Master Plan

Goals and Objectives

Vision Statement

The vision statement for the Parks and Trails Master Plan was created by the Parks Board during their first public workshop.  It reads as follows:

“To develop a comprehensive park system with an abundance of quality amenities to provide diverse leisure opportunities for the citizens of Flower Mound.”

Goals and Objectives

Community Beauty and Uniqueness:  Ensure the beauty and uniqueness of the community through a quality parks and trails system.

• Promote and enhance a sense of community.
• Strive for quality over quantity.

Diversification:  Provide a diversified range of parks uses.

• Provide a programs for all age groups.
• Provide a diversity of recreational opportunities.
• Establish indoor recreation facilities.
• Explore alternative park types (nature center, arboretum, equestrian center, aquatic center, extreme sports, etc.)

Central Park:  Provide a central gathering space for the entire community.

• Provide a location for civic functions.

• Accommodate community-focused events.
• Include both passive open spaces as well as active recreational facilities.

Trails:  Provide adequate trail connections between parks, schools, churches, and retail areas.

• Focus on both internal and external trail networks.
• Encourage a variety of multi-purpose and equestrian trails.
• Provide additional trail crossings.
• Enhance trail signage.

Natural Resources:
Facilitate the preservation of natural areas by highlighting them.

• Highlight through education.
• Highlight through special-use parks.

Lake Grapevine:  Utilize the resources of Lake Grapevine.

• Provide true and definitive access to Lake Grapevine.
• Explore opportunities to obtain parcels within Corps of Engineers’ property.
• Utilize the lake’s recreational opportunities.

Proactiveness:  Take a proactive approach towards meeting the future parks needs of Flower Mound.

The Planning Process

The Flower Mound Parks Board, in conjunction with its consultant Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC, took the following steps to compile this plan.  Public input was heard during two Parks Board workshops, a public meeting, a briefing on the draft plan, and one public hearing. 

Collection and evaluation of the Town’s current resources,including an inventory of parks and trails locations and sizes (both existing and proposed), the parkland dedication ordinance, existing park land standards and facilities level of service standards, an inventory of current facilities locations and numbers, “Flower Mound Sports Facilities: Current and Future Needs” (a publication of the Flower Mound Parks Board), and budget reports and capital improvement plans for the Parks Department.

Verification of existing conditions of existing parks, trails, and facilities with the Parks Board during the Park Board’s first 2-day public workshop to address the Parks and Trails Master Plan.

Establishment of standards for both parks and trails lands and facilities with the Parks Board through two 2-day public workshops.  These standards were set by studying national standards set by the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) and the Urban Land Institute
(ULI) as well as park land and service radii standards and current and recommended levels of service (LOS) of peer communities within the DFW metroplex.

Completion of a needs analysis that addresses how much additional park lands, how many additional facilities, and how many additional trails are needed to meet the standards established by the Parks Board. 

Identification and prioritization of needs based on Flower Mound’s unique demographics, which differ both from other cities and between various areas within the Town.

Development of a policy framework comprised of a series of recommendations addressing the general location and acquisition of additional park lands and facilities, the “infill” development of existing park land, and opportunities for partnering.  Also included are recommendations for special alternative uses of parks specific to individual districts in order to accommodate the needs and lifestyles of residents as they differ across the Town.  In addition, recommendations are included to provide direction for the on-going development of Flower Mound’s park system. 

Development of implementation techniques for acquiring additional park lands and monies for additional facilities, including review of the current Parkland Dedication Ordinance.

Park Types and Setting Standards

General Description of Park Types

Regional parks

Regional parks generally serve an area considerably larger than the municipality that they occupy and usually occur in conjunction with a unique natural or cultural feature.  A regional park is one which encompasses a substantial land area (over 200 acres according to the NRPA; over 500 acres according to the ULI) and serves several municipalities. The Corps of Engineers owns approximately 1,600 acres of land surrounding the north side of Lake Grapevine that is available for public access.  Accordingly, regional parks are not considered as one of the two classifications of parks which the Town wishes to obtain.

