Flower Mound parks board unanimously recommends Leonard and Helen Johns Park master plan to town council

The Flower Mound Parks Board voted unanimously May 1 to recommend a conceptual master plan for Leonard and Helen Johns Park, a 38.11-acre site at 1850 Timber Creek Road, sending the plan to the Town Council for placement on a future agenda.

The board’s recommendation follows a presentation by David Shipp of MHS Planning and Design and a monthslong public outreach process. The plan is a hybrid of three previously shown concepts and is intended to address recreational deficits identified in earlier master-plan work while responding to public input, staff said.

MHS presented the site data and constraints driving the design. The project boundary shown in the presentation sits mostly inside the floodplain: MHS reported about 4.5 acres in the regulatory floodway, roughly 5.5 acres in the 100-year floodplain and about 1 acre in the 500-year floodplain within the project area. Because of those constraints, the plan locates five tennis courts in the area that the consultants and staff modeled to avoid negative downstream impacts, and retains substantial tree canopy in other areas.

Primary features shown in the plan include a multiuse trail loop, an amphitheater-style shelter, a reduced-footprint nature-themed playground sited near the pavilion, interpretive/nature signage, boardwalks and fishing features around the pond, and space allocated for public art. Consultants said they reduced the playground footprint after board and public comments and that spectator seating areas adjacent to the proposed tennis courts could be provided within the available grade and hydraulic constraints.

Public comment at the meeting included three residents who raised concerns and suggestions. Patricia Fager (1765 Meyerwood Lane) said she worried the plan’s tennis complex and associated traffic would affect neighborhood safety and parking along Timber Creek and asked the board to account for the nearby neighborhood’s character. David Youngblood (4720 Hanover Court) questioned whether the town needs five additional tennis courts and suggested evaluating other sports or a larger playground. Ally Foreman (1315 Stapleton Lane), who identified herself as a biologist and former user of the site’s natatorium, urged the board to prioritize natural-area investments, native plantings, and educational elements and to design construction to protect wildlife and reduce erosion; she asked for bird-friendly lighting and interpretive materials where possible.

Board members who spoke praised the consultant for addressing prior input and said the revised plan reflected many public and board suggestions. After closing the public hearing, a motion to recommend the concept plan to Town Council carried unanimously. The transcript records affirmative votes from Doug Graves, Jennifer Marchevsky, Ashish Purry, Ricky Pinion, Holly Royer and Chris Chastain; the board chair called the motion passed unanimously.

Next steps: staff said a Town Council agenda slot is being considered for either May 17 or June 2, depending on council scheduling and any additional refinements requested by the board or staff. Consultants and staff also noted any construction schedule or grant-funded elements would proceed only after council approval and, where applicable, successful grant awards (Texas Parks and Wildlife and other grant applications were discussed elsewhere in staff reports).