[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6115066,"mediaKeyId","2739911-7cc8e5ad0b183a04c998addac5fdad23","parentId",2739911,"title","Council approves zoning variances, development standards and appointment; authorizes settlement payment","audioSeconds",386,"startMs",4399000,"endMs",4785000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2739911-7cc8e5ad0b183a04c998addac5fdad23&start=4399&end=4785","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2739911-7cc8e5ad0b183a04c998addac5fdad23/thumbnail_4399000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6115066/Lewisville/Denton-County/Texas/Council-approves-zoning-variances-development-standards-and-appointment-authorizes-settlement-payment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6115066-f37566257072ec078e827c339ef0d0b8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770442980&Signature=Zsv~pGJ8ZgNnwFpI4gf2EYjZT2Sn3EQTh~QZyiOgd0T05mN3arrEx4WJ0q7XdKx~~d79Frsq28QOXnLHnOoaPVA2T6Y8jFRCyBvV3Kt-Ww2KkrozCEC9BJNmKggquacL5c3wLZSQx7qfh6KYvPglLl48LpeTUOgnb7XwSdXItKF6NxUTEuPiCdubrQRu1vjRZwT4bJ5CMdqhtxYZTW39W5ZmmFVTC2cO7UFilKTrVrun1Vk~sGa6gvl7efkYxAG6Iem-TrkYENa9sYZAeGUqKJCbQFLTPQ-MLasii~RyKdDe7rMJgMtM6H6p8Uw~6OyLju~x~k2XKcBvlSkkF4SRtw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-03-23T00:54:17.133Z","article","Lewisville City Council approved multiple land-use and administrative actions during its March 17 workshop, voting unanimously on zoning and development requests, an appointment to the Arts Advisory Board, and a closed-session settlement authorization.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance granting special use permit for commercial amusement outdoors (Feather Smash LLC): approved 5-0. The ordinance allows outdoor commercial-amusement uses on a roughly 1.1-acre tract adjacent to an existing indoor badminton facility at West Vista Ridge Mall Drive to add outdoor pickleball courts. Planning staff said the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval 5-0 on Feb. 18, 2025. (Case 23-05-8-SUP.)

- Alternative standards for IH-35E Frontage Road development (Run Time Centers 1 LLC): approved 5-0. The applicant requested five alternative standards for a 1.05-acre site at the IH-35E frontage road and Fox Avenue to allow 24 parking spaces instead of 42, reduce the IH-35E landscape buffer from 20 feet to 5 feet, waive a secondary walkway requirement, allow live (vegetative) screening in lieu of an 8-foot masonry wall on the northern border, and reduce required glass to 0% along IH-35E frontage. Planning and Zoning recommended approval after revisions; the commission voted 4-1 then 7-0 at subsequent hearings. (Case 24-09-14-ALTSTD.)

- Alternative landscaping standard at 591 Benjamin's Way (Bridal Holdings LLC): approved 5-0. The owner sought to retain an existing 10-foot landscape strip instead of the required 30-foot strip and to add two replacement trees to account for previous unpermitted paving. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended unanimous approval. (Case 25-1-2-ALTSTD.)

- Appointment to Arts Advisory Board: accepted resignation of Thomas Smith, declared the vacancy, and appointed Ken Purcell to Place 7 on the Arts Advisory Board; motion passed 5-0.

- Consent agenda (approved 5-0): included routine items and acceptance of the annual comprehensive financial report (ACFR) and related documents that were presented earlier in the meeting.

- Closed-session settlement authorization: council approved a motion to settle three related eminent-domain matters and to pay a combined $1,056,000 jointly to the identified claimants (Masamim Mission, Moshe and R. Rabjani, City of Knowledge and Reza Ventures LLC or their designees) and authorized the city manager and city attorney to execute necessary documents. The motion was approved by voice vote following closed session.

