September 29, 2026

By Mary Beth Gahan

Six pickleball courts and a turf soccer field are being constructed at Valley Creek College near Marcus High School, but the intensity of lighting that will illuminate the athletic facilities at night is up in the air.

Valley Creek Church, which runs the college north of Dixon Lane and west of Morriss Road, requested a waiver that would allow some light fixtures to be twice as bright as the town allows.

On Monday night, planning and zoning commissioners recommended denial for the lighting waiver after more than a dozen residents expressed their concerns about how it’ll affect the nearby neighborhood. Several commissioners were not comfortable overriding limits set by town ordinance.

“To recommend approval to the council we would have to say that the 20-foot-candle ordinance is outdated, or for some reason should be disregarded,” said Commissioner Ryan Geddie. “I don’t think I’m willing to go that far.”

Now, in order for it to be approved, a super majority of town council members must vote in favor of it.

A site plan for Valley Creek College was approved in January, but did not require a public hearing or special use permit because it was non-discretionary. The property’s zoning allows religious/institutional use and accessory uses that go along with it, like pickleball courts. There were no exceptions being requested at that time.

When residents of Waterford Park Estates, to the west of Eastglen Drive, saw construction begin, they contacted Valley Creek Church to learn more.

Church leaders met with residents in May and discussed noise-dampening material that had been added to plans for the fencing after neighbors expressed concern.

Brad Lanham, executive pastor of operations at Valley Creek Church, told residents at the meeting that the signage and lighting would fall within the limits of the town code.

“So you'll see light, but it won't be falling onto your property because it hits zero foot candles at the property line,” Lanham said.

In June, the church asked the board of adjustments to allow a sign on the outer wall of the college to be 94 inches high, rather than the 70 inches maximum allowed by town ordinance for a building that size.

The lighting waiver request, which the church submitted in September, asks for 10 light fixtures over the courts and soccer field to be more than the town’s maximum 20-foot-candle illumination. The request asks for the light under the fixtures to range from 23.2 to 42.6 foot candles.

The brighter lights will help prevent falls and player collisions, Lanham said, as well as improve depth perception of those on the court and field.

“The whole reason we’re asking for this is for the safety of our students,” Lanham said.

The lighting at the property line on the west and east side would be up to .4 foot candles, according to a photometric study commissioned by the church and conducted by an engineer. Hoods around the top of the fixtures will direct the light toward the ground, so the brightness will not change at the edge of the property if the foot candles are increased on the light fixture.

“These are projections from engineers, these are not actual numbers,” Commissioner Todd Bayuk said. “The only way we'll know is after it's built.”

The HOA for Waterford Park Estates sent a formal letter to planning and zoning commissioners as well as town council members prior to the meeting to ask them to deny the request. Commissioners received 19 emails prior to the meeting and three more came in during the meeting. All were in opposition to the lighting waiver.

Lanham said he was surprised there was so much pushback from neighbors. He said he emailed residents three weeks ago in an effort to meet with them about the lighting waiver, but did not hear back. He thought things were settled after their in-person meeting in May, he said.

“We left the meeting very cordial. I didn't interpret it as adversarial,” Lanham said.

There were further disputes during the meeting when Lanham explained how the lights will cut off and what hours they’ll be on. The courts and field will be open only to the college’s 65 students and they will have to reserve them in advance so the lights can be scheduled. The latest the lights would be on, Lanham said, would be 11 p.m.

That was news to the residents in the audience.

“We will end things at 10 p.m., for sure,” Lanham told neighbors in May.

Jennifer Beavers, who lives in Waterford Park Estates, said if the commission recommended approval of the request, it would “erode trust in these regulations.”

“I think it sets a dangerous precedent,” she said. “We know religious use of land already enjoys broad flexibilities and granting waivers on top of this makes it very difficult for you to deny similar waivers brought forward in the future.”

Commissioner Michelle Jackson echoed that sentiment.

“This can have very significant impacts because look at the map of Flower Mound. There are churches all over. Most of them are adjacent to neighborhoods,” Jackson said. “If we approve this exception, then how many people are going to want to build a pickleball court and we’re going to be like, ‘We have to do everybody now.”

After commissioners voted unanimously to recommended denial for the lighting waiver, the last item on the agenda was a request for a special use permit to allow outdoor sales, display and storage at Home Depot on the corner of FM 2499 and Lakeside Parkway.

A similar request from Lowe’s came before the commission and town council earlier this year. When it was approved, others took notice.

The developer of Monarch, a 187-acre development near Denton Creek Boulevard and Interstate 35, asked for a few exceptions and modifications to the planned development last month, including a request for outdoor displays and storage.

Jonathan Kerby, with the engineering firm Kimley-Horn and Associates, said they were “waiting with bated breath” to see what would happen with the initial Lowe’s request so they could follow suit. Two home improvement stores are planned to be built in Monarch.