[Westside Master Plan Public Meeting on November 6, 2024.]
[00:00:07]
THANK Y'ALL FOR ALL COMING OUT.
I APPRECIATE EVERYONE SHOWING UP TONIGHT.
UH, WE HAVE SOME, SOME COOKIES AND SOME, UH, I BELIEVE COFFEE AND SOFT DRINKS AND WATER OVER THERE IN THE CORNER.
UH, TONIGHT WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT OUR, OUR WEST SIDE MASTER PLAN INITIATIVE THAT THE CITY IS, HAS BEEN WORKING ON.
UH, MY NAME IS CHRISTOPHER SIMS. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES IN LEAGUE CITY.
UH, PRESENTING WITH ME TONIGHT WILL BE OUR DIRECTOR OF, UH, PLANNING, CHRIS CARPENTER AND OUR LEAD CONSULTANT WITH LJA KATIE HARRIS.
UM, UH, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE A FEW PEOPLE.
UH, I SEE COUNCILMAN, UH, MANN IN THE AUDIENCE.
UH, NEW, NEW, NEW COMMISSIONER, DOOGIE SECOND, NOT THE COMMISSIONER, DOOGIE, I'M SORRY,
UH, AND CONGRATULATIONS MR. DOOGIE.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE OUR, OUR CITY MANAGER, JOHN BAUMGARTNER IS HERE.
OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, RICK DAVIS, OUR DIRECTOR OF, UH, COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
SARAH OSBORNE'S WITH US TONIGHT AS WELL.
UM, SCOTT LIVINGSTON, OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR IS WITH US ALSO, UH, CHIN WAY WITH OUR PARKS.
OUR PARKS DIRECTOR, EXCUSE ME, IS IS WITH US, UH, TONIGHT AS WELL.
AND THEN, UH, WE ALSO HAVE OUR MANAGER OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIAL PROJECTS.
AMBER PEGO HELPING US TONIGHT AS WELL.
UH, SO WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE TURNING OUT.
WE HAVE VARIOUS STAFF MEMBERS HERE.
THANK Y'ALL ALL FOR COMING AS WELL, UH, IN SUPPORT OF THIS INITIATIVE.
SO, A FEW THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT TONIGHT IS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE ARE LOOKING TO DO, UH, WHY IT'S IMPORTANT, AND THEN TALK ABOUT SOME OF OUR FINDINGS.
SO JUST REAL QUICKLY, WE'RE GONNA GO OVER OUR, OUR PLANNING SCOPE AND GOALS, THE OVERVIEW AND STATUS OF THE PROJECT, AND THEN THE PROPOSED, UM, FUTURE LAND USE PLANS THAT, THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT.
SO TO KIND OF GET STARTED AND, AND KIND OF CENTER EVERYBODY, I WANTED TO, TO SHOW THIS MAP, THE GREEN AREA AREA IS THE PROJECT AREA.
SO THE LITTLE MIDDLE CUTOUT AREA IS THE WESTLAND RANCH DEVELOPMENT THAT'S BEING BUILT NOW.
UH, SO YOU'VE GOT ABOUT ROUGHLY 2000 ACRES TO THE EAST OF WESTLAND RANCH AND ABOUT 3,500 ACRES TO THE WEST OF WESTLAND RANCH.
SO THAT'S KIND OF HOW SPLIT OUT.
YOU CAN SEE THE GRAND PARKWAY RUNNING THROUGH THE, THE PROPERTY AS WELL.
SO TODAY, THIS PROPERTY IS ALL ZONED, UM, RESIDENTIAL.
IT MEANS IT'S SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL LOTS, 7,000 SQUARE FEET IN SIZE.
UM, YOU HAVE TWO DIFFERENT JURISDICTIONS.
UM, WHEN YOU START TALKING ABOUT DRAINAGE FOR THIS AREA, IT IS THE, UH, GALVESTON COUNTY CONSOLIDATED DRAINAGE DISTRICT.
AND I, I APOLOGIZE, THERE'S REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE DRAINAGE DISTRICT HERE AS WELL.