Details and council discussion: Planning director Richard Lutke (spelled in staff materials) and applicant representatives were on hand to describe the zoning and alternative-standards requests. Council members asked about screening and the feasibility of planting live material where a sewer easement constrains wall placement; staff said landscaping and existing trees would be supplemented where feasible. For the Run Time Centers proposal councilors described the concept as \"similar to a ghost kitchen\" and cited proximity to population and affordability of the parcel as reasons the business sought Lewisville.

What it means: the approvals allow outdoor recreation at a current indoor facility, permit a delivery-focused quick-serve concept to locate along a constrained frontage site using alternative development standards, and regularize prior unpermitted alterations at an industrial site through a reduced landscaping requirement and supplemental plantings. The settlement authorization resolves outstanding condemnation claims as presented in closed session.

Ending: all motions reported in this article passed unanimously (5-0) at the March 17 workshop session unless otherwise noted; staff will implement the changes and return any required permitting documents to council or to administrative processes as appropriate.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025-03-17 (City Council)","oneSentenceSummary","At its March 17 workshop, the Lewisville City Council approved a special-use ordinance to add outdoor courts for Feather Smash LLC, two alternative-standard requests for quick-serve/delivery-oriented development and landscaping, appointed a new arts board member, and authorized settlement payments in eminent-domain matters totaling $1,056,000.","taxTitle","Lewisville, Denton County, Texas","taxId",2789,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6115071,"Lewisville unveils 'Community Champions' neighborhood preparedness program",303,2572000,2875000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2739911-7cc8e5ad0b183a04c998addac5fdad23&start=2572&end=2875","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2739911-7cc8e5ad0b183a04c998addac5fdad23/thumbnail_2572000.jpg","/articles/6115071/Lewisville/Denton-County/Texas/Lewisville-unveils-Community-Champions-neighborhood-preparedness-program","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6115071-895f12855eeeeec80f40b846f2cc07ae/orig.mp4?Expires=1770442980&Signature=W69y5F48RpWscanuiT-iT-aH~hAerhfGdjdJB7GXvqcTZYzJ4k20Xq6LsSVgBQjcpXKC-emgLRHh1Q0PNC4rqgMtalssKpvBZdVxI1xx7vgSGOSx~j1JDsJahdFTN0sBtPp50Ios~sTQWAzxm24gHcSIcqwHJO8R9FNejXdgY8uz~SQC7fmreKwCRNqX72bYXT6O9P3ofpmOqxr1LiNWD1lgXoqoOgTZTmmZxXQ49zhAyiHB2Oeei34ExO1aw9DeRvkONydf0nvsEhc~4nAiQXPaPAs4Dwbe8D5h0PSCa8hcL4XAX~qsq8QzaSerXf2a5oG8WyU8lq7~0iplEga0cA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lewisville emergency management leaders on March 17 outlined a new volunteer and neighborhood-preparedness program called Community Champions, designed to build local resilience and offer a pathway into more advanced volunteer roles such as CERT.

Russell Marshall, emergency coordinator, said the curriculum focuses on preparedness basics, neighborhood vulnerability mapping and utility safety. The rollout will target homeowners associations and neighborhoods, with recruitment in April and May and the first three seminars planned to be held in the city's emergency operations center after the new public-safety facility opens.

Program structure: the three seminars will cover (1) building an emergency kit and the first 72 hours after a disaster; (2) utility safety (how to shut off water/gas and secure an electrical panel), weather preparedness and basic first aid; and (3) identifying resources and vulnerabilities in neighborhoods (such as elderly residents or neighbors with specialized skills). Graduates of the three-part series will be designated Lewisville Community Champions.

Marshall said the program is designed to complement, not replace, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. Lewisville previously had an active CERT program that waned during the COVID-19 pandemic; staff said they intend to re-engage with the Denton County CERT program to leverage training resources and expand local volunteer capacity.

Accessibility and outreach: the program will be offered virtually and in Spanish; staff plan to recruit through Neighborhood Services, Nextdoor and other outreach channels. The first graduating cohort is expected in late summer, with a second cohort in the fall and ongoing quarterly sessions thereafter.

