Politics & Government

Fort Worth city and Keller school officials to meet about motel near Basswood Elementary

Construction is underway on an extended stay motel next to Basswood Elementary in far north Fort Worth on Wendesday, Feb. 21, 2024.
Construction is underway on an extended stay motel next to Basswood Elementary in far north Fort Worth on Wendesday, Feb. 21, 2024. tjohanningmeier@star-telegram.com

Staff from the city of Fort Worth and the Keller school district have agreed to meet formally on Monday to address concerns about an extended stay motel being built next to Basswood Elementary School.

The meeting follows a town hall Wednesday night in which parents, residents and school staff demanded the city of Fort Worth kill the project.

“The community’s passion and sentiment did not go unrecognized,” Fort Worth city council member Charles Lauersdorf and Keller school district officials said in a joint statement.

A statement from Fort Worth city council member Charles Lauersdorf and Keller School District officials announcing they plan to meet formally to discuss a controversial motel project planned next to an elementary school.
A statement from Fort Worth city council member Charles Lauersdorf and Keller School District officials announcing they plan to meet formally to discuss a controversial motel project planned next to an elementary school. Courtesy of Charles Lauersdorf

The two governmental agencies have been in constant contact since the meeting, and are looking at possible alternatives and solutions, according to the statement.

Monday’s meeting will be behind closed doors, but both the school district and the city are committed to updating residents on any developments, the statement said.

It’s not clear what can be done to kill the project after the Fort Worth city council unanimously approved a zoning change in October 2023 allowing it to move forward.

The city faced a legal challenge in June 2023 over not properly notifying residents about a zoning change close to downtown, however, the city has added new tools to notify residents of any proposed zoning change.

This story was originally published February 23, 2024 at 4:23 PM.

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Harrison Mantas
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Harrison Mantas has covered Fort Worth city government, agencies and people since September 2021. He likes to live tweet city hall meetings, and help his fellow Fort Worthians figure out what’s going on.
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