SO BASICALLY, WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT HOW OUR TWO ENTITIES WORK TOGETHER, THERE'S AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT THAT I'M GONNA WAY OVERSIMPLIFY, BUT BASICALLY THE, UH, BAYOU AND THE CREEKS ARE THE DRAINAGE DISTRICT'S RESPONSIBILITY.
THE NEW ROADS, THE NEW STORM SEWER SYSTEMS THAT'LL BE COMING WITH DEVELOPMENT WOULD BE THE CITY'S RESPONSIBILITY.
AND THE DETENTION PONDS ARE KIND OF THE GRAY AREA.
IT'S CITY MUD OR DRAINAGE DISTRICT, DEPENDING ON SITUATION.
UM, THERE ARE NO MASTER DRAINAGE PLANS FOR THIS ENTIRE 5,500 ACRE SECTION.
SO IT IT'S DONE AS IT'S DEVELOPED.
SO TODAY, IF I WANTED TO COME IN AND, AND BUY SOME OF THIS LAND, I, I COULD, I COULD COME IN, I COULD BUY THE LAND, I COULD DEVELOP, UH, SINGLE FAMILY HOMES THERE BY, BY, RIGHT? AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS I'VE GOT TO PUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN WITH THAT LAND.
SO I'VE GOT TO BUILD THE ROADS THAT ARE NEEDED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT.
I'VE GOT TO DO WATER AND SEWER, ALL ALL OF THE GOOD STUFF THAT YOU NEED TO, TO HAVE A VIABLE HOME.
SO I ALSO AM REQUIRED TO DONATE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARKLAND.
UM, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE PROPERTY, I COULD BE REQUIRED TO DONATE, UH, UP TO ONE ACRE OF LAND FOR EVERY 75 LOTS THAT I'M PROPOSING.
AND THAT WOULD BE FOR PUBLIC AND THEN ANOTHER ACRE FOR EVERY 75 WATTS OF PRIVATE.
SO SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'VE SEEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA WERE RELATED TO, WHY
[00:05:01]
DON'T WE JUST KIND OF TURN IT INTO A NATURE PRESERVE AND, AND NOT ALLOW DEVELOPMENT THERE.SO THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE IS THE CITY DOESN'T OWN THE LAND THAT IT'S ALL PRIVATELY OWNED BY, BY SEVERAL, UM, LANDOWNERS.
BUT JUST DOING A ROUGH ESTIMATE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ALMOST $16,000 AN ACRE TO BUY THAT LAND.
AND IF WE JUST BOUGHT WHAT'S IN IN RED, HIGHLIGHTED IN RED, UM, THAT'S GONNA BE SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 55 TO $60 MILLION, UH, THAT WOULD HAVE A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON OUR, OUR PROPERTY TAXES.
THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING.
WE WANT TO, UH, SHOW SOME SOME DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS THAT WILL ALLOW US TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR, OUR RESIDENTS AND CITIZENS AND AND STILL ALLOW SOME INDIVIDUALITY WITH, WITH DEVELOPMENT.
AND SIR, I SAW YOUR HAND GO UP.
UH, I'M GONNA ASK, I'M, I'M GONNA ASK THAT WE HOLD THE, THE COMMENTS WE'RE GONNA SPLIT.
I I FAILED TO SAY THIS AT THE BEGINNING.
WE'RE GONNA RUN THROUGH OUR PRESENTATION, AND THEN WE'VE GOT, UH, FOUR AREAS SET UP WHERE WE'LL BREAK OUT AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
WE JUST FELT LIKE THAT'D BE THE EASIER WAY WITH BIGGER SLIDES.
SO OUR PROJECT, I MENTIONED EARLIER, LJA IS THE CONSULTANT THAT'S HIRED TO HELP US WITH THIS.
WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO TURN OVER TO US AT THE END OF THE PROJECT IS A VERY HIGH LEVEL UNIFIED PLAN.
IT, IT ADDRESSES SOME DRAINAGE NEEDS.
IT ADDRESSES FLOODPLAIN, IT ADDRESSES PARKS, TRANSPORTATION, IT ADDRESSES ZONING REGULATION STRATEGIES.