Council response: council members praised the initiative as a neighbor-to-neighbor resilience approach and asked about sign-up logistics; staff said registration information will be posted and in-person sessions will be held at the new public-safety facility.

Ending: staff said they will begin neighborhood outreach in April, run seminars through the summer, and report back to council on participation and any additional resource needs.","Emergency management staff introduced Community Champions, a three-part neighborhood resilience curriculum to start in April and May, aimed at building local preparedness and establishing volunteer engagement pathways including CERT coordination.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6115075,"Lewisville emergency staff review boil-water notification problems; city plans system changes and IPAWS use",195,1470000,1665000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2739911-7cc8e5ad0b183a04c998addac5fdad23&start=1470&end=1665","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2739911-7cc8e5ad0b183a04c998addac5fdad23/thumbnail_1470000.jpg","/articles/6115075/Lewisville/Denton-County/Texas/Lewisville-emergency-staff-review-boil-water-notification-problems-city-plans-system-changes-and-IPAWS-use","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6115075-56cb1cd95f392a64d85894c8e1a6d980/orig.mp4?Expires=1770442980&Signature=DU7Z6j28vUGmmVP03L~gRDEWeiD3bjRCMAUrtPctnb-pA863JK0dtOY63thwbYG73oh7mYQVkgY~3pwhxFKc8fVwWnFaWishTF8JzYDCZHsPzwnM6fNzXxZkJwWuJpIvGRt4dl3--4OEL3SX-hlwQo2QHcMMJUPxFEtN9tJffD01ygpknOhFZRziSrb6xQEH7PE28XUWFW~cT~0PFK60PWN5AEudHqV4b95UTzrmo7L9Lf4iH4HhMRCT9rKwcCsL5KfFY6oRmmi3Ta3XqPUYcWH7x6-yVeYF8-qPjsJwN1r~gcSkywlBQSUKA9k5oXg0NlKk~kby9IXZmcU5-hLqiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City emergency management staff summarized lessons learned from a recent water-main break and subsequent boil-water notice at the March 17 Lewisville City Council workshop and outlined changes to the city's mass-notification approach.

Cindy Casey, emergency management specialist, said the city's vendor system (Everbridge) attempted more than 300,000 notification deliveries during the event and reported \"only one true system error\". Casey attributed gaps in delivery chiefly to subscribers' account settings, outdated contact information and design choices during the early notification that prevented some landline-only subscribers from receiving the alert.

Casey described multiple causes for missed messages: residents who had moved without updating their accounts were excluded when staff used a pressure-zone geofence; some subscribers had only landline numbers and the first alert was sent only via text and email to avoid waking residents; SMS messages had been long enough to display as links on some carriers; and some users had previously marked similar messages as spam or subscribed only to National Weather Service alerts (which are relayed differently).

Planned changes: city staff said they will (1) use multiple contact methods (voice, text, email) for future critical notifications instead of text/email only; (2) shorten SMS copy to avoid carrier fragmentation and link-handling; (3) stop relying on geofencing for certain water/utility advisories because geo-targeting excluded some affected residents; and (4) pursue activation of IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System) for critical incidents so wireless emergency alerts (the same system used for AMBER and tornado warnings) deliver messages to all mobile devices connected to affected cell towers without opt-in.

Legal and privacy considerations: Casey told the council that porting utility billing data into Everbridge for automatic notifications raises legal questions about permitted use of billing information; staff said many municipalities surveyed rely on opt-in subscription rather than full imports for legal reasons. IPAWS was presented as a way to reach wireless devices without moving billing data into the vendor system.

Public outreach: staff described outreach steps already under way, including water-bill mailers, education booths at community events, newsletter items, and plans to preserve existing subscriber groups when categories are renamed (for example, changing \"community alerts\" to \"Lewisville emergency alerts\" and renaming weather alerts to explicitly reference the National Weather Service).

