Dallas Morning News
Brandon Formby // December 27, 2009
In many ways, Irving is the poster child for the issues typical to inner-ring suburbs over the past decade. Its growing pains come not from population booms, but from shifting demographics and attempts at reinvention.
Irving has served as the backdrop for the national debate on illegal immigration. And it has decided the balance of political power in the Texas House. The Dallas Cowboys are gone, a convention center's going up and a light-rail line is being laid.
"In the last decade, we've actually become a world-class city," said longtime City Council member Lewis Patrick.
Representation
Hispanics remain the largest racial or ethnic group in the city. Their ranks between 2000 and 2008 grew at five times the rate of the city's overall population. Still, Hispanics often criticize the all-white City Council for not representing their needs or dealing with claims that police racially profile residents.
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Monday, December 28, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Cliche that Downtown Dallas is Dead Needs to Die
Dallas Morning News
Rudolph Bush // December 23, 2009
Back in the 90s, when I was in college here, it was just a fact that downtown was shutdown after dark.
Passing Central from Deep Ellum was like coming into another world.
As plan commissioner Michael Davis points out on his blog today, some people are still holding on to that idea of downtown.
But it really doesn't reflect the changes in downtown that you can almost watch week to week, particularly along Main Street.
As Davis writes today: Even on a Tuesday night, several places were popping. I went to PM Lounge in the basement of the Joule for a party. At 9pm, it was already full. People were lounging on the patio of Charlie Palmer. A few student-aged kids were walking around taking pictures and surveying the scene.
Rudolph Bush // December 23, 2009
Back in the 90s, when I was in college here, it was just a fact that downtown was shutdown after dark.
Passing Central from Deep Ellum was like coming into another world.
As plan commissioner Michael Davis points out on his blog today, some people are still holding on to that idea of downtown.
But it really doesn't reflect the changes in downtown that you can almost watch week to week, particularly along Main Street.
As Davis writes today: Even on a Tuesday night, several places were popping. I went to PM Lounge in the basement of the Joule for a party. At 9pm, it was already full. People were lounging on the patio of Charlie Palmer. A few student-aged kids were walking around taking pictures and surveying the scene.
Lake Dallas mulls TIF zone
LakeCitiesSun.com
Anthony Scott // December 17, 2009
Lake Dallas City Council is considering implementing a Tax Increment Finance Zone to help boost development dollars and secure money for a Denton County Transportation Authority membership.
City Attorney David Berman presented an explanation of what Tax Increment Finance districts are to Lake Dallas City Council last Thursday night. The city is looking at the possibility of creating a TIF district about 60-square aces near the intersection of Swisher Road and Interstate Highway 35E.
"The TIF will help with the funding of public projects and perhaps grants for private development," said City Manager Earl Berner. "The TIF promise, that is increased tax revenues can be used to borrow funds for capital expenditures up front just like we do with other large capital projects in the City although the annual debt service will be paid from TIF funds."
Council talked about getting an A-train rail station along Interstate Highway 35E and possibly using the money for grants to developers to bring the city transit-oriented development.
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Anthony Scott // December 17, 2009
Lake Dallas City Council is considering implementing a Tax Increment Finance Zone to help boost development dollars and secure money for a Denton County Transportation Authority membership.
City Attorney David Berman presented an explanation of what Tax Increment Finance districts are to Lake Dallas City Council last Thursday night. The city is looking at the possibility of creating a TIF district about 60-square aces near the intersection of Swisher Road and Interstate Highway 35E.
"The TIF will help with the funding of public projects and perhaps grants for private development," said City Manager Earl Berner. "The TIF promise, that is increased tax revenues can be used to borrow funds for capital expenditures up front just like we do with other large capital projects in the City although the annual debt service will be paid from TIF funds."
Council talked about getting an A-train rail station along Interstate Highway 35E and possibly using the money for grants to developers to bring the city transit-oriented development.
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Area transportation needs face financial hurdle
Fort Worth Business Press
Leslie Wimmer // December 21, 2009
Funding will be the major hurdle for North Texas to begin a regionwide transportation overhaul.
Officials from area businesses, governments and community organizations gathered at the Fort Worth Sheraton on Dec. 11 to listen to speakers discuss economic development, transportation plans and funding challenges during the “Tracks to the Future: Rail and Economic Development in North Texas” event.
About 300 people attended the day-long event which was hosted by a number of area organizations. Speakers included State Sen. Wendy Davis; members of Fort Worth’s City Council; Mayor Mike Moncrief; representatives from the Fort Worth Transportation Authority; Dallas Area Rapid Transit; the Denton County Transportation Authority; the Texas Department of Transportation; the cities of San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City and Portland; and other area business and government leaders.
Vision North Texas Project Manager Karen Walz told the event’s crowd that the Dallas-Fort Worth region is expected to hit a population of 12 million by 2050.