SO WE WANT TO KEEP IT AT A HIGH LEVEL.
SO THERE IS THAT INDIVIDUALIZATION THAT CAN OCCUR, UH, AS THESE PROPERTY OWNERS WANT TO DEVELOP THEIR LAND OR SELL THEIR LAND FOR DEVELOPMENT.
UM, SO WHAT ARE THE GOALS FOR TONIGHT? WE WANT TO, TO REALLY KIND OF TALK ABOUT WHY THIS PROJECT IS IMPORTANT AS A WHOLE, AND THEN GET YOUR FEEDBACK ON WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT OUR, OUR OPTIONS THAT WE'RE PRESENTING.
BUT FROM A PROJECT STANDPOINT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT THE GRAND PARKWAY THAT'S BEING BUILT.
WE'VE GOT FIVE 17 THAT WILL BE WIDENED IN THE COMING YEARS.
UM, BAY AREA BOULEVARD WILL, WILL EXTEND THROUGH, UH, MAPLE LEAF AND MCFARLAND WILL EXTEND THROUGH AND BECOME, I'LL GO WITH FRIENDSWOOD ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF FIVE 17 CEMETERY ROAD AND HOBBS ROAD WILL, WILL MERGE.
UM, SO YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF ROADWAYS, AND WE WANT TO ESTABLISH A NICE GATEWAY TO THE CITY.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE COMING INTO LEAGUE CITY, YOU KNOW YOU'RE COMING INTO SOMEWHERE SPECIAL, UH, AND AGAIN, SOME HIGH LEVEL GUIDING DOCUMENTS THAT, THAT MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, ALONG WITH THE NEEDS OF THE CITY AND OUR RESIDENTS.
SO HOW DO WE DO THAT? WE DO THAT THROUGH A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS.
IT'S WORKING WITH ALL THE PARTIES, WORKING ON A GOOD PLAN, UH, MAKING SURE THAT THAT PLAN ALIGNS WITH OUR CITY POLICIES AND MAKING SURE THAT IT'S SUSTAINABLE.
SO I'M GONNA JUMP INTO DRAINAGE.
UM, THE FIRST THING TO THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT DRAINAGE IS THE FLOODPLAIN.
YOU CAN KIND OF SEE IN THIS MAP.
THIS IS A SNIPPET FROM THE FEMA FIRM MAPS, EXCUSE ME, THE YELLOW IS THE BOUNDARY OF THE CITY.
UM, FOR THE, FOR THE MOST PART,
BUT OURS IS, UH, TO THE, TO THE RIGHT OF THE, OF THE SLIDE.
UM, THE BLUE IS THE A HUNDRED YEAR FLOODPLAIN.
THE ORANGE IS THE 500 YEAR FLOOD PLAIN, AND THE STRIPED IS THE FLOODWAY THAT IS BASICALLY DICKINSON BAYOU THROUGH THERE.
UM, SO WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT FLOODWAY, THERE'S A FEW THINGS TO, TO KEEP IN MIND.
A FLOODWAY IS A MAJOR, UH, OBSTACLE.
WHEN YOU START TALKING ABOUT DEVELOPMENT, YOU TYPICALLY DON'T SEE DEVELOPMENT IN FLOODWAYS.
IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE, BUT IT IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO DEVELOP IN A FLOODWAY.
UM, YOU ALSO, LEAGUE CITY HAS A VERY TOUGH FLOODPLAIN ORDINANCE.
UH, WE REALLY WORK HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT ADVERSELY IMPACTING NEIGHBORING PROPERTIES, PEOPLE DOWNSTREAM, PEOPLE UPSTREAM.
IT'S A TOUGH ORDINANCE TO, TO HIT.
UM, AND IF YOU'RE IN THE A HUNDRED YEAR, WHERE BASICALLY MEANS IT'S NO RISE, MEANING YOU'RE NOT GONNA DO ANYTHING THAT'S GONNA CAUSE THE WATER SURFACE ELEVATION TO RISE IN THAT FLOODWAY.
UM, SO YOU CAN'T BRING IN FUEL.
