Keller district officials are opposed to a Fort Worth zoning change that would allow more than 200 homes to be built at the corner of Keller-Hicks and Katy roads unless those roadways are greatly improved.
“Something has to happen with the infrastructure or the traffic pattern would be even more of a problem than it is now,” said Board President Kevin Stevenson.Officials discussed the proposal at the March 7 board meeting.Fort Worth Councilmember Sal Espino, whose District 2 includes the site, said he asked on March 5 that the request to change zoning from light industrial to single family homes be tabled while the developers talk with parties in opposition and try to address concerns. Keller ISD, the North Fort Worth Alliance and the operator of an adjacent concrete batch plant have filed letters opposing the change.Trinity Springs Middle School, Trinity Meadows Intermediate School and the district bus facility are located about 1.5 miles west of the intersection, an area already plagued by traffic woes.Centurion American, the developer asking for the change, also built the adjacent Villages of Woodland Springs.Hudson Huff, the KISD director of planning and construction, said improving the intersection is problematic since the east side is in Keller and the west side in Fort Worth. Railroad tracks owned by Union Pacific run between Katy Road and Highway 377.Espino said that widening that portion of Keller Hicks is not on any current city plans. Construction crews are now widening the road further west between Alta Vista Road and Park Vista Boulevard and have completed a widening project from Alta Vista to Ridgeview.Keller district officials also discussed another housing project, an estimated 350 lots on land near Keller Haslet Road and Park Vista. That site, previously part of Christ’s Haven for Children, is already zoned for single family housing.Superintendent Randy Reid said officials may want to consider a boundary change before any homes are built for one or both sites because they are in the Woodland Springs Elementary School attendance zone and could cause the school to become overcrowded.Espino said the planned extension of Timberland Boulevard should improve access for the area around Christ’s Haven. The road is slated to bisect the new development and should eventually go from Highway 377 to Interstate 35W.Construction is dependent on a May 2014 bond package for road improvements, but Espino expects voters to approve the bond just as they have favored previous issues.Sandra Engelland, 817-431-2231 Twitter: @SandraEngelland