Community parks

Community Parks are those which are generally greater than 20 acres in size and serve many types of recreational needs within a two mile service radius (according to both the NRPA and the ULI).  Several Flower Mound community parks contain unique facilities or features, which serve the entire Town, extending beyond a simple two mile service radius.  Many times community parks contain groups of lighted ball fields and practice fields, as well as other active and passive recreational facilities.  Some existing community parks in Flower Mound fall slightly short of the 20-acre size recommendation but are still considered community parks either because of their level of service or unique features which draw users from around the community.

Neighborhood parks

Neighborhood Parks are typically one to twenty acres in size, providing a wide range of recreational facilities.  Smaller parks contain only playground equipment and seating, while larger parks might contain practice or game fields.  These parks generally serve a ½ mile radius (or the neighborhoods contiguous to them) and are accessible by a short walking distance.  Both the NRPA and the ULI recommend a maximum service radius of ½ mile.

Mini-parks

Mini-Parks are less than one acre in size (according to the NRPA).  Commonly referred to as pocket parks, they serve a very small radius and generally facilitate few recreational needs.  Because of mini-parks’ limited service to the community, Flower Mound wishes to eliminate this category of park from its future plans.   Accordingly, they are not included as one of the two major categories of parks which Flower Mound wishes to obtain and operate.  Existing mini-parks have been rolled into the category of neighborhood parks for ease of discussion, and the goal is to prevent the occurrence of any additional parks of this size.  Some mini-parks are often provided by private development and are privately maintained. 

Park Land Standards Recommendations

Establishing standards for parks in both size and service requirements is a common practice among municipalities.  There are national organizations, such as the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) which have established such standards for use as a guide nationwide.  Each organization, whether national or local, typically classifies their parks into a number of categories, which do not coincide in many cases.  The Flower Mound Parks Board agreed that the Town’s park system falls into two categories: community and neighborhood parks (which includes mini-parks), with regional parks needs being met by the Corps of Engineers approximate 1,600 acres adjacent to the north side of Lake Grapevine. See Table 1 for a comparison of park standards; see Tables 2 and 3 for a comparison of current and recommended levels of service.

Recommended Acres per 1,000 population

Community parks

Community parks require large land areas in order to accommodate all the recreational needs which they should provide.  The NRPA recommends that a municipality have five to eight acres of community park land per 1,000 people.  In keeping with the vision adopted by the Town Council for the Master Plan 2001 to “ensure all development is of enduring and exemplary quality”, the Town of Flower Mound’s standard for community park acreage is recommended at eight acres per 1,000 people.

Neighborhood parks

Neighborhood parks require less land area than community parks to facilitate the needs of adjacent neighborhoods.  The NRPA recommends one to two acres per 1,000 people for this need, and the ULI recommends two acres per 1,000 people.  In addition, the NRPA recommends 0.25 to 0.50 acres of mini-parks per 1,000 people.  As stated earlier, the Town’s intent is to combine the services of mini-parks and neighborhood parks into one group – neighborhood parks.  Therefore, the recommended acreage for neighborhood parks is 2.5 acres per 1,000 people. (two acres for neighborhood parks + 0.50 acres for mini-parks). 

As a general guide to park land needs, Flower Mound should provide 10.5 acres of overall parkland per 1,000 people (8 acres of community parks and 2.5 acres of neighborhood parks). 

Level of Service Recommendations

As with park land standards, the NRPA also recommends level of service (LOS) standards for facilities.  Table 2 provides a complete listing of NRPA LOS standards.  In addition, several communities in the metroplex were surveyed for both their current and recommended LOS standards, which are also indicated in Table 2.  Based on the most exemplary of these standards, or on existing Flower Mound levels of service, where they are more exemplary than the NRPA standards, the following LOS standards were established.

Baseball fields –game: one per 5,000 per “Flower Mound Sports Facilities: Current and Future Needs” by the Sports Facilities Task Force, 1999.  All game fields shall be lighted.

Baseball fields – practice: one per 10,000, minimum standard.  The Town wishes to exceed this standard, when possible, through joint-use agreements.

Softball fields – game: one per 5,000 per “Flower Mound Sports Facilities: Current and Future Needs” by the Sports Facilities Task Force, 1999.  All game fields shall be lighted.

