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1. Does the Town want to develop the Sunrise Circle area?

No. The Town does not develop, nor seek to develop, private property. The Town’s role in the development of private property is limited to administrating and enforcing the Town’s land development regulations.

2. Why didn’t the Town finish the improvements it started in 2004?

The Town qualified for federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding in 2004 and proposed street, drainage, sewer, and fire coverage improvements for the Sunrise Circle and Oakridge Lane neighborhoods. At that time, the total construction budget was approximately $1,500,000. The Town spent all funding received each year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Town was only able to complete the streets and drainage before HUD funding stopped in 2011. HUD funding stopped because the census block the Sunrise Circle and Oakridge Lane neighborhoods are in was no longer eligible following the results of the 2010 Census.

3. Why didn’t the Town use CDBG funding to start with sewer improvements first?

At that time, the main sewer infrastructure being built by the Trinity River Authority (TRA) to serve Flower Mound, Argyle, Northlake, and other parts of Southwest Denton County was under construction. As such, there were no sewer mains close by to connect the Sunrise Circle and Oakridge Lane neighborhoods. The decision was made to use then available CDBG funding to begin design and construction of the streets and drainage and then design and build the sewer lines once the TRA mains were built.

4. If the CDBG funding was pulled by HUD in 2011, why is the Town planning to bring sewer to the Sunrise Circle area now?

In recent years, the Town has met with individuals interested in developing several lots on Sunrise Circle and Oakridge Lane. As a result of increased development interest, the Town began planning to provide sewer access to the area.

5. When did the development interest start that prompted the Town to start planning the sewer extension?

The project and budget were first presented to the Town Council during the August 19, 2021, work session for the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 budget. You may watch the video here. Discussion of all the proposed wastewater projects begin at 1:19:30, and the Sunrise Circle Wastewater Connection is specifically discussed at 1:21:43.

6. Has the Sunrise Circle wastewater connection project been pulled from the Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget?

No. The budget for the project has not been established as Town staff is still engaging with the neighborhood on the best path forward and, ultimately, awaiting Town Council direction. Once the final project is determined, funding will be included during the annual budget process or will be added via a budget amendment.

7. Why does the 2023-2024 budget not show the project listed at all, and why has the Town continued to reduce budgeting for this project year after year?

No approved funding has been reduced or removed from the project. As indicated in the previous question, the budget for the project has not been established as Town staff is still engaging with the neighborhood on the best path forward and, ultimately, awaiting Town Council direction. Once the final project is determined, funding will be included during the annual budget process or will be added via a budget amendment.

8. Why was there $1,270,000 set to be allocated towards this project in the 2021-2022 budget, and only $470,000 allocated in 2022-2023?

During the 2021-2022 budget process, $150,000 was approved and funded for design and easement acquisition costs. No other funding was approved at that time. An estimated construction cost of $1,120,000 was placed on the capital plan for the following year. These dollars are placed on the CIP for planning  and budgeting purposes and are not actual appropriated dollars. During detailed design, the design engineer provided an updated construction cost estimate that was less than the original estimate. Due to the updated construction cost estimate, and design and easement acquisition costs being lower than originally estimated, the funding requested during the 2022-2023 budget was updated to $320,000. 

9. What was the $1,270,000 reallocated towards?

The $1,270,000 indicated on the CIP was for planning and budgeting purposes only and did not represent actual appropriated funds. As such, no funds were reallocated. The Town estimates were reduced based on engineering design. A total of $470,000 was approved and funded for the capital project during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 budget processes. 

10. Is the Town planning any improvements for residents that live north of Oakridge Lane?

No. Properties north of Oakridge Lane are within the Town of Argyle Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). The Town has no authority to plan or construct improvements in the Town of Argyle ETJ.

11. Does Senate Bill 1248 prevent the Town from regulating the types of residential structures within the Sunrise Circle and Oakridge Lane neighborhoods?

No. Senate Bill 1248 (SB 1248), passed during the 2017 Texas Legislative Session, regulates “manufactured homes” located within “manufactured home communities,” and located on “manufactured home lots,” as each is defined by Section 94.001, of the Texas Property Code (TPC). The TPC provides for these definitions:

• Manufactured home means a HUD-code manufactured home or a mobile home.
• Manufactured home community means a parcel of land on which four or more lots are offered for lease for installing and occupying manufactured homes.
• Manufactured home lot means the space allocated in the lease agreement for the placement of the tenant's manufactured home and the area adjacent to that space designated in the lease agreement for the tenant's exclusive use.

The Sunrise Circle and Oakridge Lane neighborhoods are platted individual lot single-family subdivisions, and are not regulated under SB 1248. SB 1248 does apply to other mobile home communities in Town such as Rocky Point Estates Mobile Home Park, Flower Mound Mobile Home Park, The Parks, and Village Oaks.  Therefore, in accordance with SB 1248, the Town does not consider the manufactured homes within the Sunrise Circle and Oakridge Lane neighborhoods to be part of a “manufactured home community, park, or subdivision.”

12. Did the annexation service plan adopted on September 9, 1999 (Ord. 58-99) require the Town to extend sewer service to the Sunrise Circle area?

No. For water and wastewater services, the annexation service plan states the following for future services to be extended upon annexation:

“It is the policy of the Town of Flower Mound to provide all extension of water and wastewater facilities in accordance with Ordinance No. 25-78, regulations for water and sewer extensions within the Town of Flower Mound. The area proposed for annexation shall be provided with water and sewer services in accordance with the Ordinance when requested by individual owners, residents, or developers subject to rules and regulations promulgated by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) and subject to existing certificates of convenience and necessity.”

A copy of the Annexation ordinance and service plan can be found here, and a copy of ordinance 25-78 can be found here.

According to Ordinance 25-78, services will be extended upon request and payment by the property owner(s). Under the ordinance, the property owner is responsible for the cost to extend services to their lot.

Notes: The TNRCC is now known as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

Ordinance 25-78 has been recodified since 1999 and can be found in the Town’s code of ordinances here.  

13. Does the Sunrise Circle petition require the Town to extend sewer services?

No, not by itself. As indicated above, the Town’s ordinance requires payment for the cost to extend services.