Fort Worth City Council calls for zoning changes to 23 Keller ISD properties
The Fort Worth City Council will discuss a proposal to rezone 23 properties owned by the Keller school district at its work session on Feb. 18.
Should the proposal pass a March vote, the sites would be zoned only for community facilities such as schools and colleges, churches, recreational centers and community and group homes.
According to an audit shared at a Jan. 30 board meeting, Keller ISD is wrestling with a $35 million shortfall in its general fund, along with an expected $9.4 million budget deficit for the 2025-26 school year. Auditors blamed this on former district leaders who they say made unrealistic assumptions and overestimated attendance and revenue projections.
This has led to speculation that the district may close schools and sell off property. Should that happen, the city council’s proposal would ensure no commercial or industrial development could take place on these sites.
One of the 23 properties is currently zoned for agriculture, and another is zoned for intensive commercial. The rest include a mixture of light industrial and single-family, two-family and multifamily residential zoning.
Which properties are impacted?
The list of properties being considered for rezoning includes Timber Creek High School, Woodland Springs Elementary, Independence Elementary, Freedom Elementary, Eagle Ridge Elementary, Central High School, Bette Perot Elementary, Lone Star Elementary, Friendship Elementary, Fossil Ridge High School, Heritage Elementary, Vista Ridge Middle School, Hillwood Middle School, Parkwood Hill Intermediate, Keller Collegiate Academy, Early Learning Center South, North Riverside Elementary, Park Glen Elementary, Fossil Hill Middle School, Sunset Valley Elementary, Basswood Elementary and Parkwood Elementary. A tentative future school site near the intersection of Keller Hicks Road and North Riverside Drive would also be impacted.
The rezoning proposal is being initiated by council members Charles Lauersdorf (District 4), Macy Hill (District 7) and Alan Blaylock (District 10).
Lauersdorf said he, Hill and Blaylock wanted to protect the integrity of the neighborhoods in these areas and make sure any future development falls in line with city plans.
“With everything Keller ISD related, we want to take a closer look,” Lauersdorf said.
According to Lauersdorf, the Keller school district has received notice of the proposed rezoning. The council will consider the resolution at its Feb. 25 meeting. A Fort Worth Zoning Commission public hearing is scheduled for March 12, followed by a Fort Worth City Council public hearing on March 25 before action is taken. Representatives from Keller, along with members of the public, will be able to speak in favor of or against rezoning at those hearings.
“Let this be a lesson to KISD,” Lauersdorf said. “It still needs to go through a public process.”
That was in reference to a plan put forth by members of the Keller school board to split the district in half, using U.S. 377 (Denton Highway) as the dividing line. The plan was originally discussed behind closed doors, angering many residents who believe such a plan should be voted on publicly.
Lauersdorf originally heard about that plan from a board member who opposed it, he told the Star-Telegram in January.
Board members supporting the split have argued the move is needed to address funding challenges brought on by dropping enrollment and the failure of the state legislature to increase per pupil funding. A Dec. 19 email from a school finance consultant to members of the school board revealed the split would shift costs for underfunded programs onto the new district west of U.S. 377, which includes Fort Worth and pockets of unincorporated Tarrant County.
A Keller representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the rezoning resolution.
This story was originally published February 13, 2025 at 6:37 PM.