Children’s Learning Adventure site getting cleaned up

A Specific Use Permit for a Children’s Learning Adventure Childcare Centers, which has daycares across the country, was approved for a new location in the southwest corner of FM 1171 and Churchill Drive by Flower Mound’s Town Council in December 2014, and the site plan was approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission in April 2015.

After that, though, the childcare company had funding issues and for years it was essentially doing just enough work to keep town permits from expiring, Town Manager Jimmy Stathatos said earlier this year.

This spring, three years after getting the green light from the town to begin work, CLA finally pulled out of the project and allowed its permit to expire, Stathatos said, leaving what many residents have called an “eyesore” in a highly visible place in town.

Before CLA let the permits expire, the property had been cleared, part of the foundation was poured and the storm sewer, underground electric service and plumbing were installed, but little other progress was made. The property remains a bare slate of grass, dirt and concrete. CLA put in a deceleration lane on Churchill Drive, without the proper documentation for the concrete, so it had to be redone.

But now, the property owner has hired a contractor to stabilize the site for the short-term, according to Molly Fox, spokeswoman for the town of Flower Mound. Construction work began early this week, and over the next three weeks, they are cleaning up the site and removing trash and debris, grading portions of the site for better drainage and completing construction top open the northern drive approach on Churchill, to include a required crosswalk.

Town staff are monitoring the property on a regular basis, Fox said. There are no plans to redevelop the property at this time.