In the 7 years since Founders Classical Academy opened on FM 1171, parents and the headmaster asked the town multiple times for a school zone in front of the property.

The pickup and dropoff line at the public charter school often snakes down Flower Mound Road and sometimes up to FM 1171. Parents, hoping to avoid that headache, park at RockPointe Church and walk on a sidewalk next to 1171 to get to the school.

Each time, town staff sent the request up to the Texas Department of Transportation and the state said no. Recently, that changed when Flower Mound made it clear they would be paying for the maintenance of the signs. TXDOT set the proposed speed limit at 35 mph, drew up a map, and sent it back to the town for approval.

But on Monday night, the town council was the one to say no to the school zone, saying it didn’t cover the area and the overall issue was one that would resolve itself with time.

The proposed school zone, which would run from west of Saddlewood Drive to just east of Flower Mound Road, would have stopped short of the portion of the sidewalk that parents feel is too close to FM 1171, according to planning documents. Mayor pro tem Adam Schiestel wondered aloud if drivers would step on the gas once they got out of the school zone to get back up to 50 mph.

"That doesn't seem like it's going to accomplish very much,” Schiestel said.

Besides that design flaw, the property between RockPointe Church and Founders Classical Academy is being developed for Trotter Park, which will include a trail that will go across the 13-acre parcel and end near the edge of the school’s property. Council members felt that would give parents a better option for getting their children to and from school when it is finished in 15 to 18 months.

“Once that park is in there, it's going to resolve the issue,” Mayor Cheryl Moore said.

Council members Chris Drew and Clare Harris voted against denying the school zone. Drew wanted more time to know if there had been any incidents with cars and pedestrians at that location.

Schiestel said he wants to look at changing the town standards for major and minor arterial parkways, the grassy area between a sidewalk and the street. In some locations, the parkway can be several inches wide and at others, a sliver of grass stands between pedestrians and cars. On the stretch of FM 1171 Between Founders and Rockpointe Church, it’s the latter.

“I don’t want to deny it and that be end of the story,” Schiestel said.

He said he’s felt the effects of a small parkway near his house on Morriss Road.

“It feels like someone is going to sneeze and jump the curb and hit you,” Schiestel said. “It's terrifying.”

Schiestel also asked town staff if they could increase speed enforcement around the school and talk with Founders about improving the flow of the dropoff and pickup line so parents are more inclined to use it.