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The cities of Fort Worth and Aledo have sued Willow Park for alleged unlawful annexation of property.<\/p>\n
Amanda McCoy<\/p>\n
amccoy@star-telegram.com<\/p>\n
Fort Worth and Aledo have accused Willow Park of doubling down on its alleged unlawful annexation of territory by claiming disputed land in its latest city limits map.<\/p>\n
In February, Fort Worth and Aledo sued Willow Park<\/a> in the 43rd District Court in Parker County, accusing the neighboring city of breaking the law and violating sovereign boundaries when it annexed 321 acres near Interstate 20 and FM 1187, and then annexed portions of the Bankhead Highway right-of-way just to the south.<\/p>\n The plaintiffs say the 321-acre annexation was illegal because the land wasn\u2019t contiguous to Willow Park\u2019s boundaries, and the subsequent Bankhead Highway annexation was unlawful because that land falls within Fort Worth\u2019s and Aledo\u2019s extraterritorial jurisdictions, or ETJs.<\/p>\n In January, Willow Park had a new map drawn up that showed the disputed territory in its city boundaries. The map was approved by the Willow Park City Council in February \u2014 a day after the lawsuit was filed.<\/p>\n In a new court filing, Fort Worth and Aledo said the map \u201cshows that Willow Park has willfully doubled down on its illegal annexation of territory in other municipalities\u2019 jurisdictions.\u201d<\/p>\n Spokespeople for Fort Worth and Willow Park have declined to comment, citing the litigation. An Aledo spokesperson previously shared a statement with the Star-Telegram that said the city filed the lawsuit to protect its rightful boundaries.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate that it has come to litigation, but Willow Park refuses to respect other cities\u2019 municipal boundaries,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n \u2b50 Our editors also recommend: <\/p>\n A high-stakes lawsuit for Willow Park<\/p>\n The 321 acres that Willow Park annexed initially is owned by developer Robert Beall and is slated for a $500 million<\/a> mixed-use development. Last year, the Weatherford News reported Willow Park\u2019s sales tax revenue would \u201croughly double\u201d once the development is complete.<\/p>\n In court filings, Fort Worth and Aledo acknowledge the property\u2019s value, saying it will \u201cultimately bring significant new sources of revenue to Willow Park.\u201d<\/p>\n The Beall property was at one time in Fort Worth\u2019s ETJ<\/a>, but Beall petitioned the city to relinquish it. The land was absorbed by Willow Park at Beall\u2019s request. Beall told WFAA<\/a> last year it was because he could more quickly extend his property\u2019s infrastructure to connect with Willow Park\u2019s.<\/p>\n Fort Worth and Aledo are asking the court to void Willow Park\u2019s annexations of the Beall property and the Bankhead Highway right-of-way, as well as void Willow Park\u2019s new city limits map.<\/p>\n Additionally, the plaintiffs want a temporary restraining order prohibiting any further development or infrastructure improvements in the disputed areas while the case is pending. Fort Worth and Aledo have also asked for a permanent injunction to keep Willow Park from annexing land belonging to other cities in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cFor this extraordinary infringement on the sovereign borders of other municipalities, Fort Worth and Aledo seek a declaration that the annexations at issue were unlawful and void ab initio, thereby rendering void all actions taken by Willow Park in relation to the unlawful annexations,\u201d the plaintiffs\u2019 petition reads.<\/p>\n Willow Park found itself in a similar situation 10 years ago when it annexed 82 acres that was in Weatherford\u2019s ETJ. Weatherford sued, and the two cities reached a settlement in 2017 under which Willow Park had to give up the disputed land. Willow Park also had to agree that any future annexations would be done \u201cin full accordance with all laws.\u201d<\/p>\n According to court records, the parties in the current lawsuit, including Beall, took part in mediation this week, but a settlement was not reached.<\/p>\n This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 12:10 PM.<\/p>\n
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