UpdateThis story was updated to reflect clarifications provided by Denton County officials.
Denton County commissioners voted against creating White Oaks Municipal Utility District near Ray Roberts Lake State Park due to environmental concerns and residents’ opposition during Tuesday’s meeting.
The proposed utility district would have cost about $82.6 million. White Oaks Ranch Land LP filed the petition to create a district southwest of Pilot Point, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality notice.
Environmental issues that would affect the area included land elevation, groundwater level within the region, recharge capability of a groundwater source, natural runoff rates and drainage, water quality, and total tax assessments on the land located within the district and in Ray Roberts Lake in direct violation of the lake land use ordinance, according to the agenda item.
White Oaks Ranch holds titles to a majority of the land, based on value. The proposed district would have contained about 378 acres south of FM455, north of St. John Road, west of U.S. Highway 377 and southwest of the city of Pilot Point, according to the petition.
The district is mostly within unincorporated Denton County with a portion located within the City of Denton’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.
According to the agenda item, a portion of the proposed utility district was located in an area governed by the Ray Roberts Lake land use ordinance. The ordinance governs any structures and land located within the area.
The regulations have been designed to provide safety from fire and flood, prevent undue concentration of population, lessen congestion on roadways, prevent overcrowding of land and conserve space.
TCEQ notified the Denton County Commissioners Court in October 2022 about the application to create a new municipal utility district.
Signs saying “Stop White Oaks M.U.D.” lined FM455 on the properties surrounding the existing White Oaks Ranch last year, according to the Pilot Point Post-Signal.
The state environmental agency said it received about 83 comments opposing the district’s creation and about 61 requests for a contested case hearing.
The chief clerk of the TCEQ office sent notice of the agenda to consider hearing requests for March 6.
However, the agency’s executive director recommended denying a hearing request for the petitioner to the commissioners. On Tuesday, commissioners approved a resolution stating opposition to the creation of the proposed utility district.
Denton County Precinct 1 Commissioner Ryan Williams said there were about 100 people he met with who opposed the creation of the utility district.
“So obviously, with what the citizens are requesting, that’s why I put it on the agenda and think it’s the correct thing to do,” Williams said.