Residents on several lots in the Lake Worth area who’ve been pressing for years to have the city of Fort Worth replat lots they live on so they can legally buy their property, got the go-ahead at a recent City Plan Commission meeting.
Regular monthly meeting — July 9, 2025
Work session: 9 a.m. City Council work session room. Adjourned 9:41 a.m.
- Correspondence and comments — None
- Review of cases on today’s agenda
1. VA-25-009, vacation of prescriptive right-of-way for Keller Haslet Road between Alta Vista Road and Westport Parkway. Council District 10
General Location: North of Alliance Gateway, west of Alta Vista, and east of Westport Parkway
Applicant: Westwood Professional Services, Inc. on behalf of AIL Investment L.P. and the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth
Recommendation: Approval of a recommendation to the Fort Worth City Council for the vacation of the prescriptive right-of-way for Keller Haslet Road between Alta Vista Road and Westport Parkway
What is a prescriptive right of way: an easement that allows somebody, other than a property owner, to gain access to a piece of property
Work session presentation. Alex Parks of the city staff said the right of way in question is an “underimproved asphalt” that’s extraneous to the applicant’s development plan. Parks called the case a “pretty straightforward” request and action. The city received no correspondence, the staff said. In response to a question from Commissioner Brian Singleterry, City Council District 9, Parks said about 30 linear feet of asphalt pavement exists today in the right of way.
2. PP-25-018 Lake Worth Leases Addition Block 9. Waiver Request Section 31-103(b)(3); Section 31-106(i)(1)(a)]: 11 Single Family Lots. 4.695 acres, Council District 7.
General location: East of Rench Road, north of Malta Street, and west of Jacksboro Highway
Applicant: SAM, LLC on behalf of the City of Fort Worth
Staff recommendation:
1) Approval of a Subdivision Ordinance waiver to allow 11 residential lots to front a public access easement instead of a public or private street;
2) Approval of a waiver to allow seven residential lots to have less than the minimum 100 feet of frontage on a public access easement; and,
3) Conditional approval of the preliminary plat upon meeting the platting comments in the staff report
Work session presentation, Paul Rodriguez, city staff. Land is owned by the City of Fort Worth and occupied by individuals who lease homes and land there.
The applicants are seeking waivers to get the property platted so the city can sell the property to the individuals who have occupied the lots, some for more than 20 years. The land borders Lake Worth, but it’s in Fort Worth.
- Currently, city code says residential property needs to front a public or private street, and that’s not the case for 11 residential lots there.
- Code says lots must be at least 100’ wide, but seven of them aren’t that wide and owners are asking the city to vacate that rule in their case.
Rodriguez referred to a July 4, 2025, letter to the commission from Michael Barnard, an architect and one of the affected residents, at 4237 Wells Drive, Fort Worth, 76135. According to that letter, Barnard:
- Has been working with the city “for 23 years to get this portion of the city platted.”
- Has leased the property since 2002
- Was told — when he purchased the lease rights — “by the City of Fort Worth in writing they were making arrangements to sell us the property.”
The Barnards built a home on their lot. Since then, the city has told residents that getting the land “properly platted” has been the “only obstacle” preventing the city from selling the property to the residents.
The proposed changes resolve that concern, the letter said.
The letter raised one “technical matter” and requested a note be added to the final plat: their guesthouse extends beyond the boundary of the preliminary plat map. City staffer Nita Shinsky has told him this is of no concern because “this is going to be a paper street.” Barnard requests a note in the final plat that says: “the existing structures on lot 10R (his lot) will be allowed to remain as is as an existing ‘nonconforming condition’ and future additions or alterations will be allowed if they “do not encroach further beyond this line.”
Don Boren, the City Plan Commission chair, asked the city staff whether it had any problems with the letter. Staffer Rodriguez said there could be an issue later that may require zoning approval for the requested structure in the letter, but that is not a concern for the planning commission at this stage.
Commissioner Brian Farda said he’s unsure of what the structure is, or how far it juts into the space outside the boundary, and he asked whether that could hold up the platting of these properties. Rodriguez said he was unsure. Stephen Murray of the staff said the matter shouldn’t hold up the platting.
In response to a question from Commissioner CJ Johnson, Parks of the staff said three of the properties don’t meet the zoning requirement for minimum 100’ width.
Singleterry asked whether some of these properties lack access to Lakewood Drive. Rodriguez of the staff said one lot lacks access.
Farda asked whether the three holds on the replatting by the city’s traffic, stormwater and utility site plan units affect the Plan Commission’s decision. Rodriguez confirmed those requests may require further review, but don’t affect the three waivers the commission is considering.
