On the north side of Westlake, Stagecoach Hills has a 2,700-foot turf runway, 90 feet wide, listed under the FAA identifier 4TX2 as a private-use airport, according to AirNav's FAA-derived airport record. Just north of that subdivision, along Roanoke Road, the Town of Westlake has picked a site for a water tower about 130 feet tall. The land would come to the town from Hillwood.
The design money and the engineering contract came first. Council authorized the funding in 2025 and hired the engineer in May 2026, while financing for construction is a later step. The size, the site and the urgency are still being argued in public comment, with the latest round at the October 20, 2026 Council meeting. Anyone weighing a north Westlake address this fall is looking at a project whose design is funded and underway, while its site and size are still open.
How the Project Was Approved
Most of the steps so far happened at regular Council meetings, and none went to a ballot.
- August 30, 2010. Westlake adopted a resolution approving a water service contract with the City of Fort Worth. That contract is the basis of the town's water supply.
- September 2024. Community Impact reported that Westlake hired Freese and Nichols for a water master plan. The same story said the town's system then included a pump station, a one-million-gallon tower located in Keller and about 61 miles of water lines.
- July 15, 2025. Council authorized up to $9.54 million in Combination Tax and Revenue Certificates of Obligation, Series 2025. The proceeds go to water projects, including pump stations and a water tower, and to the Sam & Margaret Lee Arts & Science Center.
- May 19, 2026. Council approved Resolution 26-11, hiring Teague Nall and Perkins to engineer and design a 1-million-gallon elevated storage tank. The contract has a not-to-exceed amount of $800,000, paid from the 2025 bond fund. The same meeting identified the Roanoke Road site.
- August 5, 2026. Community Impact reported an $830,000 design contract, an $8 million construction estimate and a construction award planned for fall 2027.
- October 20, 2026. At the Council meeting, Stagecoach Hills residents read a petition into the record asking Council to stop further engineering at the site.
The two sources give slightly different numbers. The town's recap lists the engineering contract at up to $800,000 and construction at $8 million to $9 million. Community Impact reported $830,000 and $8 million. Both put the tower at one million gallons.
The 2025 certificates fund the design. Construction is a separate financing step. The town's FY2027 proposed budget says Westlake may issue debt toward the end of FY2027, depending on how planning for the second water tower progresses. That would line up with the fall 2027 construction award Community Impact reported.
Why the Town Wants Elevated Storage
The town's reason is in its May 19 recap. Maximum-day demand is projected to double in less than 10 years, and the recap describes current storage as covering only limited hours. Maximum-day demand means the single heaviest day of water use in a year. A tower holds water at a height that keeps the system pressurized through that peak, and through a fire, without depending only on pumps.
The state sets the minimum pressures. TCEQ guidance says public water systems generally have to maintain at least 35 psi in the distribution system. TCEQ's rules publication adds that pressure during a fire-flow event can't fall below 20 psi. For a town that buys its water under contract and whose one elevated tank is in Keller, a second tower would add storage inside Westlake's own borders.
Water revenue in the town's books points the same way. In its fourth-quarter report for the fiscal year that ended September 30, 2026, the finance department projected $45 million in revenue against a $35 million budget. The report credited higher-than-budgeted sales tax, utility fees and interest earnings. For FY2027, the town says it plans no water or sewer rate increases.
Residents Read the Master Plan Differently
The October 20 petition doesn't argue against water storage in general. It argues over what the town's own consultant recommended. In the Council meeting video, a speaker for the Stagecoach Hills Air Park petition said Freese and Nichols did the engineering analysis for the water master plan update from September 2024 through November 2025, projecting needs through a 2045 buildout. She then read what she described as a passage from that report:
"The projections show that the town has adequate elevated storage to meet the regulatory requirements through the 20 year period. However, it's recommended to construct an additional EST to increase system resiliency and help serve peak hour demands."
She added that the plan recommends a 0.5-million-gallon tank within the 10-year period. That is the residents' reading of the report as spoken into the public record. The full master plan text would settle the question, and as of late October the town's recaps did not show it published with the tower materials.
Here is how the two positions compare, as each side has stated them:
| Question | Town of Westlake, May 19, 2026 recap | Stagecoach Hills petition, Oct. 20, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Tank size | 1 million gallons | Residents say the master plan recommends 0.5 million gallons |
| Why now | Max-day demand projected to double in under 10 years | Residents say storage meets regulatory requirements for 20 years |
| Purpose | Limited hours of storage coverage | Resiliency and peak-hour demand |
| Height | About 130 feet | Residents cite ordinance limits they read as far lower |
| Site | North of Stagecoach Hills on Roanoke Road, conveyed by Hillwood | Move it, or redirect the funds to another site |
Both positions agree that Westlake should add storage at some point. They differ on how much, how soon and how close to a runway.
The Runway Objection
Stagecoach Hills is a residential airpark. During public comment at an August 17, 2026 special Council meeting, a Stagecoach Hills resident said the airport has operated since 1971. He said the proposed tower would sit within roughly 900 feet of the approach end of Runway 18. He also said the FAA has no legal authority to block the tower because the airport is private, and asked Council to take a second look. AirNav's record confirms the airport and its turf runway. The 900-foot figure and the safety assessment are the resident's own.
He proposed an alternative site near U.S. 377. He described two large ground-level water tanks, a pump station and a main line already in that area. The town's published materials name the Roanoke Road site and the Hillwood conveyance. They don't explain why that parcel was chosen over other sites.
Height Rules and the Comprehensive Plan Update
The October petition also argues that the tower conflicts with Westlake's own development rules. In the meeting video, the speaker read scenic-view and building-height provisions from two town ordinances. By her reading, those provisions would cap any structure on the site far below 130 feet. That interpretation is the petitioners'. The town has not published a response, and whether those provisions apply to a municipal utility structure remains an open legal question.
The comprehensive plan the petition invokes is about to be rewritten. On May 19, the same night it hired the tower engineer, Council approved Resolution 26-13 to issue an RFQ for a comprehensive plan update. The plan was last updated in 2015, and the new one is expected to guide growth for at least 10 years. The tower's design and the town's long-range plan are now in progress at the same time.
At the October 20 meeting, a speaker said the petition carried about 60 Stagecoach Hills signatures. The Council recap records the request but no Council action on it.
Dates Ahead
The town's agenda portal lists the next Town Council meeting for November 17, 2026, at 4 p.m. Its files weren't posted in late October, so it isn't yet known whether the tower is on the agenda. Under the published schedule, design continues under the Teague Nall and Perkins contract until the construction award in fall 2027. Construction debt may be issued late in FY2027, and the town estimates about 18 months of construction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Westlake voters approve the water tower?
The funding behind the design came from certificates of obligation that Council authorized on July 15, 2025. The town's recap of that meeting doesn't describe a voter proposition.
Will the tower raise water bills in 2027?
The town says it plans no water or sewer rate increases for FY2027. The proposed budget also says construction debt may be issued toward the end of that fiscal year.
Where does Westlake's water come from?
Westlake buys its water under a service contract with the City of Fort Worth, approved by town resolution in 2010.
Is the Roanoke Road site final?
The town identified the site in May 2026. Design is underway, and the construction contract isn't scheduled to be awarded until fall 2027. Residents have formally asked Council to move the project, and the recaps through October 20 record no Council action on that request.
Andrea Miranda follows Westlake's Council agendas and capital projects, including utility plans still in design, along with its listings. If you are considering a home near Stagecoach Hills or anywhere along Roanoke Road, ask us for Exclusive Access and we will walk you through what has been approved, what is still pending and when the next decision is due.