SO IF YOU'RE LIVING IN A HUNDRED YEAR FLOOD PLAIN AND YOU WANT TO BUILD A BARN ON YOUR, ON YOUR LOT, UM, YOU'VE GOT TO TAKE THE DIRT NEEDED TO BUILD UP TO YOUR FINISHED FLOOR OF YOUR BARN FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE ON YOUR PROPERTY.
SO IT, IT'S LIKE THAT FOR ANY DEVELOPER ON THE WEST SIDE, UH, OF THE CITY IN THE FLOODWAY, OR I'M SORRY, IN THE FLOOD PLAIN.
UH, WE ALSO LOOK AT OUR FINISHED FLOOR ELEVATIONS FOR HOMES AND BUSINESSES.
IF YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TWO FOOT ABOVE THE BASE FLOOD ELEVATION, SO THE A HUNDRED YEAR FLOODPLAIN, FEMA
[00:10:01]
WILL ESTABLISH THE BASE FLOOD ELEVATION FOR THAT.IF YOU'RE IN AN AZ AE ZONE LIKE THIS IS, THERE WILL BE AN ESTABLISHED FINISHED FLOOR ELEVATION, OR, I'M SORRY, AN ESTABLISHED BASE FLOOD ELEVATION.
WE WANT OUR HOMES TO BE TWO FEET ABOVE THAT.
OUR BUSINESSES TO BE TWO FEET ABOVE THAT LAKE CITY.
ALSO, BACK IN 2019, WENT A STEP FURTHER.
AND SO WE WANT YOU TO ALSO BE THREE INCHES ABOVE THE 500 YEAR, UH, WATER SURFACE ELEVATION.
SO YOU COULD HAVE HOMES ELEVATED.
IN SOME CASES, IT IS TWO FEET ABOVE THE BASE FLOOD.
IN SOME CASES IT COULD BE FOUR OR FIVE FEET.
UM, AND THAT'S IN AN EFFORT TO PROTECT FUTURE DEVELOPMENT, FUTURE HOMEOWNERS FROM FLOODING SITUATIONS.
UM, 500 YEAR FLOOD PLAIN IS STILL A TOUGH ORDINANCE TO DEVELOP IN, BUT IT IS NOT AS TOUGH AS THE A HUNDRED YEAR.
UH, WE ALSO, TALKING ABOUT THE FLOOD PLAIN, WE ALSO LOOKED AT SOME ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, AREAS.
UM, WOULD WE IMPACT, YOU KNOW, ENDANGERED SPECIES, UH, PHASE ONE ESA, AND THEN OUR CULTURAL RESOURCES.
SO THESE, AGAIN, WERE ALL VERY HIGH LEVEL.
THEY KIND OF RETURNED, UH, THEIR FINDINGS WITH THE CAVEAT OF, HEY, AS THESE AREAS START DEVELOPING, YOU NEED TO DO A DEEPER DIVE ON THE, ON THE GROUND.
UH, BUT BASICALLY THE WETLANDS FOUND SOME EVIDENCE OF POTENTIAL JURISDICTIONAL WETLANDS, NOT A LOT.
UM, THE, THE END RESULT WAS, AT THIS TIME, THEY DON'T BELIEVE IT IS JURISDICTIONAL, BUT IT DOES BEAR FURTHER RESEARCH ON IT.
UM, AND THE REASON THAT'S IMPORTANT IS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE JURISDICTIONAL WETLAND, IT'S A PROTECTED WETLAND.
IF YOU'RE NON-JURISDICTIONAL, IT'S NOT A PROTECTED WETLAND, UH, WITH THREATENING ENDANGERED SPECIES, YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING IN CRITICAL HABITATS OF, OF THESE TYPES OF ANIMALS.
FORTUNATELY, IT DOESN'T APPEAR THAT THERE'S ANY HABITAT, ANY CRITICAL HABITATS WITHIN THE PROJECT AREA.
UM, THAT WILL BE, AGAIN, RE-IDENTIFIED AS DEVELOPMENT TAKES PLACE IN THE FUTURE.
BUT RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE THAT'S FINE.
