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Bedford Bark Park at 3200 Meadow Park Drive is part of the 57-acre property owned by Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD. The school district is considering the sale of the land. (Matthew Sgroi | Fort Worth Report)
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On Memorial Day in Bedford, a border collie chased a tennis ball across a large patch of green grass. A yellow Labrador retriever flared its nostrils, sniffing for new smells. A boxer sat next to its owner, signaling it was time to go home.

At Bedford Bark Park, the scene wasn’t out of the ordinary. Bedford homeowners and residents of the many apartment complexes located on nearby Central Drive and Bedford Road often take their four-legged pals to the patch of grass to expend their energy, residents said.

Soon, they may need to find another park for their furry friends. Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, which has owned 57 acres of land since 1969 that includes the Bedford Bark Park and the Meadow Park Athletic Complex, is considering selling the property, according to a statement sent to the Fort Worth Report. 

Deanne Hullender, the district’s chief public relations and marketing officer, said the sale was discussed when the district presented its bond package.“No official board action has taken place at this time,” Hullender said.

The potential sale of the property comes at a time when school districts across Tarrant County have made staffing cuts and closed schools because of declining enrollment and a lack of state funding. HEB ISD, for example, has cut specialist positions such as academic interventionists across the district. 

In 2023, the property was valued by the Tarrant Appraisal District at $4.6 million.

The uncertainty surrounding Meadow Park has sparked concern among residents who value the open space for recreation and community gatherings. A Facebook post on the city of Bedford, Texas, page in late March concerning the future of the park had 106 comments, nearly all in favor of keeping the space green.

HEB ISD bought the land in 1969 from two families, Hullender said. The property was likely ranchland historically, she said, and was purchased by Bedford when the city was still developing. 

The district bought the land with the intention of building its third high school there.

When that plan didn’t materialize, HEB ISD leased free use of the land to the city for the Bedford Bark Park and the Meadow Park Athletic Complex, which features two baseball fields and two soccer fields. 

Because of that history, Bedford Mayor Dan Cogan said, the city is involved in discussions with the district.

“The city has been anticipating the sale of this land by the school district,” Cogan said. “Therefore, we have had several internal discussions with the district on what type of development we would prefer while also making plans for relocating our dog park that sits on the property today.”

Bedford Mayor Dan Cogan, 35, poses for a portrait in his office, Jan. 5, 2024. (Sandra Sadek | Fort Worth Report)

Cogan said he envisions the land with a residential and commercial component while still preserving mature trees and green space. As the land is currently zoned for residential use and isn’t owned by the city, Bedford can’t change zoning laws to prohibit development, Cogan said.

“This property was purchased by HEB ISD, which limits the city’s ability to ultimately control what goes there,” Cogan said. “The current zoning is for residential, which must be adhered to. … What I would like to see is low density development with single-family homes.”

And, it would be imprudent for the city to buy the land from the district, Cogan said.

“I believe it would be fiscally irresponsible to use a significant amount of city funds to purchase  the land from the district to designate it as a city park, when we have a recently renovated park in Generations Park at the Boys Ranch down the street from this location,” he said.

Generations Park at Boys Ranch, located less than a mile west of Meadow Park, completed renovations in January 2023 and includes two outdoor pavilions, a fitness center and three baseball fields.

With Generations Park being so close, the city sees no need to pay for another so close by, Cogan said.

“However, Bedford needs to be a part of the conversations on how this property will develop and ask for preservation of trees and addition of green spaces before the sale of the land,” he said.

Cogan’s hope, he said, is that the area will be developed to have a lower number of homes per unit of land, meaning larger lots and more open space between homes. Cogan does not want homes built right up to the property line, with little or no space between neighboring buildings, he said.

Meadow Park also includes a segment of the city’s linear trail system, which follows underneath and along 32 acres of Oncor power lines in northeast Bedford. Cogan said the linear trail system will remain untouched because of Oncor requirements. 

Regardless, the city will stay on top of the potential development, Cogan said. 

“If and when the school board decides to move forward with selling this property, I would like Bedford to take the lead in guiding the school district in finding the right developer who will present a plan that is beneficial to all parties and meets the expectations of the residents,” Cogan said. 

HEB ISD is in no hurry to sell this property to a developer, Cogan said.

“We have a new board member. … We only have one meeting in June and one meeting in July,” Hullender said. “When it gets closer (to when the sale will be brought to the school board), people will know.”

Residents’ concerns will be noted and addressed to the board when the item is discussed, she said.

Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @MatthewSgroi1 on X. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.