Softball fields – practice: one per 10,000, minimum standard.  The Town wishes to exceed this standard, when possible, through joint-use agreements.

Soccer fields – game: one per 5,000.  One per 10,000 was cited as the NRPA’s national standard, one to 4,000 was cited as the metroplex standard.  All game fields shall be lighted.

Soccer fields – practice: one per 10,000, minimum standard.  The Town wishes to exceed this standard, when possible, through the joint-use agreements.

Playgrounds and courts: one per park, as per the recommendation of the Parks Board to serve the needs of children in all parks.  Playgrounds should be mixed between those for small children and those for older children.  Larger parks should include both one tot lot and one playground for older children. 

Outdoor basketball courts: one per park.  It is recommended that basketball courts be full courts, rather than half courts, as has been the previous practice in Flower Mound.

Tennis courts: one per park.  Flower Mound currently serves one court per 10,200 and seems to accommodate the need well.  Future joint ventures between LISD and the Town of Flower Mound are encouraged to help meet the recommended LOS for tennis courts.

Football Fields:  No set numerical standard.  The Town should continue to review the number and usage of football fields to determine if the community needs are being met.  The Town should pursue joint-use agreements with Lewisville Independent School District for use of football fields.

Walking/Jogging trails:  No set numerical standard.  Flower Mound is unique in the amount and character of its current trails system and wishes to continue to provide an exemplary level of service.  Rather than establishing a number, Flower Mound shall continue to build out its trail system and provide the linkages necessary to provide a comprehensive trails system which allows alternate modes of transportation (walking, biking, etc.) freely and easily around the Town.  The goal is to have a trails system much like that of the Woodlands outside of Houston, Texas; Davis, California; or Reston, Virginia.

 

Inventory

Existing Parks

As of January 2000, Flower Mound currently owns 27 developed and 15 undeveloped parks, totaling approximately 480 acres.  These parks have been divided into two categories: Community Parks (20+ acres) and Neighborhood Parks (1-20 acres), which includes Mini-Parks (less than one acre).  The majority of parks (35) fall into the Neighborhood Park category; but the most acreage (290) is found within the Community Parks.  Refer to Tables 4 and 5 for a detailed listing of park inventories.

Community Parks

Post Oak Park

19.0 acres as part of the Wellington Development
This park is currently unbuilt but is planned for lighted recreational facilities.  Topography will be the limiting factor which determines the extent of developable land at this site.

Rheudasil Park

23.0 acres at 2401 Lake Forest
One of the jewels of the Flower Mound parks system, this highly-used park features a three-acre lake.  In addition, Rheudasil Park includes a playground, picnic area with grills, a basketball pad, a pavilion, and multi-purpose trails.  Old and young alike gather here for a variety of recreational opportunities.

Wilkerson Park

79.0 acres at 2880 Garden Road
Wilkerson Park is part of an extensive greenway system in the southeast quadrant of Flower Mound.  It contains an extensive multi-purpose trail network and connects to several smaller parks along the network.  This highly used park offers both passive and active recreational opportunities, including a playground, picnic areas, grills, a lighted softball field, and several acres of public open space.

Gerault Park

34.0 acres at 1100 Gerault Road
This sports complex contains a playground, a picnic area, a pavilion, two lighted soccer fields, two lighted softball fields, and one lighted baseball field.  Gerault Park is located along the Town’s multi-purpose trail system and contains internal trails as well.

Braden Tract

75 acres on Duncan Lane
This is an unbuilt park planned for lighted recreational facilities as well as a range of other recreational opportunities.

Hilltop Park

20.5 acres at 5000 Timbercreek Road
Five lighted baseball fields and a new pavilion are the main features at Hilltop Park.  Located across the street from Lamar Middle School, Hilltop’s 20.5 acre site also houses a playground, picnic area, and basketball half court.  In addition, open play areas can be found at Hilltop.

Leonard Johns Park

17.7 acres at 1850 Timbercreek Road
Leonard Johns Park is part of Flower Mound’s New Town development, and is sited such that it integrates well with the surrounding New Town buildings.  A large open play area with room for play fields is sited behind Timbercreek Elementary School.  As the park continues to wind behind the school and other New Town buildings, it takes on a more natural character along Timber Creek and is the site of an outdoor amphitheater.  The park opens out again to a cleared area with tennis courts and a fishing pond, as well as more open areas for active or passive recreation.  The park is also sited near the Lewisville ISD Natatorium.The park is also in close proximity to high-density housing.

