Flower Mound designers pitch flexible Riverwalk arts center; council debates outdoor amphitheater

Architects from Hofer, Wilker & Borer outlined an early programming and schematic design approach for a proposed Riverwalk arts center in Flower Mound on Wednesday, saying the goal is "to make a place that really feels like it belongs in Flower Mound," a consultant said.

Michael Tingley, one of the architects, said the team distilled feedback from stakeholder workshops and interviews into a set of goals: an enduring, high‑quality building with flexible spaces that serve local artists and can also host touring performances. Tingley said the design work aims to avoid future renovations by planning for adaptability now.

Richard Miller, the project partner, described stakeholder preferences for a traditional proscenium main theater, strong acoustics and an orchestra pit for live music, an adaptable secondary theater (about 150 seats), studio and maker spaces, and a gallery with diffuse daylight and the ability to blacken the room for projections. The project team recommended exploring a main hall in roughly the 500–800 seat range and an outdoor performance area sized for about 200–300 people as part of a mixed indoor/outdoor site program.

The market analysis presented by the design team found a regional gap for venues in the roughly 500–800 seat range and noted Flower Mound’s growing population, above‑average household incomes and educational attainment as positive demand signals. The consultant said few regional sites combine indoor and outdoor performance opportunities on the same parcel, which could distinguish the Riverwalk facility.

Council members and staff pressed on tradeoffs between an indoor‑focused center and a signature outdoor amphitheater. One council member noted the town’s master plan lists an amphitheater as a tier‑one priority and urged that outdoor options be made more prominent; another said climate, DFW Airport flight noise and return‑on‑investment concerns argue for prioritizing larger indoor capacity and keeping outdoor elements modest.

Residents and arts stakeholders who spoke during public comment largely supported robust public engagement and asked to be represented on the project’s steering committee. "I think it would be appropriate for someone from the Arts Commission to be appointed to the steering committee," resident Liz Bridal said. Several commenters emphasized that operating costs and cost‑recovery must be central to design decisions.

James (staff) told the council there is a county partnership and a captured funding source (referred to in the meeting as TIRS) that staff said can fund the project without raising the town’s tax rate, and he pledged further public notices and more detailed summaries of resident feedback as the process proceeds.

What’s next: the team said it has completed three of 12 workshops and plans a construction manager‑at‑risk selection and cost modeling in February; staff indicated a likely onboarding point for additional public/commission participation in February–March as design moves from technical pre‑design into schematic scoping.

The work session did not include any formal votes.