Ending: Council members asked clarifying questions about retention of subscriber groups and legal limits on using utility-billing data; staff offered to take the legal question offline and pursue an MOU to use IPAWS. No formal council action was taken at the presentation.","After a recent water-main break and boil-water notice, emergency management staff told the council they reviewed Everbridge results, found primarily account- and delivery-method issues, and plan to adopt shorter SMS messaging, avoid geofencing for some events and pursue IPAWS for wide-area wireless alerts.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6115078,"Lewisville auditors issue clean opinion; council accepts annual financial report",1010,416000,1426000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2739911-7cc8e5ad0b183a04c998addac5fdad23&start=416&end=1426","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2739911-7cc8e5ad0b183a04c998addac5fdad23/thumbnail_416000.jpg","/articles/6115078/Lewisville/Denton-County/Texas/Lewisville-auditors-issue-clean-opinion-council-accepts-annual-financial-report","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6115078-db76ab4a4cad6373b7600bc2c0196ec4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770442980&Signature=bvYe8KkSDTHbW0d8ODC-Al5txe9UvQol~cl2sRm1j8UmAXXwZHWDf2fBl0zFlxmdcMGWuvHt-~4pYfmAagPnEVqqTLQhU7v9~JFR-tnIYh4i6DTMZ1wVTW49H1joHJD7OCi7ns4ugaf-Qw23Js4FBXMCZ0ajWQkoTxOxUXEiJeybxb87cd6~p-1nqme14ju85I6BfLLlER7yX5vZ8EB~TTajWp3emtooTcgVRnkVhDcTiPnY0CyNdFssBcISLygaoYpYSEh2zYwY-7kDve~KuJbCZnJ0L3~1CFODWLYDwrgxnH-x43BP9kEkZz6afuq1Btn6YH1VQrIYd0-WhPGCDA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lewisville auditors told the City Council on March 17 that they issued an unmodified (\"clean\") opinion on the city's fiscal 2024 financial statements, and the council accepted the annual comprehensive financial report as part of the consent agenda.

The audit engagement partner, John Devereaux of Weaver, said the firm issued an \"unmodified opinion on the financial statement,\" describing it as the highest level of assurance on a set of financial statements. Lauren Butch, the engagement manager, and Dave Erb, director of finance for the City of Lewisville, joined the presentation and described the audit process and highlights.

Why it matters: an unmodified opinion indicates the external auditors found the financial statements fairly presented in all material respects under the applicable accounting standards. The report also included audits of major federal and state programs, internal-control reviews and the condensed popular annual financial report (PAFR) intended for public distribution.

Audit findings and figures: auditors reported no material weaknesses or findings in internal control or compliance. Highlights the presentation cited: governmental fund revenues of about $231.7 million (an increase of $27.8 million over FY2023), governmental fund expenditures of $318.2 million (an increase driven largely by $59.6 million in capital outlay), and governmental fund balances of $233.1 million (a decrease of $53.4 million, attributed to timing in capital projects). Enterprise funds (water/sewer/stormwater) ended the year with a combined net position of about $33.8 million, up $13.1 million from the prior year.

The auditors also noted implementation needs for upcoming accounting pronouncements (including GASB changes) that the finance staff will implement in fiscal 2025. Director of finance Dave Erb recognized his accounting team by name during the presentation.

Council action: the audit report and the ACFR were included on the consent agenda and were approved unanimously as part of a 5-0 consent vote.

What comes next: staff will proceed with the disclosures and any implementation tasks required for the new accounting standards noted by the auditors. The PAFR and ACFR are available to the public as part of the city's fiscal records.

Ending: The auditors and finance staff answered council questions following the presentation; the council then advanced the audit acceptance through the standard consent motion.","External auditors issued an unmodified opinion on Lewisville's fiscal 2024 financial statements; the City Council accepted the annual comprehensive financial report during the March 17 workshop consent vote.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council approves zoning variances, development standards and appointment; authorizes settlement payment

Lewisville unveils 'Community Champions' neighborhood preparedness program

Lewisville emergency staff review boil-water notification problems; city plans system changes and IPAWS use

Lewisville auditors issue clean opinion; council accepts annual financial report