planned development. 

“We’re going to request a continuance at this time to address some of the issues and see if we can’t make a few changes to accommodate the [adjacent property owners],” Dyer said. 

According to research from real estate consultants CBRE, build-to-rent developments “are new residential communities, increasing U.S. housing supply and helping to address the nation’s housing shortage. BTR communities have the characteristics of single-family homes, built for renters desiring features not typically offered with multifamily properties.”

Neighbors Oppose Build-to-Rent For Willow Springs Road

Residents Callie Jones of Aspen Springs Lane and Chelsea Faxon of Whisper Willows Drive spoke on behalf of three adjacent homeowners associations and about 700 petitioners who oppose the zoning change. The two key issues driving the opposition are traffic concerns and property values, Faxon said. 

Members of the three HOAs met with Dyer Engineering representative RIck Farnoush last month. 

“We walked away from that meeting believing the applicant was going to investigate our considerations,” Faxon said. “That does not appear to have happened.” 

The area around 12650 Willow Springs Road in north Fort Worth has seen a lot of growth and almost 20,000 new residents in recent years, Faxon explained. The Avondale Haslet street widening project, which will increase the thoroughfare from two lanes to four, is expected to start next year with completion slated for 2027. In the meantime, homeowners said, some of their neighborhoods don’t have sidewalks, forcing children to wait for the school bus in neighbors’ front yards. 

“The addition of 300 more homes, potentially 600 more drivers, sounds overwhelming to our already-overwhelmed neighborhood streets,” Faxon said. “We understand that we can’t stop growth, but we want to … understand the impact of the growth on our streets.” 

The developers have not agreed to a traffic study, Faxon said. She emphasized that residents of the surrounding neighborhoods take pride in their largest personal investment, homes that range in size from 2,400 to 4,000 square feet. 

A multifamily rental development with no restrictive covenants controlling size, character, or aesthetics creates risk, she explained. 

“If density is the goal, this could still be accomplished through a residential townhome association providing controls and a commitment to property values,” Faxon said. 

Zoning Commission Response

Fort Worth staff recommended approval of the project north of State Highway 81. Plans submitted with the city call for two- and three-bedroom homes. 

Zoning Commissioner Jacob Wurman, who represents the Willow Springs area in Fort Worth’s District 10, said this is the second or third zoning case for this site in recent years. 

“Everybody up north, including myself, understands that things are going to change and we can’t stop the growth,” Wurman said. “We need to mitigate the issues that we’re going to have with the infrastructure on the roadway projects that are four years away from completion.” 

Dyer said he and Farnoush plan to meet with property owners again. 

“It is a fully-restricted development,” he said. “It is not a high-density product on 80 acres. Most of the traffic is going to be routed directly from the front section that is adjacent to Willow Springs Road onto Willow Springs Road and not through the neighborhood unless we are required to make a full connection,” he said. “In the rear section, I think at least 50 to 75 percent of the traffic will probably route to the rear, which would be to the east, through Nance Ranch development.”

Wurman said he planned to consult with District 10 Councilman Alan Blaylock before the build-to-rent zoning comes up again in December.

“For me, personally, I think the western part of the development seems to be fine,” Wurman said. “It’s got direct access to Willow Springs Road … We’ve had other cottage-style community cases like this where, if you can get the cottages closer to the main thoroughfares, they are less impactful to the neighborhood. The rear section is a little bit different. I think that’s why we need to have the continuance.”