Westchester Park

24.5 acres at 3901 Churchill
Often considered as one park in conjunction with adjacent Glenwick Park, Westchester contains a variety of park uses.  It is home to several large Post Oak trees and contains a playground, picnic area, grills, benches and multi-purpose trails.  It also has two baseball/softball fields and a basketball pad.  In addition, it has plenty of open space for free play.  Multi-purpose trails extend to the north of the park winding between two neighborhoods and connecting to Flower Mound Elementary School at the north end, offering a number of recreation uses.

Neighborhood Parks

Northshore Park

3.5 acres at 3100 Wood Park Boulevard
This park is located along the Town’s multi-purpose trail system, tucked within a neighborhood.  It is located along a creek and has interesting topography.  It contains a playground, basketball pad, and volleyball court and is located adjacent to a private neighborhood pool.

Forest Park

2.5 acres at 3029 Birch Leaf
This neighborhood park is located along the Town’s multi-purpose trailsystem between two developments.  There is no parking for Forest Park; access is from Birch Leaf.  The park is wooded with a trail and benches.  Houses front on the park from across the street.

Culwell Park

3.4 acres at Southwicke and Everton
Located in the center of a neighborhood, this park is the centerpiece of the development.  Surrounded to the east and west by houses whose side yards are adjacent to the park, the north and south sides of the park are open, with houses fronting the park on the north side from across a street.  A playground, picnic area, and baseball/softball field are all sited within this park, which is not located along the Town’s multi-purpose trail system.

Sagebrush Park

7.0 acres along the west side of Old Settlers Road
This is an unbuilt park, planned for lighted recreational facilities.

Lake Forest Park

8.0 acres along the east side Old Settlers Road
This is an unbuilt park.

Park Place

6.9 acres at Simmons and Hide-a-way
This is an unbuilt park.

Lake Wood Park

1.3 acres at Surrey Road
This is an unbuilt park, which is part of the Estates of Flower Mound development.

Thrush Park

7.5 acres at 950 Sun Ridge Drive
Thrush Park is visible along Forest Vista Road, however access to the park by car is circuitous.  Although this park is not located along the multi-purpose trail system, it does contain an internal network of trails of its own.  In addition, Thrush Park contains a playground, a basketball pad, a soccer field, and an open play field.

Rustic Timbers Park

5.7 acres at 1201 Rosewood Trail  Rustic Timbers is a neighborhood park situated along a creek which is located along the Town’s multi-purpose trail system.  The park includes a playground and basketball pad, as well as a small greenway which winds along the creek and has a more natural character.  It is accessible from several points in the neighborhood.

Shadow Ridge Park

7.0 acres at 1350 Lexington
Shadow Ridge is located internally within a development off of Spinks Road along the Town’s multi-purpose trail system.  This park has two baseball/softball fields, a playground, a picnic area, and an open play field.

Stone Creek Park

2.5 acres at 1400 Fuqua
Stone Creek Park is part of a larger greenway (also see Wilkerson Park) which includes active recreation facilities.  Contained within Stone Creek Park are a playground, picnic areas, a basketball pad, a pavilion, a soccer field, and multi-purpose trails.  Stone Creek Park is one segment within an extensive parks greenway system in the southeast quadrant of Town.

Tealwood Oaks Park

2.0 acres at 1900 Tealwood Boulevard
Tealwood Oaks Park is an attractive neighborhood park located within the Tealwood Oaks subdivision.  This park features a manicured wooded area with a picnic area and a multi-purpose trail.

Staton Oaks Park

3.2 acres at 3100 Staton Oaks Drive
This park features two areas; the first is a large oak tree protected by a low fence and the second is a playground area.  The two areas are separated by grading.  This highly-visible park is located at the corner of Morriss Road and Firewheel Road.

Possum Park

2.7 acres at 2535 Timber Ridge Lane
Possum Park contains a playground and benches, as well as a small natural area.
Bluebonnet Park

13.5 acres within the Town View Estates powerline easement
This is an unbuilt park.

