Fort Worth panel says no to Keller ISD’s request for more time on rezoning its land
A Fort Worth panel declined Wednesday to put the brakes on the city’s efforts to rezone land owned by Keller school district.
Keller ISD’s chief operating officer, John Allison, asked the Zoning Commission to table its recommendations on six properties. While the district plans to sell one of those — 3056 Clay Mountain Trail, near Basswood Elementary School — it would like to keep open the option of selling others in the future, and zoning changes could complicate that, Allison said.
Since the commission did not table a motion to rezone the properties, the Fort Worth City Council will vote on the zoning March 25.
In February, Fort Worth city council members Charles Lauersdorf, Macy Hill and Alan Blaylock called for zoning changes to 23 school district properties. The move was done in anticipation that Keller ISD might sell off real estate holdings to offset a $35 million deficit in its fund balance and an anticipated $9.4 budget shortfall for the 2025-26 school year.
One of the 23 properties is 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. If the changes are approved, all 23 will be zoned CF, or community facilities, meaning only things like schools, churches, recreational centers and group homes can be built on them.
When the zoning proposal was announced, Lauersdorf said he, Hill and Blaylock wanted to keep industrial and commercial facilities away from schools and protect the integrity of residential areas in their districts.
In addition to the Basswood property, Allison said Keller ISD wanted the zoning commission to reconsider changes to 3901 Summerfields Blvd., 8201 Parkwood Hills Blvd., 2770 Keller Hicks Road, 2780 Keller Hicks Road and 8250 Parkwood Hill Blvd.
Allison said the school district would like those six properties to remain zoned for residential use. He believes that would be “a win-win” for the city and the district, providing space for more housing in the area while helping Keller add students to combat declining enrollment should the land be sold.
Previously, Keller’s interim superintendent, Cory Wilson, said the district hoped to sell the property on Clay Mountain Trail to a developer that is “sensitive to the existence of Basswood Elementary.” Keller purchased that property last year to keep a developer from putting a motel next to Basswood Elementary. Allison said selling it would allow the district to recoup the more than $3 million it spent.
In his response, zoning commission member Matt McCoy took Allison and the Keller district to task for prioritizing assets over students. Allison rejected that assertion, saying Keller is in the business of serving students. The district did not immediately respond to a request for comment.