Bedford charting city’s future development plans with retail, restaurants, no apartments
.jpg "The city of Bedford plans to purchase 18.5 acres at at 205 N. Industrial Blvd.The nonprofit organization 6Stones is leasing an 88,562 square-foot-foot building on the property.")
Bedford officials want to control future development in the city.
The city plans to purchase 18.5 acres for $9.5 million from Cross City Church, formerly First Baptist Church of Euless.
The property at 205 N. Industrial Blvd. is known as Campus West. The nonprofit organization, 6Stones is leasing an 88,562 square-foot-foot building on the property.
During a July 6 council meeting mayor Michael Boyter said the city took a bold step to protect its future.
“By agreeing to purchase the Campus West property, we are continuing the commitment that we first publicly made in October 2017,” Boyter told the council. “By purchasing this property, we guarantee that there will be no apartments built on this site. No outside party will be able to tell the city to build apartments here.”
Bedford wants to see a mix of restaurants, retail, entertainment, hospitality, offices, and residential development on the land, and is working with a developer in anticipation of the purchase, according to a news release.
Property tax dollars won’t be used to buy Campus West. Funds will come from bonds supported by revenue from the property. During the next two months, Bedford is conducting a full appraisal and environmental assessment of the property.
Andrea Roy, director of development, said in an email that 6Stones can stay on the property for three months after the city purchases it. Bedford is open to negotiating with 6Stones to stay longer, depending on development plans, she said.
“The city has a unique opportunity to purchase a very prominent piece of property at the eastern gateway to Bedford and we plan to take advantage of it,” Bedford City Manager Jimmy Stathatos said. “This is an exciting situation that will allow us control our destiny and maximize the benefit for our residents.”
In 2017, residents crowded into City Hall to oppose a zoning ordinance that would have paved the way for a developer to build 840 apartments in Bedford Commons. The council voted against the zoning request, but city officials continued working with the developer on a concept to build apartments, Boyter said.
Bedford then purchased the land, stopping the plans to build apartments from moving forward.
Bedford believed it was business friendly, Boyter said, and accepted any business that wanted to come to town. This included nail salons, extended-stay hotels, and pawn shops.
“We have the right to say no. We have the right to raise our standards. This city council has chosen to aggressively pursue a new path for economic development,” he said.
This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 5:15 AM.