The Denton City Council failed to adopt an ordinance that would annex 5,800 acres into the city at Tuesday night's council meeting.

Located northeast of Denton, the land currently houses the 1,900 acre Craver Ranch, 61 homes, at least one business and a church.

Denton intended to use the annexed land for accommodating future plans and growth, including building a subdivision with 7,000 homes.

"I think we have to be planning ahead," said Jack Thomson, councilmember for District 3.

"I think it's important to be able to control development."

If the land were annexed, a water plant and a wastewater treatment plant south of Lake Ray Roberts, in the city's extraterrestrial jurisdiction, would be part of the city. Therefore, both plants and their pipes would be regulated by Denton.

The city plans to build an outer beltway going through the area in the future, and if the land were annexed, it too would be regulated by the city.

"Some of the land along Sherman Drive is already in the city, but they want it all to be part," Thompson said.

The motion for annexation, which was read for the first time Tuesday, lost in the preliminary vote 5-2. A majority of six out of seven votes was needed to pass the ordinance.

"I'm not against annexation, but I just don't feel that the timing is right," said Charlye Heggins, councilmember for District 1. "I just don't feel that it's right. Give it some more time, three years or something."

Texas laws state that cities must formulate a three-year plan for annexing land. The law firm Hughes & Luce argued this point in a petition against the annexation.

"I think the city did the right thing by saying 'we're not just going to let you build 6,000 to 7,000 houses over a water pipeline,'" said Bob Montgomery, councilmember at large for Place 5.

"So they started a petition, which is still legal. I didn't think we needed to get into a hostile annexation, which would only upset a bunch of people."

The council will meet again next Tuesday. To annex the proposed land, the two dissenting voters will have to call for a revote.

"I warned them that I would not be for this unless something changed," Montgomery said.

"And when it came time to vote, nothing had. Now if they were to change the plan in the future, I'd have to reconsider my vote."

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