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- North Richland Hills | 199-Unit TH/SFR
North Richland Hills | 199-Unit TH/SFR
4/3/25 | 8851 Bud Jensen Drive
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P&Z April 3, 2025
199-Unit Townhome/SFR | 8851 Bud Jensen Drive | Approved
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Note: We typically only focus on rental residential product types. However, we can make an exception when there’s a unique deal, even if it appears to be for sale. We think this deal is noteworthy due to its size and the lack of development activity in NRH in recent years. Feel free to let us know if including this is helpful or not by using the poll at the bottom.
Thank you–The Ultraground Team
Northeast NRH | 13.82 Acres | 199 Units | Approved
Arcadia is making another strategic play in North Richland Hills. Arcadia’s Founder Bill Gietema presented a 13.82-acre residential expansion to the successful HomeTown community originally started in 1997. This is the first expansion opportunity they've had in over 25 years, and they're converting an office parcel to extend the neighborhood fabric east of the existing development.
U/ Product
The product is specifically targeted to a "lock and leave" demographic: 30% of these homes to be occupied by "single women and single folks and then the balance will be essentially double income types." Minimal yard maintenance and maximum sociability drive the value proposition, with particular emphasis on walkability to nearby amenities including the NRH Centre, Senior Center, and Library.
The site plan is organized around a series of "green streets" - essentially common areas that function as shared outdoor living spaces. Each of these green streets is essentially a separate sub community, Gietema explained. Homes front these green spaces with porches and other "gifts to the street" (required for 75% of units), while garages and parking are tucked behind on mews or alleys. Every unit gets three parking spaces: two in garage plus one on driveway apron, exceeding the two-space requirement.
Minimum lot sizes are 1,400 SF for single-family detached (24' min width) and 1,200 SF for townhouses (20' min width). Building separation requirements are 4' minimum for single-family detached and 10' minimum between townhouse buildings. Maximum impervious coverage is 100%, giving significant design flexibility. The maximum building height is 35 feet with a maximum of 3 stories for both product types.
Arcadia secured off-site visitor parking agreements with the adjacent office property (Capital Commercial Investments, Inc.) for approximately 60 additional spaces, addressing commissioner concerns about overflow impacting nearby public facilities.
‟People that go to the rec center or library don't have to take their car - it's that five minute walk. People leave their cars at home, it's the beauty of new urbanism.
Gietema made a compelling financial case. The existing office use generates about $330k in property taxes. This residential redevelopment will generate nearly $2 million annually - a 500% increase. On top of that, the recurring household income from 210 units translates to additional sales tax capture that doesn't exist with office use.
Planning & Zoning Commission 4/3/25
O-1 → R-P | Approved
The NRH Planning & Zoning Commission approved Arcadia's proposal to rezone 13.82 acres from Office to Residential Planned Development in a 5-2 vote. This HomeTown expansion plans 199-210 units mixing townhomes (51%) and single-family homes (49%).
Commissioner Narayana provided practical support, noting the property would never be office or retail, and with multifamily not desired, residential was "the best of those options." Chair Welborn expressed trust in the developer's ability to manage "all the finer details."
Primary opposition came from secretary Jared Ross, who was concerned about the property's unusual location surrounded by non-residential uses.
‟I'm not in support. I don't like the location. I think it's highly unusual to have a residential neighborhood 100% surrounded by government buildings, a school, office building and the hotel. I think HomeTown's already bookended pretty nice with the library and the city buildings at one end of it, and I feel like this residential neighborhood is now jutting out of what I think is a very nice bookend to the neighborhood.
A sole speaker in opposition, resident Kay Hyde, argued HomeTown "doesn't need to be one house bigger" and challenged assumptions about facility usage, noting the senior center has "excess of 800 members."
The financial projections were compelling: $115 million tax base versus current $15 million, with annual property taxes increasing by $1.66 million. Homes will target upmarket buyers: townhomes at $500,000 and single-family at $650,000.
‟Every phase we kind of densify and raise prices and that's how we've done this for the last 25 plus years.
Five of seven commissioners disclosed living in HomeTown during the meeting. Narayana owns two homes there. Chair Welborn, Ross, and Goetz all acknowledged residency. When Gietema asked Commissioner Jay if she lived there, she confirmed, with Gietema noting she had "impeccable taste." Despite these connections, the votes weren't uniform - Ross opposed the project despite living in the community.
Developer: Arcadia, Bill Gietema Phone: (214) 986-5024 Email: [email protected], John Hodge Phone: (214) 843-4244 Email: [email protected] LinkedIn
Owner: Capital Commercial Investments, Inc., Paul D. Agarwal Phone: (512) 628-2769 Email: [email protected] LinkedIn
Staff Report: ZC25-0127
Development Standards: ZC25-0127 DS
Project Plans: ZC25-0127 Plan
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