City of Lewisville takes final steps toward adopting Old Town Transit-Oriented Development master plan

Lewisville Leader
By Martin Friedenthal | For Star Local Media
July 7, 2023

The Lewisville City Council will begin the final steps toward adopting its Old Town Transit-Oriented Development Master Plan (TOD) after receiving strong support from the community, according to the city’s Planning Director Richard Luedke.

In a July 3 workshop session presentation to the city council, Luedke explained how the planning department's engagement with various stakeholders resulted in constructive feedback and a positive view of the direction the city was taking regarding the implementation of the TOD.

The plan aims to “synergize” Old Town with the Old Town Station by creating an environment that prioritizes accessibility between the two sections.

Since March 2023, the city has conducted engagement activities with various Old Town stakeholders, from individual meetings with property and business owners to possible developers. On June 1, a public input open house was held at the Lewisville Grand Theater Recital Hall, where individuals could comment on the draft plan and implementation strategies. The event drew 16 individuals, half of whom were business owners, and the rest were residents and one property owner.

“You can say the low turnout sent a good signal,” Luedke said. “Generally, when everyone is happy with everything, you don’t have a lot of involvement or a high attendance.”

Additionally, the attendees were able to rank projects based on their importance. Development around the Old Town Station, including a Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) HQ and a desire for a mixed-use innovation district with an environmental/green focus, ranked highest among participants.

Feedback was also collected in the form of sticky notes where attendees voiced support for more mixed-use properties, passive open space (e.g., parks, walking trails, and picnics) to be within a 5-minute walk, as well as an emphasis on safer bike lanes, and wider streets with friendly pedestrian crossing.

“A lot of our attendees thought it all was very important,” Luedke said. “And we’re very happy with that.”

Lewisville Mayor TJ Gilmore thinks the plan will be good for all stakeholders.

“They like the idea that the city is going to be investing in more public access, which means their property values are going to go up,” Gilmore said.

Some of the developers the city met with include Toll Brothers and OHT Partners, which have built luxury apartment complexes and multifamily communities across north Texas. Businesses like Nelson Brothers Concrete and Keller Williams were able to give their input as well.

“They are all in on the plan, fully support things, and really want to be a part of it,” Luedke said.

As far as implementation steps, the participants wanted the proper utilities available to support these projects, zoning regulations that prevented “incompatible uses” from being built, along with an assurance that the public street networking system, called the Thoroughfare Plan, would go into place.

In the coming months, Luedke said the city will meet with more developers, businesses, and even Lewisville ISD. In August, a public hearing will be held for the final adoption of the plan.

For more information visit https://www.cityoflewisville.com/home/showpublisheddocument/9450/636149771360430000.