3. PP-23-029 Mockingbird West: (time extension request): 148 single-family townhome lots and four private open space lots. Council District 5
General location: 19.984 acres east of IH 820 East Freeway, north of Sandy Brook Drive, west of Williams Road and south of Stonegate Drive
Applicant: Graham Associates, Inc. on behalf of FW Mockingbird, LLC
Recommendation: approval of a one-year extension of the expiration date of the approved preliminary plat to Aug. 23, 2026.
Work session presentation
Parks of the city staff said the owner wants to change its original plat because it’s responding to “change in the market — shifting to a traditional single-family home” design. It will “be the same layout” as previously contemplated, but with single-family homes instead of “family townhomes,” Parks said. “Seems like some of the appetite for smaller lots is going away and there’s a shift to larger lots.” This owner is “getting ahead of the curve to prepare for platting for larger lots.”
Boren asked what the risk to the city is if the commission doesn’t approve the extension. If the commission doesn’t approve it, the preliminary plat would expire and it “wouldn’t benefit the city to let that happen; we want to keep this project alive,” Parks said. Letting the preliminary plat expire would kill the project, Parks said.
Farda asked whether the project affects surrounding areas. Rodriguez said it does not.
- Legislative update, Richard McCracken, City Attorney’s office
Several bills enacted in the recently completed state legislative session may affect the commission and its decisions going forward. Here are the ones McCracken has reviewed so far that he said the commission should be aware of.- HB 2025 — plat rule: current law requires that requests for changes to a plat must attach a copy of the original plat certificate. This law removes certain requirements to simplify and clarify the law. It could have a small impact on the commission and city staff.
- HB 2512 – release of property from city extra territorial jurisdiction
This bill was created for Fort Worth, which pushed for approval. It exempts areas of less than 12 acres from seeking ETJ release unless they meet certain conditions (two of which were presented by homebuilders during the legislative session). To be released from ETJ:- The property owner must be a resident
- The city must notify all landowners adjacent to the area requesting ETJ release within seven days of making the request to the city. This “fixes a loophole,” McCracken said, through which an owner could include their adjacent neighbor’s property without the neighbor knowing. The new law requires that affected landowners be given the opportunity to opt out of the ETJ release.
- SB 1883 — Impact fees
- Extended notice periods
- Requires ⅔ vote by city council to set impact fees
- Change affects City Plan Commission: members can no longer serve as the advisory body on impact fees
- SB 15 — Small lots
The new law prohibits enforcing ordinances that require lots to be over 3,000 square feet, or wider than 30 feet, or deeper than 75. The law also restricts zoning density rules that prevent single-family homes on at least 3,000 square feet. In response to commissioners’ questions, McCracken said the new law could impact city rules that require rear-entry property access and could impact the city’s desire to not have what Boren called “a streetful of driveways.”
- SB 840: Mixed-use residential and multifamily
Allows mixed-use residential and multifamily use in zoning districts permitted for offices, commercial retail, and warehouse. Boren noted this a “double-edged sword” that could provide more housing, but highly complicate zoning issues and planning. - HB 2494: Annexation contiguous to railroad right of way
Makes it easier for cities to annex these pieces of land; no commission discussion - SB 785: Manufactured homes
May impact the city because it removes certain fees
- Stephen Murray, 10 a.m. Call to Order
Commissioners present in person: Don Boren, Tye Lamberth, CJ Johnson, Denise Turner, Brian Singleterry, Brian Farda. Commissioner present online: Lee Henderson
- Approval of minutes of minutes from June 25, 2025 meeting
Commissioners approve amendment to minutes, adding missing vote “for” by Singleterry on one case. Lamberth moved approval, and it was seconded by Johnson. Motion passed unanimously.
- New cases
- VA-25-009. Item 1 from the work session
- Applicant present: Jonathan Ragsdale, representing AIL and Catholic Diocese. The commission raised no questions, and there was no public comment. Farda moved approval, and Singleterry seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
- VA-25-009. Item 1 from the work session
- PP-25-018. Item 2 from the work session
- Public speaker: Nita Shinsky of the city staff said this is a “unique piece of property.” The staff recommended approval of the case. The commission raised no questions. Janet Bernard, wife of Michael Bernard, the property owner who sent the letter to the commission referred to during the working session, told commissioners “we hope this will finally get settled now and will let us buy our property.” Henderson moved approval, and Turner seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
- PP-23-029 — Item 3 from the work session. Johnson moved approval, and Singleterry seconded. Motion passed unanimously
Adjournment. Meeting adjourned 10:18 a.m.
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