OUR ENVIRONMENTAL, THERE'S NOTHING THAT YOU KNOW, IT, IT SAID, HEY, UH, IT'S A BUNCH OF FARM LAND OUT HERE, WHICH IS KIND OF WHAT WE, WE EXPECTED IT TO, TO SAY.
UH, BUT DO FURTHER RESEARCH AS, AS THE SITES ARE CLEARED AND, AND READY FOR DEVELOPMENT.
AND THEN THE CULTURAL RESOURCES, YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ARCHEOLOGICAL TYPE, UM, IDENTIFIERS.
THERE WAS NOTHING DOCUMENTED IN THE AREA.
UM, THEY DID RECOMMEND A, A DEEPER DIVE, UH, FOR ANY UNDOCUMENTED TYPE STUFF AS THE, AS, UH, CLEARING STARTED IN THOSE AREAS.
SO WE TOOK THAT INFORMATION FROM, FROM FEMA, FROM OUR WETLAND, OUR ENVIRONMENTALIST, UM, RESEARCH.
AND THEN WE DID A, A DRAINAGE STUDY FOR THAT AREA.
AGAIN, ANOTHER HIGH LEVEL DRAINAGE STUDY.
OUR HOPE AT THE TIME, OH, BEFORE I GET STARTED, YOU CAN SEE THE OVERLAP WITH US.
AND THE GALVESTON COUNTY CONSOLIDATED DRAINAGE DISTRICT, THE DARK YELLOW LINE IS THEIR BOUNDARY.
SO, YOU KNOW, TWO THIRDS ISH OF THE, OF THE SERVICE AREA OVERLAPS WITH THEM, OR THE PROJECT AREA OVERLAPS WITH THEM.
UH, AS WE STARTED OUR DETENTION REVIEW, OUR HOPE WAS WE COULD DO A HANDFUL OF REGIONAL DETENTION PONDS.
UM, IT WAS NOT FEASIBLE WITH THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE GROUND.
IT WASN'T FEASIBLE, UH, ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE EITHER TO, TO MAKE THAT WORK.
SO WE KIND OF BACKED UP AND WE SAID, WELL, WELL, WHAT CAN WE DO? IT MADE SENSE TO DAISY CHAIN SOME PONDS NEAR, UM, DICKINSON BAYOU, AND THEN TREAT THE OUTER AREAS MORE LIKE YOU WOULD SEE IN LEAGUE CITY TODAY.
MORE TRADITIONAL DETENTION TYPE AREAS.
I I KNOW THESE, THESE BREAKOUTS ARE BY THE, THE WATER BASINS, SO TO SPEAK, FOR, FOR THIS SERVICE AREA.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE RED DOTS ARE WHERE, UM, IT WAS SAID THAT THAT POTENTIALLY, UH, DETENTION PONDS WOULD MAKE THE MOST SENSE.
THE YELLOW DASH LINES IS WHERE YOU WOULD NEED TO LINK PONDS TO GET THEM OUT TO THE, TO THE BAY, BASICALLY.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT BY BY, AND YOU CAN KIND OF SEE AN EDI AND G.
WE'VE GOT FOUR PONDS KIND OF CLUSTERED TOGETHER ALONG THE, THE, UH, BAYOU, WHICH, WHICH ALLOWS FOR BETTER USE OF OUR, OF OUR FLOODWAYS.
AND BY BETTER USE, UH, I MEAN, A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT EXAMPLES TO SHOW.
SO WE HAVE ELEANOR TINSLEY PARK IN HOUSTON.
YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THE AMPHITHEATER, YOU'VE GOT THE RUNNING TRAILS, YOU'VE GOT THE BAYOU.
WHEN YOU HAVE THESE HURRICANE LEVEL EVENTS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, IT FILLS UP, IT CASCADES OVER THE FIRST LEVEL OF RUNNING TRAILS AND IT CAN ACTUALLY FILL UP EVEN MORE AS NEEDED.
[00:15:01]
DAYS OF THE YEAR, YOU'VE GOT A USABLE PARK.UM, THE MIDDLE IS THE RIVER WALK IN GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA.
