Growth is a constant in Dallas-Fort Worth, especially in recent years. Many residents of once-remote areas outside the city limits chose to live there because it was quieter and had fewer people than areas close to the city. The steady influx of new residents and businesses is changing the nature of all these formerly semi-rural areas, from Prosper to Aledo. The latest to face dramatic change is Trophy Club, whose residents finally lost a five-year battle to keep zoning from allowing apartments to be built, according to the Star-Telegram. 

The new apartments to be built in Trophy Club are far from typical, however. Most residents opposed to apartments envision garden-style units where you’ll find a lot of young children and multiple cars per household. But the new apartments coming to Trophy Club are part of a new mixed-use development called Trophy Club Town Center. The development will include 250 luxury apartment units, 39 townhomes, a 137-room Aloft hotel, and 50,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, according to the report. 

Developer Scott Beck of Beck Ventures said the apartments were an essential component in making Trophy Club Town Center successful. The new financial services businesses coming to the nearby area, including TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab, will bring hundreds of potential new residents with lucrative jobs. Not every one of those employees will want to buy a house right away in a competitive market like DFW, especially if they are single professionals. 

Aloft at Trophy Club rendering courtesy of Trophy Club Town Center

The original vision for Trophy Club Town Center with the new corporate offices nearby was to create a smaller version of the popular Shops at Legacy Place in Plano or the Southlake Town Square.

While the demand for new housing and resources in Trophy Club may be easily predicted, that doesn’t mean the city has readily agreed to it. In fact, the road to building Trophy Club Town Center has faced a long fight. Trophy Club has long been considered a bedroom community, a quiet residential place far from commerce. Residents opposed to the development on the land at State Highway 114 and Trophy Club Drive fought for five years to keep the plans from coming to fruition. Some even proposed using the vacant land for a city hall and police station instead, according to the Star-Telegram report.

A 2014 update on the proposed project showed that the 26-acre development was delayed in response to resident concerns. Original plans called for up to 350 apartments and 73,000 square feet of retail space. 

Beck Ventures finally won the right to build the Trophy Club Town Center, apartments and all. But the right to do so came after a five-year legal battle when the city of Trophy Club sued Beck. As part of the terms of the settlement, which was reached out of court, Beck has to pay the city $750,000. The city plans to use that money for park improvements elsewhere in the city.

The development will bring urban-style apartments, which will have the parking garage in the center and the entrances on the interior. The mix of housing will include apartments for rent, owner-occupied townhomes, and temporary guests at the hotel. The retail and restaurants nearby will all be designed to be walkable and accessible from the housing. The developers expect that it will attract an upscale clientele and create a stable community.