Fort Worth hotels may soon be banned from building too close to schools without special approval

Fort Worth city council members are considering an ordinance amendment that would require hotel developers to go through a Planned Development zoning process before building within 1,000 feet of a school.

This comes after a weeks-long controversy earlier this year between the City of Fort Worth, Keller Independent School District, Basswood Elementary Parents, and a Studio 6 extended-stay hotel.

Even though the hotel owner went through proper protocols and even started construction, he eventually packed up after the backlash and closed-door meetings with the city and Keller ISD.

District 4 city council member Charlie Lauersdorf has been working on changes since and proposed the ordinance change brought to city council members during their work session on Tuesday.

The change would require any hotel, motel, or inn to go through the zoning process if they want to build within 1,000 feet of any school. That means notifying the school and getting the city's approval.

Some areas, like downtown and the South Side, would be exempt from this requirement.

“I definitely believe in property rights and that if somebody owns a property, they should be able to do what they want with it. However, if it’s going to be that close to a school, we should have a better say in what they can or can’t do with it," Lauersdorf said.

City staff told NBC 5 that five hotels would currently be considered "nonconforming" if this amendment passes, and the city already sent them a notice of the possibility on July 26.

But, Lauersdorf said the hotels would be grandfathered in, unless they shut down.

"The only time it could come into play is if that property is vacant for more than two years. So, if they, you know, shut the doors and it’s a vacant property for more than two years, at that point, they’d have to reestablish and redevelop the land for something else," he explained.

A spokesperson for the city said if a fire or other disaster destroys 75% or more of the hotel building, the rule change would kick in, and the owners would have to go through the zoning process to rebuild near the school.

Lauersdorf said he's started a council-initiated zoning change for the area around Basswood Elementary from I- Light Industrial to E. Neighborhood Commercial.

He said that change will make development more school-friendly.

He said after the incident with Basswood Elementary, he also went through all the vacant properties within 1,000 feet of schools and plans to pursue council-initiated zoning changes for all those areas, too.

Lauersdorf said he's still working on other concerns that Basswood Elementary parents highlighted, like zoning notifications being sent to outdated emails, and zoning signage being too small and difficult to read.

He's holding an informal town hall for parents at Basswood Elementary School on Thursday at 7 p.m. to discuss possible upcoming changes.