Double Oak Voters Reject Alcohol Sales, Keep Town Dry

Double Oak voters kept the town dry on Nov. 3. Unofficial Denton County results show Proposition A failing, a setback for a planned grocery and retail project at FM 407 and Simmons Road.

Local-option alcohol elections are rare enough that neighbors pay attention when one lands on the ballot. This one did, after a petition drive we previewed before Election Day, and the answer from voters was a clear and final no.

According to the Denton County Clarity elections site, last updated at 1:40:12 a.m. CST on Nov. 4 with 1 of 1 precinct reporting, the measure lost 1,020 to 814. That is 55.62% against and 44.38% for, by our math, with a margin of 206 votes. NBC 5 and the Cross Timbers Gazette published the same totals. The results remain unofficial until the canvass.

The Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square in fall, November 2018. Photo: Michael Modecki / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What was on the ballot

NBC 5 printed the ballot language: To Legalize: "The legal sale of all alcoholic beverages including mixed beverages." A "for" vote would have allowed alcohol sales in town. A "against" vote, which won, leaves Double Oak dry.

The Cross Timbers Gazette reported that a citizen-led group collected 680 signatures on a petition presented to the Double Oak Town Council to put the question on the ballot. Former Mayor Bernie Carrico, chairman of Concerned Citizens for Double Oak Growth, told the Gazette it will be at least another year before the proposal can go before voters again.

Why it mattered to the shopping center fight

The Gazette tied the alcohol vote to a proposed commercial development at FM 407 and Simmons Road that supporters said could bring a grocery store, retail shops and restaurants. The paper called it one of the town's last large commercial developments. The alcohol proposition itself did not approve that project. Zoning and land-use decisions remain separate.

Still, the "no" vote complicates which grocery and restaurant operators are willing to locate there. That is a business question, not a zoning ordinance on this ballot.

Double Oak was one of several Denton County towns with a local sales or alcohol question on the Nov. 3 ballot. Neighboring Bartonville, Flower Mound and Justin faced street-maintenance sales-tax reauthorizations. The Gazette reported those measures were passing easily on election night. Double Oak's fight was different: wet or dry.

Town Hall

Town Hall is at 320 Waketon Road, Double Oak, Texas 75077, according to the town's town hall information page. The phone is (972) 539-9464. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The fax number listed there is (972) 539-9613.

Anyone checking unofficial returns can compare the county Clarity summary with the NBC 5 and Gazette tallies above. All three sources show the same 1,020-to-814 split with the single Double Oak precinct in.

Our view

Neighbors collected signatures, put the question on the ballot and got a clear answer. That is how local control works. If supporters want another try, they can make their case again next year without pretending a dry town has no right to stay that way at the ballot box.

Hero photo: The Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square in Denton, May 2017. Double Oak's Nov. 3 results were posted through the county elections office. Photo: Michael Modecki / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.