THEY, THEY WENT A DIFFERENT WAY, UH, BUT STILL THE KIND OF THE SAME PRINCIPLE.
THEY WANTED TO BRING, UH, KIND OF COMMERCIAL MIXED USE TYPE UP TO THE WATER'S EDGE.
SO THEY HAVE A SERIES OF UNDERGROUND, AND THEN ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE PROPERTY DETENTION.
UH, BUT YOU CAN ALSO SEE WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THAT, THAT IS HEAVILY ELEVATED ABOVE THE WATER SURFACE THERE.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.
UM, IT'S WALKING DISTANCE TO THE GRAND OLE OPRY.
THEY'LL DO CONCERTS OUT THERE.
THEY HAVE A SETUP OFF THE CUMBERLAND RIVER THAT ALLOWS, UH, FOOD TRUCKS AND PORTABLE VENDORS TO, TO MOBILIZE FOR THOSE EVENTS.
AND THEN WHEN THE CUMBERLAND FLOODS, IT FLOODS OVER EVERYTHING.
AND WHEN IT RECEDES, IT'S BACK A ABLE FOR USE, AVAILABLE FOR USE.
SO IT, IT BASICALLY ALLOWS DEVELOPMENT TO KIND, YOU KNOW, HAVE TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE, SO TO SPEAK, WHERE YOU, YOU GET DOUBLE USE OF THE LAND.
YOU GET IT FOR YOUR FLOODING PROTECTION, BUT YOU ALSO GET IT FOR THE BULK OF THE YEAR AS A RECREATIONAL USE OR A COMMERCIAL USE.
SO PARKS ARE A BIG PART OF, UH, THIS INITIATIVE.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT AT THE VERY BEGINNING.
YOU DEDICATE ONE ACRE OF PARK FOR EVERY 75 LOTS DEVELOPED.
UM, OR YOU CAN ALSO PAY INTO A, A PARK FUND.
UM, IF YOU'RE, UH, DEVELOPMENT IS A CERTAIN SIZE.
ONCE YOU HIT 750 LOTS, YOU DON'T, YOU, YOU DEDICATE THE ONE ACRE.
UM, AS WE WERE WORKING THROUGH THIS, WE KIND OF NOTICED SOME AMBIGUITIES MAYBE IN, IN OUR EXISTING ORDINANCE.
UM, YOU KNOW, HOW THE PARKS ARE AMENITIZED OR A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S, WHAT'S ACTUALLY REQUIRED, WHAT'S NOT REQUIRED.
UM, AND THEN WHAT, WHAT ARE WE GETTING? LIKE IF WE KEPT GOING WITH THIS PROGRAM, WHAT DO WE GET? AND WE GET ABOUT 10 AND A HALF ACRES OF PARKS PER THOUSAND RESIDENTS, UM, WHICH ISN'T BAD, BUT IT'S, IT IS ON THE LOW SIDE.
UH, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO DO WITH THIS INITIATIVE IS REALLY KIND OF LOOK AT FINE TUNING OUR PARKS ORDINANCE OR MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS TO FINE TUNE OUR PARKS ORDINANCE AS IT RELATES TO THE WEST SIDE OF THE CITY.
UM, SOME OF THE, THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT WHEN THIS INITIATIVE FIRST STARTED, UM, EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE DID A, A SURVEY, ONLINE SURVEY, AND WE HAD THIR OVER 1300 PEOPLE RESPOND, WHICH IS REALLY GOOD FOR, FOR THIS TYPE OF OF SURVEY.
UM, AND WE ASKED TO THEM TO PRIORITIZE DEVELOPMENTS.
WHAT TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE? SO BY FAR, ACTIVE DEVELOPED PARTS WERE, WAS NUMBER ONE, NUMBER ONE, RUNNING AWAY WITH IT.
UH, NUMBER TWO, TIED BETWEEN PASSIVE PARKS AND FAMILY ORIENTED ENTERTAINMENT.
UH, THEN COMMUNITY CENTERS SUCH AS A LIBRARY OR A NATATORIUM, THAT, THAT TYPE OF COMMUNITY CENTER.
