Flower Mound's 200-acre Monarch development along I-35W is shaping up to be the town's largest commercial buildout in years, with two home improvement centers, up to five big-box retailers, fuel stations and 250 townhomes now in the plans.
The full project scope came into focus after the Cross Timbers Gazette reported Aug. 20 on the Town Council's approval of changes to the Monarch planned development and a land swap with Argyle that frees up acreage for additional retail.
As we reported Aug. 19, the council approved the boundary adjustment with Argyle. The swap sends more than 62 acres of floodplain from Flower Mound to Argyle and brings a little more than 8 acres back. About 4 of those acres are developable, and the town expects to use them for water detention, which would allow Monarch to attract a fifth big-box retailer.
"We're bending over backwards to get this land swap done," Mayor Pro Tem Adam Schiestel said. "With inflation and legislature, this is a huge tailwind for us for sales tax generation."
What's in the project
The commercial side of Monarch, located near the intersection of Denton Creek Boulevard and Cleveland Gibbs Road, includes:
- Two home improvement centers with council-approved outdoor storage and seasonal sales areas
- Two big-box retailers, each with an attached fuel station
- A potential fifth big-box store enabled by the land swap
- Up to three gas stations total
- Restaurants
The residential component includes 250 townhomes, down from 290, itself an increase over the 278 units originally approved when the town council first approved Monarch in January 2025, expected to price from the high $500,000s to the high $700,000s. The town built in a phasing trigger: the first 150 townhomes cannot break ground until 150,000 square feet of commercial space is constructed, and the remaining homes require 300,000 square feet of commercial development to be finished first.
Trails, ponds and a pocket park round out the plan.
How the land swap works
Most of the 62-plus acres going to Argyle sit in a major floodplain and are largely inaccessible from Flower Mound. Under the agreement, that land is donated to Argyle on the condition it be used as dedicated parkland, open space or public facilities with minimal lighting. If Argyle attempts to develop it for something like an apartment complex, Flower Mound can deny the plan.
A separate 3-acre tract along I-35W, north of the floodplain, is also transferring to Argyle. Assistant Town Manager Tommy Dalton said building a bridge to access it from Flower Mound would not be worth the expense. Argyle plans to use it as a detention pond, freeing the developer to dedicate more land to commercial uses.
Dalton called the swap an integral component of the Monarch application, saying it allows the developer to gain more large commercial retail.
Road access and TxDOT plans
Denton Creek Boulevard will run east-west through the heart of Monarch and eventually connect to I-35W. Monarch Parkway will run north-south. Denton County committed $1.7 million to help construct Denton Creek Boulevard, and the bridge has been open since fall 2025.
Jonathan Kerby of engineering firm Kimley Horn said TxDOT plans to add an I-35W frontage road and interchange along the Monarch property within two years. Kerby said the announcement of those improvements has already led to a big-box retailer entering the town's permitting process, though the tenant has not been named publicly.
What's next
Argyle's Town Council must formally approve the boundary change at its Monday, Sept. 21 meeting to make the swap official. The town has already approved the land donation itself.
