Euless council approves Midway Park Elementary site plan after debate over bus routing and neighborhood traffic

At its April 2025 meeting, the Euless City Council approved a site plan for a new HEB Independent School District elementary school on a roughly 17-acre site at 409 North Ector Drive.

Staff said the plan calls for a two-story school building of about 93,000 square feet and would replace three existing access points with three new access points on North Ector Drive. “The proposed landscape plan is in compliance with our Unified Development Code,” a Development Services staff member told the council, and staff recommended approval.

The approval matters because the project changes traffic patterns in a residential area and raises operational questions about daily bus and parent drop-off circulation. Josh Miner, HEB ISD’s executive director of facilities and construction and the owner’s representative for the project, described the intended bus operations: the north entrance would function as a oneway entry into a loop, with buses circulating through and exiting at the south end of the site. “Our intent was to actually run that as a one way from the that entrance,” Miner said, clarifying that the design was not a two-way in-and-out at the bus drop.

Philip Bergeese, the project civil engineer, said the area designated for bus drop-off is 24 feet wide, wide enough to serve as a fire lane and to allow a car to pass a stopped bus. “We also coordinated with the fire department,” Bergeese said, adding that a loading area north of the building would allow buses to pull in while keeping the lane clear for fire apparatus.

Councilmember Tompkins questioned whether the turning radius and the proposed parking angle at the bus area would work in daily operations, saying parents frequently queue and sometimes park on nearby residential streets. “That’s a big concern for me for those parents, especially those people who live there,” Tompkins said, urging careful attention to queuing and neighborhood impacts. Miner and staff responded that signage, one-way markings, and possible plan revisions could be used to manage circulation.

Staff told the council they will step up resident outreach for construction and operations communications. Miner said the district is bringing on a senior project manager and superintendent for construction-phase communications; a Development Services staff member said the city’s construction team would coordinate notices to nearby homeowners. “If we have to revisit our traffic pattern or our plans, we will do that as well,” the staff member said.

Mayor Pro Tem Padelle moved to approve the site plan; Councilmember Stineford seconded. The council voted to approve the site plan (motion passed).