A Kennedale project for new homes is in limbo. Now investors are getting refunds.

Chris Olson was looking forward to being in his new home in time to celebrate Thanksgiving, but the plans to build 50 homes in an urban farm community in Kennedale are on hold.

Olson contacted the Fort Worth Star-Telegram after he received a letter dated Aug. 17 from Julie Crimmins, president of Urban Chic Properties located in Arlington, saying that he would receive a refund of his deposit and that his contract is no longer in effect.

“I received a letter from Urban Chic. I wondered what the heck is going down. We weren’t happy at all,” he said.

Olson said he and his wife purchased two lots, and they were looking forward to living in a community where residents wouldn’t have to maintain their yards. They were also looking forward to having a home where the master bedroom is on the main floor with guest rooms upstairs.

Designs for the small homes showed front porches, energy-efficient appliances, and private patios. There were also plans for raised gardens and a dog park.

The urban farm concept encourages people to grow their own food to promote a healthy lifestyle and to meet their neighbors.

At issue is whether Crimmins can go forward with the construction because she said she has not received final approval from the city which is delaying work.

Urban Chic, like other home builders, is also facing lengthy supply chain delays because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In her letter to the 28 prospective buyers, Crimmins said that Urban Chic was notified in July that the plans were being approved, but she still has not seen final approval to proceed with the development from Kennedale.

“There has been a complete change over of the city council and staff and it appears that this is causing continual delays. We also just received word from our utility contractor that some of the necessary supplies will take 12-16 weeks to arrive pushing the project even further,” she wrote.

But city officials said the project has been approved.

Interim City Manager Leslie Galloway said in an email to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that “On August 10, as a part of the review process, our engineers asked for a change to how one notation appeared on the civil plans (but no change to the actual specifications).”

Galloway also said that on Aug. 17, she received a copy of Crimmins’ letter to the buyers, and said she believes Crimmins was referring to the change in staffing and leadership.

“While staffing turnover might have caused the process to take slightly longer than usual, it was not, in my opinion, unreasonably delayed. And the change in elected leadership had no effect on the process as these are administrative tasks. We do, however, hope that this project will come to fruition once supply chain issues are resolved as we believe it would be a great addition to the City of Kennedale,” Galloway wrote.

Turmoil at city hall

On July 2, former mayor Brian Johnson submitted his resignation letter saying he could no longer follow in the direction of the current city council.

“The last election cycle saw the election of three new city council members which significantly altered the composition of the council,” Johnson wrote. “It has become clear to me that we have fundamental differences over the direction of the city, sound fiscal policy, the need for critical infrastructure and the basic concept of good governance.”

The council also fired City Manager George Campbell, and other staff members left, including the public works and development directors.

Meanwhile, Crimmins said she couldn’t keep the buyers waiting since the project is in a “holding pattern.”

“It’s a sad situation. It’s a great project that I’ve had in my head for a long time,” Crimmins said.

The homes were also priced from approximately $185,000 to $240,000, and Crimmins said it is becoming difficult to find affordable homes in North Texas. “The land is cleared. I’ve done as much work as I could; I cleaned out all of the mobile homes and debris on the property, and it’s ready for development.”