“Think about what that means if we just keep doing what we’ve been doing and taking care of growth the way we have been,” she said.
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Leslie Wimmer // December 21, 2009
Funding will be the major hurdle for North Texas to begin a regionwide transportation overhaul.
Officials from area businesses, governments and community organizations gathered at the Fort Worth Sheraton on Dec. 11 to listen to speakers discuss economic development, transportation plans and funding challenges during the “Tracks to the Future: Rail and Economic Development in North Texas” event.
About 300 people attended the day-long event which was hosted by a number of area organizations. Speakers included State Sen. Wendy Davis; members of Fort Worth’s City Council; Mayor Mike Moncrief; representatives from the Fort Worth Transportation Authority; Dallas Area Rapid Transit; the Denton County Transportation Authority; the Texas Department of Transportation; the cities of San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City and Portland; and other area business and government leaders.
Vision North Texas Project Manager Karen Walz told the event’s crowd that the Dallas-Fort Worth region is expected to hit a population of 12 million by 2050.
“Think about what that means if we just keep doing what we’ve been doing and taking care of growth the way we have been,” she said.
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Texas (!) becomes first state to adopt new smart street rules
NRDC Switchboard
Kaid Benfield // December 10, 2009
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Kaid Benfield // December 10, 2009
Texans are going to get more walkable, transit- and bike-friendly streets in their cities, towns and neighborhoods, thanks to an important new decision by the state’s Department of Transportation.
In particular, Texas has become the first state officially to adopt a new, comprehensive set of progressive street design guidelines written by the Congress for the New Urbanism and the Institute of Transportation Engineers. The new manual,Context Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities, which has been years in the making, advances the successful use of appropriate and thoughtful solutions in the planning and design of urban roadways for walkable communities.
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Dallas Design District's second redo takes shape
Dallas Urban Core
December 11, 2009
ustin Tamayo did a double take as he was driving through the Dallas Design District a few months ago."I was amazed to see the all apartments they had built," Tamayo said. "I didn't know all of that was there."
Tamayo was so taken with the neighborhood that he moved there. "I bring my friends down there, and they're surprised at what's here," he said.
Indeed, if you haven't taken a recent spin down Hi Line Drive – or don't even know where it is – the trip will be eye-popping.
Developers have built three big apartment communities just west of Stemmons Freeway, and hundreds of residents have moved in.
Restaurants and shops are on the way.
"Obviously having 1,000 apartment units with a lot of people makes it more of a 24-hour environment," said Mike Ablon of Pegasus Ablon Properties, which is marketing the redevelopment. "There's a lot of excitement about the overall Design District."
MORE
December 11, 2009
ustin Tamayo did a double take as he was driving through the Dallas Design District a few months ago."I was amazed to see the all apartments they had built," Tamayo said. "I didn't know all of that was there."
Tamayo was so taken with the neighborhood that he moved there. "I bring my friends down there, and they're surprised at what's here," he said.
Indeed, if you haven't taken a recent spin down Hi Line Drive – or don't even know where it is – the trip will be eye-popping.
Developers have built three big apartment communities just west of Stemmons Freeway, and hundreds of residents have moved in.
Restaurants and shops are on the way.
"Obviously having 1,000 apartment units with a lot of people makes it more of a 24-hour environment," said Mike Ablon of Pegasus Ablon Properties, which is marketing the redevelopment. "There's a lot of excitement about the overall Design District."
MORE
Realizing the dream in Rowlett
Dallas Morning News
Ron Miller of Rowlett // December 13, 2009
Ron Miller of Rowlett // December 13, 2009
During the settlement years of mid-America, after the Civil War and before 1890, two things almost assured the future of any new town for the first 150 years after its establishment. The first thing needed for a secure future was a railhead. The railroad must come to town. The second thing needed was a cattle trail, which subsequently would become a numbered highway.
Today, development of a prime suburban city takes a little more work.
Rowlett was a sleepy little wide spot in the road 34 years ago. It had 1,500 people. Now it has a population of 55,000. It had no railroad or cattle trail, and any roads were only two lanes without shoulders. There were no stoplights.
Rowlett grew simply because Dallas spilled out over its lip. Mesquite, Garland, Richardson and Plano all grew into major cities. Each of these cities had one feature in common. All had major highways to accommodate them. Rowlett probably should have been gobbled up, since it had few of the required resources. But it wasn't. Somehow, the little town survived and grew modestly.
Then it seemed to grow faster than contemporary civic planning could keep up. Some nice things were missing: nice parks, bike paths, hiking trails, upscale commercial development – and the jobs resulting from commercial development.
Rowlett is only now receiving a railhead and a major highway. A cattle trail was dismissed as unnecessary. DART is busy planning for the construction of the DART Blue Line, and the North Texas Tollway Authority is busy building the extension of the President George BushTurnpike through Rowlett and connecting with Interstate 30.
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