Synagogue, FWISD find common ground on land for new Tanglewood campus

Congregation Ahavath Sholom has agreed to sell about 6 acres to the Fort Worth school district for the construction of a new school in the Tanglewood Elementary attendance zone.

If executed, the agreement would eliminate the need for the district to use eminent domain to take the land.

"We have a deal in principle," said Steven S. Brown, who is on the board of directors at Ahavath Sholom. "Major factors of the deal have been worked out."

On Sunday about 100 members of the congregation reviewed a proposal from the school district for the vacant land, which faces the front door of congregation's synagogue. The agreement was also approved by the congregation's 22-member Future Committee.

Details of the compromise, including how much money the district offered, were not released by the congregation.

The proposed agreement will be presented to the school board for approval Tuesday evening.

"We will work together with them to be good neighbors for the benefit of the children and the community," district spokesman Clint Bond said Monday.

The amount the district is paying for the land will not be disclosed until after trustees vote on the agreement, Bond said. He said the district plans to buy half of the congregation's parking lot, making the entire lot a shared space.

"When they need it, they will use it," Bond said. "When we need it, we will use it."

Last week, the school district signaled that a compromise was in sight.

“From the very beginning we had hoped to arrive at a fair resolution that is amicable to all parties,” Superintendent Kent P. Scribner said in a statement last week. “We are pleased for our children that this agreement provides a path for us to move forward with our design and construction plans.”

Last month, the congregation announced plans to sell the land to a developer for an upscale retirement home. Shortly afterward, district trustees authorized the use of eminent domain to acquire four parcels of land, including the congregation's, for a new pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade campus in southwest Fort Worth.

In December, the school board approved making final offers for vacant land and property owned by Ahavath Sholom, located at 4050 S. Hulen St, as well as a Jewish Federation building and vacant land owned by a former bank and First Command Financial.

The district did not comment Monday on any further negotiations for the other properties.

The $28 million Tanglewood project is part of a record $750 million bond program approved by voters in November.

Brown said money from the land sale will be used for renovations for the synagogue. The vacant land was used by the congregation for athletic activities.

This report contains material from the Star-Telegram archives.

Diane Smith, 817-390-7675, @dianeasmith1

This story was originally published February 12, 2018 at 12:27 PM with the headline "Synagogue, FWISD find common ground on land for new Tanglewood campus."