FARMERS BRANCH, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Farmers Branch has erased a list of land limitations a farmer pushed back against for more than a year.

The city removed or adjusted restrictions last month on crops, height limits, hay bales and perimeter mowing, following a long campaign from business owner James Lockridge, who argued the city rules for property maintenance violated state protections for agriculture.

The changes should allow Lockridge to resume his work this spring, mowing tall grass on undeveloped property, which he uses to feed livestock. Meanwhile the work allows landowners to maintain agricultural tax exemptions on the undeveloped parcels.

"It wasn't just a battle for James, it was a battle for everybody in the state of Texas," Lockridge said.

His long dispute included driving his tractor to Austin in 2021 to get the attention of lawmakers. It worked, attracting legislative support which he believes should lead to a bill this year for additional protections for agriculture. He said he is still fighting rules, including citations, in seven other North Texas cities.

City manger Ben Williamson, who was appointed in November, explained that the ordinance changes over the last several month simply followed a new conversation with Lockridge, after it was clear he was looking for more relief from the city's rules.

Williamson said he'd promised the city council that if someone in the city had concerns, his door was open to talk about them.

While the council agreed unanimously to the latest change, the city's interim mayor voiced concern in a meeting in December that overgrown properties could be a health hazard, hiding trash and rodents, in between land built up with homes and businesses.

Jason Allen

Jason, a Southern California native, came to North Texas after working as a reporter for four years in Orlando. He received his bachelor's degree in communication arts from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, and then began his career as a producer/reporter at Primary Focus. Jason went on to work as a reporter/anchor at KTWO-TV in Casper, Wyoming, and later as a reporter at WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Twitter Facebook

Fair warning to parents: A new Dallas-area playground will have kids wanting to stay up past their bedtimes. Joya at Oran Good Parkin Farmers Branch, set to open this summer, will be the first glow-in-the-dark playground in DFW and all of Texas.

Meaning: When the sun goes down, the true fun begins.

"Joya will be an inclusive glow playground that, while fun in the daytime, will come alive at night with interactive features that glow, allowing for day and evening play," a description on the Farmers Branch website says. (Watch a video rendering here.)

Translated as "jewel" in Spanish, Joya will feature both a main playground (for ages 6+) and a tot playground (for ages 2 to 5).

The main playground will span about 18,000 square feet, and highlights will include:

The 7,000-square foot tot playground will be in a fenced area and include:

Oran Good Park is located at 13300 Dennis Ln., at the corner of Tom Field Road and Valley View Lane, in Farmers Branch.

According to Local Profile, it will open in late August and will offer not just a fun, light-up playground for the kids, but also activities for the whole family, with daytime and nighttime events year round.

The project is funded by a $750,000 grant from the State of Texas Parks & Wildlife and $4,000,000 from the Federal American Rescue Plan Act, the city says.

"The Oran Good Park location was strategically selected for Joya not just for its central location and visibility but also for the unique topography and natural features of the site, most of which will stay intact," the website says. "The location features Farmers Branch Creek and walking trails which will remain."

As part of the planning process, city staff studied potential environmental impacts an negative effects of light pollution. All of their specifications are expected to meet International Dark Sky Association (IDA) and National Audubon Society guidelines, they say.

"A riparian buffer will be planted around the creek to help with runoff, pollutants and erosion, and will invite wildlife." they say. "Birds, toads, butterflies, and all other creatures will exist in perfect harmony at Joya."

To keep up with the park progress, visit the park's website and follow along on Facebook.

A one-of-a-kind playground that will glow at night is coming to Farmers Branch this summer.

The new park, called Joya — meaning jewel in Spanish — will be the “crown jewel” of playgrounds in the suburb, according to a release from its parks and recreation department. The playground will be located off of Interstate 35 and Valley View at Oran Good Park, which features a sports complex, and will retain its athletic fields, walking trails and creek.

“It’ll be our signature playground, and the biggest, newest playground in the city,” said Farmers Branch spokesman Jeff Brady. “It will certainly be one-of-a-kind in Texas.”

Breaking News

Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond.

Email Address

By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Farmers Branch, which brands itself as a “City in a Park,” is home to 27 parks, 13 playgrounds and a nature preserve. This new playground aims to outshine the others, and will likely open sometime in late August, Brady added.

“Joya will be an inclusive glow playground that, while fun in the daytime, will come alive at night with interactive features that glow, allowing for day and evening play,” the city said in the release.

The park will feature an 18,000 square-foot main playground decorated with LED lights, as well as swings, an obstacle course and zip line. Initial renderings for the park also depict a 27-foot sphere with six levels of climbing, additional swings and slides — recommended for children over the age of 6.

“Hopefully in the evening hours, when it’s so hot in the daytime here in Texas, this will be an opportunity to get out to a playground when it’s cooler,” Brady said.

The area will also include a 7,000-square-foot tot playground for children ages 2 to 5, featuring a natural sensory play area and glow-up seating area.

The concept for the park was developed using data from kids — or the real “fun experts” — according to the city. Approved by council members in November 2021, the project was funded through federal and state grants, including a $4 million grant from the Federal American Rescue Plan Act and $750,000 from a Texas Parks and Wildlife grant.

