Denton, just north of Dallas and Fort Worth, could soon become a major boomtown.
“We do have a lot of change experiencing within our community,” said Tina Firgens, deputy director of development services for the City of Denton, to The Dallas Express. “We try to have responsible, managed growth within our community. So that’s how we try to wrap our arms around what we’re experiencing here.”
Denton is a college town home to the University of North Texas and Texas Woman’s University. According to the Denton County website, the city’s economy relied on wheat and cotton farming historically. As the metroplex creeps north, developers are jumping on opportunities to build across the city.
Currently, $682.2 million worth of construction projects are underway across Denton. Eighty-six projects are under construction, and 19 have been completed.
“We know that we have a fair amount of undeveloped land within our city compared to many other communities within the DFW area, so I think that’s why we continue to be an attractive place for potential growth and development,” Firgens explained.
Denton could potentially see 185 more projects coming its way. One hundred fifty-two more projects are in development, which is the “site planning and engineering review process.” There are also 33 projects in the initial “entitlement” stage, which seeks “zoning approval through public hearings.”
“We’ve actually seen a 4.41 percent increase in our annual growth rate since 2020, so it’s a little higher than what our comprehensive plan originally assumed, which was a 3.19 percent growth rate,” Firgens said, adding, people moving to Denton “come from all over.”
The city topped the metroplex in population growth with a 5.32 percent increase in 2023, according to a study at the time by Smart Asset. Early that year, as The Dallas Express reported, Denton County’s population surpassed 1 million residents. The same year, homelessness reportedly increased 20 percent in the county.
Firgens said Denton is an “attractive location” for industry due to its position where I-35 splits between Dallas and Fort Worth. She said the city has seen the most growth along this highway.
“We continue to be an attractive location, particularly for distribution facilities and cold storage facilities, just because of our strategic location within the DFW region,” she said. “I think we continue to be an attractive location, particularly for that distribution industry.”
Firgens explained that the city’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan and development code guide officials in navigating development.
“If someone is seeking zoning entitlement changes, then we evaluate those requests for consistency with our comprehensive plan and then also with the criteria that we have in our Denton development code,” Firgens said.
She pointed to two major developments expected in the next 15 to 20 years, which will occupy 6,700 acres of total land.
One is the Landmark development near Pilot Knob in southern Denton, which will be a 3,200-acre development with “6,000 new homes and 5 million square feet of mixed-use commercial space and multifamily.” H-E-B is planning to open a store in the development.
The other is Cole Ranch, a former cattle ranch that will offer “more than 3,000 acres of commercial, civic, entertainment, and single family properties,” according to its architects’ website. The city’s website says Cole Ranch is required to “build, maintain and dedicate 60 acres of parkland [sic] to the City of Denton.”
According to Firgens, developers launch projects and take responsibility for some of the infrastructure burden. Depending on the situation, they may be required to help build adjacent roads or install water and sewer lines.
“Developers have responsibility for helping build our infrastructure,” she said. “It’s kind of a collective effort in terms of financial resources for our projects.”
Firgens added that the city might also fund associated infrastructure projects with impact fees, the capital improvements program, state or federal funding, or potentially the city’s general fund.
“I would expect that we would continue to have growth,” Firgens said.