Forney council conditionally approves final plat for Wayfair at Forney Addition after residents raise drainage, traffic concerns

The Forney City Council on Jan. 21 approved the final plat for the Wayfair at Forney Addition, a proposed multifamily development in the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), on the condition that the developer finalize and receive staff approval of the civil drainage plans before any further action.

City planning staff told the council the request would establish boundary lines and easements for two lots totaling roughly 50.8 acres east of Helms Trail and Prairie Lake Lane. Peter Morgan, city planning staff, said the preliminary plat was approved Aug. 20, 2024, and that the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-1 on Jan. 2, 2025, to recommend approval after 16 members of the public spoke in opposition.

Why it matters: The tract lies outside Forney's corporate limits, in the city's ETJ. Council members and residents emphasized that the council's authority is limited for land-use controls in the ETJ; staff and the developer said the council's role on a final plat is largely ministerial as long as subdivision-ordinance standards and stamped engineering plans are met. Still, residents urged the council to withhold approval until drainage, road capacity and construction protections were clear.

Residents voiced concerns about downstream flooding, existing road conditions on Helms Trail, and how multifamily housing might affect crime and property values. Larry Benson, a Los Alamos neighborhood resident, told the council, "I didn't buy over a half $1,000,000 house to live next to apartments." Catherine Green, who lives on Helms Trail, said she and her family moved to Forney in 2023 and that flooding she described at her home left her "terrified." Several speakers asked who will inspect and maintain the site and adjacent roads, given overlapping city and county responsibilities.

Developer Greg Wood of White Bear Communities described the project as one-story apartment buildings with garages and said the firm had responded to engineering comments. "The city... we went through preliminary plat and we had a substantial amount of engineering work done and addressed all those comments," Wood said. His engineer, Rick Martindale of Langan Engineering, told council members that the development's grading, underground storm sewer and detention design should reduce flows to adjacent Emerald Ranch by about 50 percent in a 100-year storm and that the firm plans construction‑era controls such as a temporary diversion berm to protect neighboring yards.

Council discussion focused on the limits of municipal authority in the ETJ and on the technical sufficiency of the drainage plans. Several council members asked that the city receive complete, stamped civil plans for drainage and that staff verify comments are addressed before any civil work begins. Councilmember Elgato moved to approve the final plat with the condition that the civil drainage plans be completed and approved by staff; the motion was seconded and the council voted to approve the plat with that condition.

The council also asked staff to present a clearer public briefing on drainage, including maps and photos showing where flows will be routed and which segments of Helms Trail are under city or county jurisdiction. City staff said the developer's current plan ties much of the development's runoff to an underground conveyance and a detention pond that will discharge to the north, bypassing nearby back yards.

What was decided: Council approved the final plat for the Wayfair at Forney Addition with a condition that civil drainage plans be finalized and approved by city staff before the project proceeds. The council requested an item on a future agenda for a public presentation showing the final drainage designs and a map of road jurisdiction responsibilities.

Background and limits of authority: Staff reminded the council that, under state law and the City of Forney subdivision ordinance, final plats within the city's ETJ must meet the subdivision ordinance and be supported by stamped engineering plans. As staff explained, when those conditions are met the council's decision on a final plat is ministerial and a denial must cite statutory or ordinance-based justification.

Next steps: The developer will return with finalized civil plans that must be approved by staff. The council asked staff to schedule a public presentation with visual materials showing the drainage design and a map identifying which stretches of Helms Trail are city-maintained and which are county-maintained.

Votes at a glance: Council approved the final plat (motion to approve with condition made by Ms. Elgato; seconded by Ms. Schlenzker; roll-call tally not specified in the record).