The new club will be located at 195 W. Corporate Drive, in a former fire station building donated by city leaders.
LEWISVILLE, Texas — Denton County is about to fill a major gap in youth services.
For the first time, a permanent Boys & Girls Club will soon be established in the county, thanks to a new partnership between the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County (BGCGTC) and the City of Lewisville.
The new club will be located at 195 W. Corporate Drive, in a former fire station building donated by city leaders.
The 8,000-square-foot fire station building will be repurposed to include classrooms, recreational space, and green areas for a playground. With its 25-foot ceiling, the space could also accommodate a gym. There’s also enough land to support a 5,000-square-foot expansion in the future.
The move marks a milestone for Denton County, which, despite being one of the largest counties in North Texas without a permanent Boys & Girls Club presence, has long been identified as an area of high need for youth development services.
Lewisville City Manager Claire Powell said the building’s location makes it an ideal fit for the new Club.
“By donating this building, the city can help bring needed child care and other critical services to local families,” Powell said.
The building is located within several miles of Lewisville High School, less than a mile from three elementary schools and one middle school, and surrounded by both single- and multi-family neighborhoods.
Since 2021, the organization has been operating mobile and school-based programs in Denton County, investing more than $705,000 to bring enrichment programs directly to kids and teens. That includes a specially outfitted Mobile Clubhouse, an RV equipped to deliver educational and recreational programming to schools, community events, and apartment complexes. More recently, BGCGTC piloted a robotics program in four Denton ISD schools earlier this year.
But leaders say a permanent location is a critical next step.
“Creating a full-service Club for boys and girls in Denton County will serve an important need, particularly at the location on Corporate Drive,” said Denton County Precinct 3 Commissioner Bobbie J. Mitchell.
According to 2023 U.S. Census data, 5.9% of Denton County youth live at or below the federal poverty line. A report by Feeding America estimates 15.7% of the county’s youth experience food insecurity, and data from 11 local school districts shows that 40.5% of students are considered at-risk.
BGCGTC hopes to address these challenges head-on by offering after-school and summer programming, life-skill training, workforce development, and other critical youth resources.
“This generous donation will allow us to put down long-term roots and deepen our impact so that we can create meaningful change for the young people in that community,” said BGCGTC CEO and President Daphne Barlow.
To help fund operations through 2026, Denton County has pledged $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Barlow estimates the total project cost will fall between $4 million and $5 million. With continued support, she believes the new Club could serve more than 6,000 Denton County youth annually by 2026.
City and Club officials are currently finalizing legal documents to complete the property transfer, with a closing date expected later this summer. Once that’s done, work will begin to prepare the space for its new purpose.
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