Keller ISD’s board of trustees approved the sale of excess land that used to occupy Florence Elementary School.

The gist: The district is selling excess land adjacent to Florence Elementary School along Johnson Road in Southlake, according to district documents. Deputy Superintendent John Allison said the 4.5 acres were sold for $2.7 million to a buyer interested in turning the land into three or four homes.

The location is one of three properties the district identified as excess land in January, according to district documents. Other properties to be sold include a section north of Keller High School, which has never been used, and a property adjacent to Basswood Elementary School, which KISD Chief Communications Officer Bryce Nieman said was purchased to prevent a hotel from being constructed next to the school.

The background: Florence Elementary was one of four elementary schools to be rebuilt from money used in the district’s 2019 bond, Nieman said.

A new fitness center, The Forge of Keller, opened along Keller Parkway in early February.

What they offer: The Forge offers comprehensive fitness, wellness and transformation services, according to its website. Some services include:

• Personal training

• Group fitness classes

• Wellness coaching

• IV therapy

The Forge will have a grand opening event April 4 with raffles, demo classes, games and food, according to a business social media post. Festivities will last from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

• 459 Keller Parkway, Ste. B, Keller

Election season is just around the corner with races at the local, county and district level. In other news, a $40 million community park is set to be completed this summer in Frisco while the city of Plano is planning to establish a nonprofit hub. 

Catch up on some of the top trending stories from Community Impact's Dallas-Fort Worth coverage areas. 

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3 McKinney ISD schools to see $4.8M investment in renovations this summer

Demolition of former McKinney City Hall expected to start in April

Frisco's $40M Northwest Community Park nears June completion

University of North Texas to end, consolidate programs as university faces $45M budget shortfall

Plano to buy Harrington House for $2M nonprofit hub

In the nine months until Texas’ 90th legislative session begins in January, state lawmakers are expected to hold information-gathering hearings on hundreds of topics that will lay the groundwork for next year’s policymaking.

During a March 27 legislative summit in New Braunfels, four longtime lawmakers shared some of their top priorities for next year.

What they're saying: The legislators said they were focused on furthering some projects from previous legislative cycles, including water preservation initiatives and a new education savings account program.

More details: They said they also intend to study data center operations and how the large facilities impact local water supplies, noting that the legislature will work with local officials to determine how much data center regulation should happen locally and when the state should step in. 

“Does the state need to be involved? Yes,” Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, said. “Does local government need to have a say? Yes. But we’ve also got to remember, so does the private taxpayer. So we need to get a combination of all three.”