AND THEN RETAIL AND RETAIL RESTAURANTS WERE NUMBER FOUR.
UM, AND LIKE I SAID, THERE WAS A BIG GAP BETWEEN NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER FOUR.
PARKS DOMINATED THE, UH, CITIZEN RESPONSES.
SO WHAT DO WE DO TO MAKE SURE WE'RE, WE'RE LISTENING TO WHAT OUR, OUR RESIDENTS ARE ASKING FOR.
WE WANT TO INCREASE OUR PARKLAND PUBLIC PARKLAND DEDICATION TO 15 ACRES PER THOUSAND RESIDENTS.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, YOU'RE INCREASING IT BY A THIRD.
WE WANT TO PROVIDE A HIGHER QUALITY OF PRIVATE PARKLAND.
UM, WE'LL DO THAT BY REVIEWING HOW WE AMENITIZE OUR DETENTION PONDS, MAKING THEM MORE USER FRIENDLY THROUGH FISHING PIERS, KAYAK LAUNCHES, THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO WE CAN GET USE OUT OF THAT.
UM, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT OUR TRAIL CONNECTIVITY IS, IS WE'RE, WE'RE CONNECTED.
SO IF YOU WANT TO WALK OR RIDE YOUR BIKE, YOU'VE GOT A PATHWAY THAT CAN GET YOU FROM ONE END OF THE WEST SIDE TO THE OTHER.
UM, AND YOU'LL SEE IF YOU'RE DRIVING THROUGH WESTLAND RANCH NOW, EVEN THOUGH IT'S IN THE MIDDLE, THAT THOUGHT WAS ALREADY PERMEATING THROUGH STAFF.
SO YOU'VE ALREADY GOT A LOT OF CONNECTIVITY THERE, UH, THAT, THAT THIS DEVELOPMENT WOULD TIE INTO AS IT MOVES ALONG.
AND THEN THE OTHER THING THAT WE WANT TO DO FLOODING IS, IS OBVIOUSLY A CONCERN.
UH, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE USING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AMENITIES.
YOU CAN USE BIOSWELLS, YOU CAN USE BIOSWELLS AND ROADWAYS, YOU CAN DO IT ALONG YOUR PARKWAY.
YOU CAN USE IT IN PARKING LOTS.
I MEAN, A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS, VEGETATED TRAILS AS OPPOSED TO A LOT OF CONCRETE TRAILS.
THERE'S A MIX THAT, THAT, THAT CAN BE DONE.
[00:20:01]
THOSE AS WELL.UM, OUR, OUR INTENTION WHEN, WHEN THIS PROGRAM IS FINISHED UP, UH, FIRST PART OF NEXT YEAR WILL BE TO HAVE SOME ORDINANCE RECOMMENDATIONS TO INCORPORATE SOME OF THESE ITEMS. UH, WE ARE ALSO WORKING ON A LIST A POINT SYSTEM, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD.
UH, WHEN YOU DEVELOP A PARK, YOU'VE GOT TO PROVIDE SOME LEVEL OF MONETIZATION, AND A PARK BENCH MAY BE WORTH A QUARTER OF A POINT, AND A DOG PARK MAY BE WORTH THREE POINTS OR SOMETHING TO THAT.
SO WE'LL BE LOOKING TO INTEGRATE SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UM, ONE OF THE LAST THINGS BEFORE I, I HAND IT OVER TO, TO CHRIS, I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT OUR, OUR MOBILITY PLAN.
SO IN OUR LAST CITY COUNCIL MEETING, UM, WELL, LEMME BACK UP.
EVERY FIVE YEARS, CITY'S REQUIRED TO UPDATE YOUR MASTER PLANS.
UH, AT THE END OF 2023, WE UPDATED OUR WATER AND SEWER MASTER PLANS.
UH, THIS YEAR IT'S THE MOBILITY MASTER PLAN.
UH, IT WAS APPROVED ON FIRST READING AT OUR LAST CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
WE EXPECT IT TO BE ADOPTED AT THE NOVEMBER 12TH MEETING.
