Mayor addresses growth concerns at town hall

Mayor Terry Lynne addressed about 200 residents on May 29 at The Branch Connection, the city's newly renovated senior center, tackling hot-button issues including apartment development, recreational vehicle storage, code enforcement and homelessness.

The town hall meeting, attended by all city council members, highlighted the growing pains of a city that has seen its property valuation triple from $3.1 billion in 2016 to nearly $10 billion today.

"Our city's going through a lot of revitalization right now, and sometimes that brings growing pains," Lynne said during his opening remarks. "And one of the things that's being revitalized, or even new in some areas, are multifamily projects, apartments."

The city currently has about 11,000 existing apartment units, with 852 under construction and 4,600 more permitted but not yet built. When complete, Farmers Branch will have approximately 17,000 apartment units, primarily concentrated on the east and west sides of the city.

Lynne emphasized that multifamily housing provides necessary housing options and cannot be banned outright. "They're allowed by right to be in the city," he said. "And fortunately, we have some really good developer partners that are building some really fine quality developments."

One resident raised concerns about a Haven Hurst area apartment complex being torn down and replaced with a four-story building that would more than double occupancy from 170 to 400 units. City staff confirmed that traffic impact studies and parking requirements are mandated for such developments.

The most contentious discussion centered on recreational vehicles, boats and trailers parked in driveways and on streets. The city has attempted to address this issue since 1998 but has never adopted a formal ordinance.

"Boats, campers, RVs, trailers - I want to be real clear, nobody's saying that you can't own these items," Lynne said. "Storage seems to be the biggest issue."

Resident Chris Davis, who has lived in Farmers Branch for 50 years, defended RV ownership. "I'm not opposed to having limitations on them. I'm not the biggest fan of having 30-foot units in the street or the front yards. But I also have a small driveway with a big concrete pad behind the house."

Another resident, who owns a 40-foot RV, expressed concern about potential restrictions. "I have no objection to regulating RVs, boats, trailers, to keep them from being parked on city streets," the resident said. "I just hope that the ordinance doesn't go so far as to somehow require that I put my RV someplace other than my house."

Lynne said the city plans to form a committee of residents to work with staff on developing a workable ordinance, similar to what Richardson implemented years ago.

Several residents voiced frustrations with code enforcement response times and communication methods. The mayor emphasized that the FBTX Connect app is the fastest way to report violations, allowing residents to provide photos and detailed descriptions while receiving status updates.

"Code enforcement is limited. They cannot go on private property, and if they can't see something from the street or from an alley, they can't write it," Lynne said.

One resident complained about a property with more than 20 people living in a single residence. Lynne acknowledged that residential overcrowding is "one of the hardest things for the city to address" due to legal constraints requiring warrants for property inspections.

The mayor updated residents on ongoing homelessness issues, particularly along Highway 635 between Webb Chapel Road and Denton Drive. He described efforts to work with Dallas officials, since much of the affected area is Dallas property.

"Homelessness is a problem, and it affects all of us because we all pay for it," Lynne said, noting that it's not against the law to be homeless, though soliciting for money is prohibited in Farmers Branch.

One resident suggested using purple lighting to deter camping, noting its apparent effectiveness in some areas.

The mayor announced plans to discuss creating an RV storage ordinance during an upcoming city council study session and to establish resident committees for input on various issues.

"Your city council can only be as good as the input it gets from you all," Lynne told the crowd. "You decide what's going on in the city, and your representatives need to be listening."

The meeting concluded with opportunities for residents to speak directly with the mayor, city staff and council members about specific concerns.