This month saw many accomplishments, such as the approval of our Comprehensive Plan amendment. We were able to add conservation language to our T1 (over 10 acres) and our T2 (over 5 acres) that will allow houses to be clustered on smaller lots to prevent harm to conservation areas. The changes will not increase the number of homes that are allowed in these two areas.
If you have 10 acres and you are in T2, you will only be allowed to build 2 houses; however, you can locate the homes together on 2 acres to preserve the remaining 8 acres. We amended the Comp Plan to bring in the T3A area along the railroad track. This area starts on Crawford Road and continues to Frenchtown. We will have hike and bike trail provisions and a limit of 1 house per acre as recommended and 1.25 houses per acre described as suitable.
By making these changes, we have lowered the density in Argyle substantially. We began this process with three question and answer meetings to allow all citizens to ask questions and supply ideas. The feedback was very positive and the changes made to the comp plan were made after receiving input and hours of workshops to complete the changes. These changes came about as a result of many hours of hard work by the Argyle Town Staff, our Council and our Town Consultant, Trent Petty.
I would like to congratulate our newest staff member, Matt Jones, for accepting the position of Town Planner. Matt brings a high degree of excellence to our staff and I encourage you to stop by to meet him. I also want to congratulate Deborah Cottle and the Keep Argyle Beautiful Board for being awarded a $110,000 grant. Please let this great board know how proud we are.
Several council members and I went to Austin on Denton County Days to let our elected officials know what our needs and concerns are. The weather prevented many officials from making the trip, but we had the opportunity to get to know our town neighbors and were able to form a coalition between the towns to have a louder voice when going to the State Capital for requests.
We are working on our Second Annual Easter Egg Hunt that will take place on April 4th, following the Lions Club pancake breakfast with the Easter Bunny. We will have food trucks, live music and lots of Easter eggs. Only by our churches, school and town working together could we make this community event happen.
Our next order of business is implementing our Formed Based Zoning for commercial property. We have had several meetings collecting citizen input and are very close to having this two-year project completed.
Please like us on Facebook, or sign up for emails to keep informed of upcoming events. If you prefer to be contacted another way, call Kristi Gilbert at Town Hall, 940-464-7273. She will arrange for an alternate way to get information to you. We will continue to find ways to communicate and make sure that everyone stays informed. I thank Hunter Hardy and his task group for helping keep everyone updated on important dates and information.
I am thrilled to have the honor of serving Argyle along with Councilwoman Kay Teer and Councilman Jay Haynes for the next two years. We have a new staff that understands that maintaining our town charm and the importance of citizen input is our highest priority. The council has another year to stay on track and to keep the momentum going to see great things happen for our town.