The city is now waiting approval from the National Parks Service — the federal organization that runs the country’s national parks — before breaking ground, Brady said.

Construction is expected to start sometime in April, according to the spokesman. Hours for the park are yet to be released.

The 2023 National Championships will represent the world’s largest-ever pickleball tournament, serving an expanded field of more than 3,500 amateur and pro players.

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas — USA Pickleball and the Carvana Professional Pickleball Association (PPA Tour) have announced that the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships will officially move from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif. to Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas.

The tournament will take place from Nov. 4 to Nov. 12.

The event will serve as the world’s largest-ever pickleball tournament, serving an expanded field of more than 3,500 amateur and professional players — a 50% increase over the event’s capacity in 2022 — utilizing up to 65 courts, officials said.

“We are thrilled to partner with the PPA Tour in our ongoing efforts to enhance the USA Pickleball National Championships and further cement its position as the premier pickleball tournament in the world,” said Robert Quicksilver, Chairman of the USA Pickleball Board of Directors. “Given the PPA Tour’s proven track record of running exceptional pickleball tournaments and the added involvement of Invited—a leading operator of professional sporting events and country clubs around the world—USA Pickleball is confident that the 2023 National Championships will be the best tournament ever for our amateur and professional players, as well as for our fans, sponsors, and media partners. The move to Dallas, one of the great cities in the U.S., will make the 2023 National Championships more accessible geographically for players seeking to qualify among our membership that is more than 70,000 strong."

Tournament officials said the 2023 overall prize money will be announced at a later date, but will exceed the 2022 total of $150,000. They say it'll be the largest purse in the tournament's history.

Upgrades planned for the 2023 National Championships include designating the street outside of Brookhaven Country Club as “Pickleball Boulevard” to make space for a stage, live music, and family-friendly activities with sponsors and local businesses, event officials said in a release.

Food and beverage vendors from all over the state of Texas will be on-site as part of the “Taste of Pickle” exhibit that will give tournament attendees the chance to experience traditional southwestern cuisine. Nightly musical performances are also planned for the tournament, as well as various interactive events surrounding the event.

“It’s been special to see the Dallas community rally around pickleball—from the city itself, to the Dallas Sports Commission, to our partners at Invited,” said Tom Dundon, lead investor in the PPA Tour. “Partnering with USA Pickleball to bring its National Championships to a central hub is important to us as we continue making pickleball more accessible for everyone. We look forward to working in conjunction with USA Pickleball to create an incredibly exciting and historic event that will be the biggest pickleball party in the world.”

More information about the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships presented by the PPA Tour — including how to qualify — can be found here.

More Texas headlines:

Neighbors in Farmers Branch are complaining of dust from a giant dirt pile beside homes along Interstate 635 LBJ Freeway that they say is making residents sick.

Over the past year, the dirt from the LBJ East road construction project was placed on the 22 acres of state-owned land along the freeway. The dirt is to be used as fill for the Interstate 35E Phase 2 project in Farmers Branch and Carrollton.

Earlier this year neighbors were told the pile would be gone by the end of 2022. Now they’re told it will be at least another year.

They planned to sound off at a Farmers Branch City Council Meeting on Tuesday night, where people from the Texas Department of Transportation and the project contractor were due to provide a report.

“It should never have been put behind a neighborhood. It’s not just my neighborhood, it's neighborhoods this way, that way, they get hit with it as well. They’re having the same issues,” resident Amanda Garza said.

Dust flies as trucks rumble in and out of the site, but Garza said dust has been flying from the top of the pile too and through her home all year.

She said she became more alarmed recently when she saw the filth coating her furnace filter.

The latest news from around North Texas.

“When I saw the AC filter, that's when it clicked in my mind. This is all connected. The allergies, the asthma, the everything. It just was like a light bulb,” Garza said.

She said her desire to rally neighbors against the pile also increased after a meeting held at her home last month with neighbors, the contractor and state officials.

Residents were told plans to remove the pile by the end of 2022 were extended for another year.

Travis Kralicke, the project deputy director for contractor Lone Star Constructors, was forbidden by TxDOT from giving an on-camera interview to NBC 5.

By phone, he said the site is the ideal storage location between the two road projects for dirt storage.

He said it was a saving to taxpayers to use the only state-owned land available in such a prime location.

Garza said the location is not ideal for residents.

“Hello, there's a neighborhood all around it. It's the entrance to our city. It looks horrible,” she said. “That is not a solution. Lowering it, they're just creating more dust for us now.”

By email Kralicke provided additional information about actions taken in response to neighbor complaints:

“Dust mitigation efforts began immediately after placement of the stockpile with periodic watering. Since receiving feedback from the adjacent residents, we have increased the frequency of the watering as well as installed a sprinkler system to further mitigate and control dust. Also, based upon the feedback from the community, we have begun to haul the material from the stockpile to the project site,” the email said.

But Kralicke said there will not be sufficient space at the new project location for all of that dirt until late 2023.

Kralicke and state transportation officials were to provide a report on the project to the Farmers Branch City Council Tuesday night.

Garza and other neighbors say a large group of them intend to sound off. They want the dirt pile removed now.

The LBJ East project where the dirt came from is due for completion in 2024.

The I-35 Phase 2 project where the dirt is to be taken is not due for completion until 2025.