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Neighbors urge Denton County to review Redbird Ridge drainage after design changes
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Summary
During public comment at the Denton County Commissioners Court in April 2026, Crispin Miller and architect Turid Horgan said a redesigned drainage plan at Redbird Ridge routes stormwater onto private property, creates flooding and a steep retention pond hazard, and asked the county for an independent engineering review and reconstruction.
Crispin Miller, who identified himself as a half owner of Redbird Ridge Development, told the Denton County Commissioners Court that residents and the original designers are alarmed after the residential portion of a nearby development was sold and the new owners deviated from approved construction drawings.
"They assured us that they would follow our construction drawings. That promise has not been kept," Miller said, introducing the project’s original designer. He said the deviations prompted neighbors to bring details to the commissioners during the public-comment period.
Architect and environmental designer Turid Horgan — introduced at the meeting as the original project designer — described what she called improper hydrology and public-safety risks from recent changes. She said a culvert now routes stormwater across her family’s private property by way of a road easement and that there is no drainage easement to handle the new runoff, leaving roughly three acres unusable.
"You don't flood your neighbor's property with water," Horgan said, arguing the redesign departs from sound engineering practice and has increased flooding and washout damage to adjacent land. She also said a retention pond at the development entrance is about "15 to 20 feet deep with steep clay sidewalls" and lacks steps or ledges to help someone climb out, which she described as a public-safety hazard.
Horgan asked the court to order an independent review of the Redbird Ridge drainage and to prepare a full reconstruction of the drainage system so it "complies with sound engineers' principles and public safety standards." She said the county had approved the recent design changes despite what she described as inadequate review.
Chair Kevin Faulconer reminded the speakers that the issue was not on the formal agenda and the court could not discuss or take immediate action during the public-comment period, but he said the court "will certainly get with staff" and noted the item could be added to a future agenda for formal consideration.
No formal action was taken during the meeting. Commissioners did not debate the technical claims on the record; Horgan’s request for an independent review and reconstruction was recorded as a public plea for staff follow-up.
Next steps: Commissioners indicated staff follow-up would be arranged; the court did not vote on or refer a specific investigation during the session.