Timbercreek Park

19.0 acres at 1100 Timbercreek Road
Timbercreek Park is a good example of integrating recreational features while preserving the natural surroundings.  Located along a collector road, Timbercreek Park winds through a neighborhood, providing access to its residents.  Stands of oak trees cover the park along a stream bed, while the play area is located in an open area.  Timbercreek has a playground and a picnic area.  Houses surrounding the park on two sides back against it, separated by privacy fences.

Colony Park

6.5 acres at 1015 Colony Street
Located along College Parkway, Colony Park is a neighborhood park with clear access.  Sited within the park are a baseball/softball field, playground, picnic area, volleyball court, and multi-purpose trails.  It also has an abundance of open play space.

Cortadera Park

4.0 acres at 2000 Cortadera
Located in an older neighborhood development, Cortadera Park is an early example of parks in Flower Mound.  There are no existing trail connections to the park, which is surrounded by homes which either face the park from across the neighborhood street or back on to the park.  Homes which back on to the park on two sides are separated from the park by privacy fences.  The park contains relatively new playground equipment, a basketball court, a practice soccer field, a fishing pond, and lots of open play space.

Spring Meadow Park

4.0 acres at 4001 Spring Meadow Street
Spring Meadow is located in the same neighborhood as Cortadera Park and is similar to Cortadera in character.  It boasts new playground equipment, lots of open space for play, and a soccer field.  However, the surrounding houses are sited with a better relationship to Spring Meadow than they are to Cortadera.

Prairie Creek Park

4.0 acres at 1200 Colony Street
Tucked away at one end of a neighborhood along Prairie Creek is Prairie Creek Park.  This four-acre park has room for open play, passive and active recreation, a playground, a picnic area, a soccer field, and a volleyball court.  Most of the surrounding houses are located across Colony and face onto the park.  Currently, an open field is adjacent to the park, so that no houses back onto it.

Stone Hill / Prairie Trail Park

4.0 acres at 5700 Fox Glen
This park is located behind Prairie Trail Elementary school and contains a playground, picnic area, soccer field, baseball/softball field, and is located along a multi-purpose trail.  Access to the park is through an adjacent neighborhood rather than through Prairie Trail Elementary.

Morriss Road Park

19.2 acres along the east side of Morriss Road.
Morriss Road Park extends along Timber Creek from Leonard Johns Park across Morriss Road.  This park is undeveloped, left in its natural state along the floodplain due to its low-lying area and steep topography.  It is heavily wooded and access is limited.

Timber Trails Park

14.0 acres on the west side of Morriss Road
Timber Trails Park is much like Morriss Road Park.  Both are undeveloped and will most likely remain that way due to their location in the floodplain and steep slopes.  It, like Morris Road Park, is heavily wooded and access is limited.

Gaston Park

11.0 acres at the west end of College Parkway
This large park is considered undeveloped; however, it is a great open space for passive or active recreation.  Although it does not contain a playground, it does have a baseball/softball field.  In addition, asphalt sidewalks are located across the street along College Parkway through the adjacent floodplain.  Gaston Park backs onto Timber Creek, adding another stopping point along a potential comprehensive greenway system.

Dixon Park

2.9 acres within the Waterford Park Development
Dixon Park is located along the Town’s multi-purpose trail network.  This park is currently unbuilt.

Parker Square

1.5 acres within the Parker Square development
This park is currently unbuilt, but is planned to contain a fishing pond and multi-purpose trail connections.

Glenwick Park

7.5 acres at 4100 Weldon
Glenwick Park is often considered a part of Westchester Park.  Glenwick and Westchester Parks received grants from Texas Parks and Wildlife to assist in their construction.  Glenwick fronts Cross Timbers Road and contains a lighted softball field, a tennis court, playground, amphitheater, and multi-purpose trails.

Spring Lake Park

8.0 acres on Windmill Road
Spring Lake Park is a part of the Bridlewood development and is located at the north end of the development along the floodplain.  It has a very natural setting, boasting a natural wooded area, fishing pond, gazebo, and multi-purpose trails.  It also has a picnic area and benches along the pond.  This park has been cleared of understory vegetation but retains a natural feel.

