As of 12:01 a.m. Nov. 15, 2021, Castle Hills is officially part of the City of Lewisville.
The annexation, which was years in the making, will give the Castle Hills community access to all of the services that come with living inside the city limits of Lewisville — 24/7 fire and police protection, traffic patrols, health inspections, animal control services, public transit, and more. Street maintenance, sidewalk maintenance, and infrastrucutre will be maintained by the city, too.
As for annexations, this was a huge one. The City of Lewisville will take over 83 parcels of parkland — a total of more than 44 acres within Castle Hills. Additionally, the City of Lewisville’s population will increase by 18,000 residents and add more than $3 billion in property value to the city’s tax rolls.
“It’s in my view a net benefit to Lewisville, a net benefit to the residents of Castle Hills and a net benefit to Bright Realty,” said Chris Bright, CEO of Bright Realty.
A Long-Term Plan Comes to Fruition
Castle Hills, located on the south side of state highway 121, was developed by Bright Realty from the start in the mid 1990s with the long-term goal of annexation. However, the City of Lewisville didn’t want to bring in Castle Hills until it was more fiscally feasible for the city’s existing tax base. That meant that Castle Hills was governed by eight Denton County Fresh Water Supply Districts, homeowners associations, and a Castle Hills Master Association. The city also created public improvement districts with each water supply district that issued debt to pay for the basics, such as streets, sidewalks, and water and sewer lines.
But now that the higher-end homes of Castle Hills are a part of the City of Lewisville’s tax base, the city can refinance the debt from Bright infrastructure development and fold it into the city’s existing tax scheme. And Castle Hills residents will benefit from the services that the city provides.
“We’re in the business of running cities, and they’re in the business of building communities, so [it] kind of was a good handoff,” said Lewisville Mayor TJ Gilmore according to this report.
Annexation Celebration
The City of Lewisville will host the Castle Hills Annexation Celebration this Saturday, Nov. 20, from noon-2 p.m. The event will include the chance to meet Mayor TJ Gilmore, provide input on the Parks Master Plan update, display of city equipment included Police, Fire and Public Services apparatus, information on city programs, services and programs. The event will feature performances from groups who call the Lewisville Grand Theater home, booths from Lewisville Parks and Recreation Play On Wheels, a Lewisville Library story stroll, and a Lewisville Police Department K-9 unit demonstration. Pops Kettlecorn will be giving away kettlecorn and soft drinks.
The event will be held on Lady of the Lake Drive between Damsel Cherry Lane and Holy Grail Drive, close to Castle Hills Community Center (2501 Queen Margaret Drive).
For more information, visit the City of Lewisville’s website.
