Lewisville council unanimously approves Suntex subleases for Eagle Point Marina redevelopment
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Summary
The Lewisville City Council voted unanimously Jan. 30 to approve sublease agreements allowing Suntex Marinas to redevelop Eagle Point Marina on Lewisville Lake; Suntex told the council it plans a phased project costing about $70 million and said work would proceed to the limits allowed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Lewisville — The Lewisville City Council on Jan. 30 approved sublease agreements with Suntex Marinas that clear the way for a multi‑phase redevelopment of Eagle Point Marina on Lewisville Lake. The motion, made by a councilmember and seconded by Scott Stephenson of Suntex Marinas, passed unanimously; the council also authorized the city manager or her designee to execute the agreements.
Scott Stephenson, investment manager for Suntex Marinas, told the council the company is "set to close" with the current concessionaire in the next few days and recommended approval after a short presentation on the project. "We plan to spend $70,000,000 here, in developing this over the years," Stephenson said, describing a phased plan that would replace in‑cove docks with new in‑water facilities and move marina operations onto the water so the uplands can be redeveloped for a lodge, cabins and restaurants following the Lake Park master plan.
Stephenson said Suntex intends to avoid displacing the marina's roughly 700 customers during the replacement of docks and that the company will build to the capacity allowed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. When a councilmember noted a slide appearing to show 825 slips, Stephenson responded that "it's what we're building is exactly what the corps of engineers allows, for this property." The transcript shows both the speaker's statement that Corps limits will govern and a slide number that differs; the record does not reconcile that discrepancy.
City staff described short‑term and long‑term subleases: a long‑term marina lease with an initial term ending April 14, 2050 (with two optional 10‑year extensions and one optional 5‑year extension) and a short‑term three‑year uplands lease while a private operator identifies development plans. Staff noted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers executed lease number DACW63‑1‑24‑0613 in November 2024 to replace an earlier lease (DACW63‑1‑00‑0820) that expires April 14, 2025. A city staff member said the Corps set maximum lease terms and that extending beyond those maximums "would require an act of Congress." The staff member also said the Corps had provided the city a letter indicating current approvals and that staff needed to coordinate with the lender before closing.
The council heard details about site remediation and existing obstacles on the uplands. Staff said a building identified in the transcript as "sneaky peeps" is slated for demolition and that the owners have an obligation to remove it but have been resistant; staff said the city could perform demolition and bill the owners if necessary. Staff and Suntex confirmed existing fuel tanks on the site will be removed and that Suntex has committed to environmental remediation steps to address on‑site contamination and unencapsulated foam in coordination with the Army Corps of Engineers.
The special meeting was convened to meet a near‑term closing timeline; staff said they sought the special meeting because the Corps had provided approvals and the lender needed to confirm clearance before a planned closing next week. After brief questions from council members about neighborhood input and timing, a councilmember moved to approve the sublease agreements and authorize execution by the city manager; the motion was seconded and "motion passes unanimously," according to the presiding official.
The council did not provide a roll‑call vote record naming individual yes/no votes in the transcript. The meeting concluded with the council adjourning and staff and Suntex representatives thanking attendees. The city posted four emails submitted earlier in January from a resident, Warren Carson, commenting on facility types he would like to see; those emails were entered into the public record but no public speaker appeared during the visitors forum.
What happens next: staff and the parties said they expect to proceed with lender approvals and closing in the coming days and to begin permitting with the Army Corps of Engineers, with visible construction and shoreline changes expected to begin within about three years pending permitting and phased construction scheduling.