Mini-Parks

Hidden Valley Park

0.7 acres at 3838 Raintree
The only park which exists within the Cross Timbers Conservation Development District; this small park contains a picnic area and grills.

Twin Coves Park

0.3 acres at 2001 Breezywood
This small parcel has a picnic area and grills, and should not be confused with the Corps of Engineers’ park with the same name.

Lone Tree Park
0.3 acres as part of the Regency Park development
This is an unbuilt park.

Oak Park

0.7 acres at 1015 Woodcreek Drive
This older mini-park contains a playground and a basketball pad and is not served by trails.

Grove Park

0.7 acres on Garden Ridge road
This is an unbuilt park, which is part of the Lexington Glen development.

Existing Recreational Facilities

See Tables 4 and 5 for a listing of recreational facilities by park.

Existing Trails

Town Trails

Currently, the Town has approximately 24 miles of multi-purpose trails and 2 ½ miles of equestrian trails.

Corps of Engineers’ Trails

Approximately 14 miles of hike and bike trails and 8 miles of equestrian trails exist within the Corps of Engineers’ property on the north side of Lake Grapevine.

Park Land Needs Analysis

Overall Park Land Need

Flower Mound’s overall park need is calculated in this plan at 10.5 acres per 1,000 population.  This number combines the neighborhood parks ratio of 2.5 acres per 1,000 population with the community parks ratio of eight acres per 1,000 population in order to gauge the overall progress of the Town in acquiring the correct amount of park land necessary to accommodate the citizens’ needs.  Note that park land needs calculated by category will not necessarily equal the overall park land need, since the overall park land need ratio takes positive balances of park land needs into account.  The calculated overall park land need is shown in Table 6.

Long Prairie District

Currently, the Long Prairie District (including the Lakeside Business District) has 478.0 acres of parks.  This district needs an additional 320.0 acres of parks in order to fulfill the 10.5 acres per 1,000 people at build-out population.

Cross Timbers Conservation Development District

The Conservation Development District currently has 0.7 acres of parks, and needs an additional 114.8 acres of
parks to fulfill the overall park land ratio of 10.5 acres per 1,000 people at build-out population.

Denton Creek District

The Denton Creek District currently has no parks.  The district’s park land need is estimated to be approximately 42.0 acres of park land to fulfill the 10.5 acres per 1,000 population standard, based on an assumption that there will be a build-out population of 4,000 residents.  The amount of park land could vary considerably from this estimate, depending on how much of the district develops as residential.

Community Parks

The calculated park land needs for community parks is shown in Table 6.

Long Prairie District

The Long Prairie District currently has 292.7 acres of community parks.  An additional 315.5 acres are needed to fulfill the recommendation of eight acres per 1000 people at build-out population.

Cross Timbers Conservation Development District

No community parks currently exist within this district.  Eighty-eight acres of community parks are needed to fulfill the recommendation at build-out population.

Denton Creek District

No community parks currently exist, and 32.0 acres of community parks would be needed for the estimated build-out population.  This amount could vary considerably, depending on how much of the district develops as residential.

Neighborhood Parks

The calculated park land need for neighborhood parks is shown in Table 6.

Long Prairie District

The parks system in the Long Prairie District has met the needs of the population to date in an exemplary fashion.  In fact, the current neighborhood park acreage totals almost meets the standard of 2.5 acres per 1,000 people for the build-out population within the overall Long Prairie District.  This is due to the high number of neighborhood park land acreage found within the northeast quadrant of the Long Prairie District.  The parks in this quadrant, however, do not serve remainder of the District.  Therefore, additional neighborhood parks may be
needed to serve the needs of residents within the rest of the District.  For the district as a whole, only 4.7 additional acres of neighborhood parks are needed for build-out population.

Cross Timbers Conservation Development District

Only one 0.7-acre mini-park currently exists in this district.  26.8 additional acres of neighborhood park land is needed to fulfill the 2.5 acres per 1,000 population recommendation for the build-out population.  However, it may not be necessary to provide this amount of park land, since the residents of this area feel that their needs for parks are met by the surrounding open space of the Corps of Engineers’ land as well as individual larger lot sizes.

