Southlake P&Z OKs Forefront Senior Living Complex Over Concerns of Density, Traffic

A 210-unit senior housing development was recommended last week by the Southlake Planning and Zoning Commission and is slated to go before the City Council later this month. 

Almost 300 residents signed a Change.org petition opposing the 21-acre development at 300-684 Davis Blvd., citing concerns of traffic, public safety, and incompatible building scale. The land is on a floodplain and a significant amount of greenspace must be incorporated, so developers are limited in what they can build on the site, city officials said at a Nov. 7 public hearing. In short, it can’t be single-family housing. 

Southlake Residents Petition Against High-Density Senior Living Complex

Developers with the faith-based nonprofit Forefront Living said they heard the concerns of the residents and updated their proposal, reducing the number of housing units from 300 and decreasing building height. 

The Southlake P&Z Commission voted 3-2 to support the development. It could go before the City Council as early as Nov. 19, city officials said.  

Chairman Daniel Kubiak said there were some mixed thoughts about the project but out of consideration for the residents he wanted to “go ahead and vote.”  

“I would highly encourage everyone who came out tonight to [attend the council meeting] and share your thoughts whether they were supportive or not supportive,” Kubiak said. “I’d also recommend that you get with the applicant as well … The applicant can still make changes and tweaks to the application as it advances.” 

Watch the Nov. 7 Southlake Planning and Zoning Commission meeting here. 

Forefront Senior Living Proposal 

Southlake resident Jason Wang started a Change.org petition in early October outlining the reasons he and his neighbors oppose Forefront Living’s proposal.  

The proposed development is surrounded by single-family homes near an already dangerous intersection at Davis and Southlake boulevards, Wang told CandysDirt.com last month. 

At last week’s public hearing, Wang explained that he isn’t opposed to housing options for senior citizens but is concerned about the location.

“[The Texas Department of Transportation] has flagged the area for high crash rates, rising traffic volumes, and growing congestion with a proposed median plan,” he said. “While there are plans to address some of these issues, I don’t think that [these measures], such as limiting left turns, will be sufficient to address the broader problems of congestion, increasing traffic volumes, and overall safety.” 

City planners explained at last week’s meeting that Forefront’s site plan calls for medians on Davis Boulevard, potential pedestrian connectivity measures, and building design that aligns with the surrounding neighborhoods. The mixed-use area could also include offices, restaurants, and retail in the future. Developers are proposing cottages and an “elongated” building, reducing the height from their original proposal submitted in September. 

Although developers have offered compromises, Southlake resident Henry Schneider said he’s still concerned about the dense development. 

“Just a few years ago, [there was] a push by this committee as well as City Council to go to half-acre lots instead of smaller lots,” Schneider said. “We have vast investments to be living next to a very high-density multifamily development. It’s extremely troubling.” 

City leaders have said that single-family residences are the cornerstone of the community, Schneider added. 

“Southlake is extremely unique and yet we’re looking to build a 190-unit multifamily dwelling next to a half-acre-lot development,” he said. “It is extremely intrusive.”

Other residents said Southlake needs senior living options so the aging population can remain in the community and close to their families. 

Keller resident Russ Blackwell said it’s important to plan for the future. 

“In a truly well-planned community, facilities and infrastructure accommodate all stages of life,” he said. “As a very large percentage, as you’ve heard, of our population approaches the later stages of life, we don’t want to leave our community of friends or family.” 

Forefront Addresses Neighborhood Concerns

Tim Mallad, CEO of Forefront Living, said his team has compromised based on feedback from the neighbors. 

“You asked us to listen the last time we were here,” he said. “You asked us to take time and meet with neighbors, which we did. We had a virtual meeting on Oct. 3 with neighboring HOAs. We had an in-person meeting on Oct. 7, which was actually our fourth neighborhood meeting.” 

Mallad said that a lot of misinformation was posted with the online petition. 

“Most of it related to building height mass … the traffic impact and the safety, tree and tree mitigation, and parking,” he said. 

Forefront substantially reduced the planned building height as a result of resident feedback, the CEO explained. The building’s core is the only part that remains at four stories, he said. 

A traffic study comparison to a similar Forefront development in Dallas showed the impact would be nominal, Forefront Chief Strategy Officer Jenelle Bertolino added. She said senior citizens aren’t driving during peak rush hour times or in some cases, at all.

If approved by council, the project is tentatively slated to open in 2027, Forefront officials said. 

“We are committed to looking at the traffic study, particularly for this project’s residents, and to continue to discuss safety improvements, we will be meeting with TxDOT again,” Bertolino said. “We will be talking about the median alignments for this project and intersection signals if that’s appropriate and deceleration lanes. We will be taking on a formal traffic impact study.”