Denton Creek District

No parks currently exist in the Denton Creek District.  Ten acres of neighborhood parks would be needed within this district to fulfill the recommendation for the assumed build-out population.  This amount could vary considerably, depending on the amount of residential development within the district.

Recreational Facilities Needs Analysis

Recommendations of recent studies

The Sports Facilities Task Force released a study entitled “Flower Mound Sports Facilities: Current and Future Needs” in 1999 which identified deficits of ball fields within the town based on a set of standards which were established as part of that study.  Those standards have been incorporated into this plan.

Additional Facilities Needs

Current facilities deficits by district are shown in Tables 7 through 10, based on the Flower Mound standards established in the Level of Service Recommendations.

Special Facilities

A number of other recreational facilities could be appropriate for Flower Mound, in addition to the standards established in the Level of Service Recommendations.  These could include, but are not limited to, facilities and activities such as the following:

• Equestrian-oriented facilities
• Golf
• Extreme sports (skate park, BMX track, etc.)
• Ice rink
• Sand volleyball
• Rodeo
• Disk golf
• Marina
• Aquatic facilities
• Rock climbing
• Nature center
• Senior center (as part of community center)
• Archery

Proposals for any of the above facilities should first go through a planning and approval process including a needs analysis, community survey, feasibility study, etc., including a determination of which ones should be publicly-funded or privately-funded.

Rec-Plex

The revenue-generating facility which is currently undergoing a market feasibility study is referred to as the Rec-Plex.  Amenities under consideration for this facility in either initial or subsequent phases include the following:

• Community recreation center
• Aquatic facilities (to include a family aquatic park and lap pool)
• Ice arena with one or more ice rinks
• Extreme sports facilities
• Rock climbing facilities

Assuming the Rec-Plex is feasible, it will address many of the special facilities needs that are identified in the Recreational Facilities Needs Analysis.

Trails Needs Analysis

Multi-Purpose Trails

Long Prairie District

The Long Prairie District currently has an extensive network of multi-purpose trails.  Residents consider this exemplary system as an important quality of life amenity to living in Flower Mound.  Flower Mound is unique in the amount and character of its current trails system and wishes to continue to provide an exemplary level of service.  Rather than establishing a number, the Flower Mound Parks Board wishes to continue to build out its trail system and provide the linkages necessary to provide a comprehensive trails system which allows alternate modes of transportation (walking, biking, etc.) freely and easily around the Town.  The goal is to have a trails system much like that of the Woodlands outside of Houston, Texas; Davis, California; or Reston, Virginia.  In addition, there are several “disconnects” between trails that need to be joined as the trail system evolves.

Cross Timbers Conservation Development District

No Town-owned multi-purpose trails exist within this district.  Discussions with residents in this area indicate that they prefer natural hike and bike or equestrian trails, rather than the more suburban concrete multi-purpose trails.  Proposed trails within the Cross Timbers Conservation Development District should focus on connecting the trail system in the Long Prairie District to the Knob Hills Trail owned by the Corps of Engineers, as well as connecting to future multi-purpose Town trails in the Denton Creek District.

Denton Creek District

No Town-owned multi-purpose trails exist within this district.  The Regional Veloweb trail is proposed along US 377.  Future Town-owned multi-purpose trails should attempt to connect to this trail as well as provide an alternate means of transportation and circulation within this district, much in the same manner as has been done within the Long Prairie District.

Equestrian Trails

Long Prairie District

No equestrian trails exist within the Long Prairie District.  Equestrian trails are not appropriate in this highly-suburbanized area of town, since residents in this district do not have lots large enough to accommodate horses.  In addition, equestrian trail development in the Long Prairie District may conflict with existing automobile and bicycle traffic.

Cross Timbers Conservation Development District

Few Town-owned equestrian trails exist within the Cross Timbers Conservation Development District.  Plans for these trails focus on connecting to existing Corps of Engineers’ equestrian trails and continuing the trails into the northern areas of the district, as well as providing additional loops and neighborhood access points.

Denton Creek District

No equestrian trails currently exist within this district; however, plans for this district should accommodate connections into the Corps property as well as the Cross Timbers Conservation Development District.