AND YOU CAN KIND OF SEE ON THIS WEST SIDE, ALL THOSE BLUE LINES ARE PROPOSED ROADWAYS THAT WE FEEL ARE GONNA BE NEEDED FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEST SIDE.
UM, THOSE REPRESENT FOUR LANE ROADS.
UH, SO YOU SEE URBAN STREET, MULDOON, FUTURE WINDFIELD RUNNING, UH, PARALLEL TO THE GRAND PARKWAY.
YOU'VE GOT, UH, WEST BOULEVARD, MAPLE LEAF BAY AREA LANDING AND HOBBES RUNNING NORTH AND SOUTH.
UM, AND THEN THE GRAND PARKWAY.
THE GRAND PARKWAY IS A BIG DRIVER.
I KNOW EVERYBODY THAT'S BEEN IN HOUSTON, UH, FOR SOME AMOUNT OF TIME HAS SEEN WHAT'S HAPPENED ON THE WEST SIDE OF HOUSTON.
AS THE GRAND PARKWAY IS EXPANDING, YOU SEE GROWTH THERE, YOU SEE A LOT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEVELOPMENT.
UH, SO WE WANT TO HAVE A GOOD PLAN IN PLACE.
SO WHEN THAT COMES IN, WE'RE NOT GOING WITH THE FIRST AVAILABLE.
WE KNOW WHAT WE, WE KNOW AS A CITY WHAT WE WANT TO SEE IN THESE AREAS.
UM, YOU CAN SEE THE, THE CIRCLES WITH THE PINK DOTS ON THE GRAND PARKWAY.
THOSE ARE THE INTERCHANGES THAT THE GRAND PARKWAY WILL BE PROVIDING.
SO CALDER DRIVE, UM, LANDING BOULEVARD, BAY AREA BOULEVARD, MAPLE LEAF WEST.
SO YOU CAN SEE TWO DOTS BETWEEN MAPLE LEAF AND WEST.
THOSE AREN'T NECESSARILY FULL INTERCHANGES.
GRAND PARKWAY WILL BE ELEVATED THERE, AND THERE'LL BE FRONTAGE ROADS.
SO THOSE TWO ROADS WILL BE CONNECTED TO THE FRONTAGE ROAD.
AND THEN JUST RECENTLY, TXDOT AGREED TO A FULL INTERCHANGE JUST WEST OF WEST BOULEVARD.
UM, SO NINE TOTAL CROSSINGS, SIX INTERCHANGES.
THEY EXPECT TO AWARD A DESIGN BUILD CONTRACT POTENTIALLY IN LATE, UH, 2026 CONSTRUCTION, STARTING, UH, PROBABLY IN EARLY 27 AND WRAPPING UP IN 2031.
UH, SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO CHRIS TO TALK ABOUT OUR, OUR ECONOMIC ANALYSIS.
GOOD EVENING, MY NAME'S CHRIS CARPENTER.
I'M DIRECTOR OF PLANNING FOR LEAGUE CITY.
UM, SO I'M GONNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT A COUPLE THINGS, UM, THIS EVENING, MAINLY OUR ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, BUT WANTED TO FIRST TOUCH ON, UM, KIND OF WHAT THIS PLAN IS AND FROM A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN STANDPOINT.
SO WE HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT WAS ADOPTED BACK IN 2011, AND THAT'S A DOCUMENT THAT WE USE TO KIND OF BASE OUR LAND USE DECISIONS ON ZONING DECISIONS.
WHENEVER SOMEONE WANTS TO COME IN AND DO A ZONING CHANGE, WE LOOK AT THAT, SAY, HOW DOES THAT GUIDE US? AND, UM, IT HELPS US MAKE DECISIONS.
SO, YOU KNOW, AS I MENTIONED, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN WAS ADOPTED BACK IN 2011.
UM, IN 2011, WE HAD A POPULATION JUST OVER 80,000.
UM, WE'VE INCREASED THAT BY ALMOST 50%, UM, AT THIS POINT.
AND SO A LOT HAS CHANGED ON THE WEST SIDE AS WELL.
WE NOW HAVE AN IMMINENT FREEWAY THAT'S GONNA RUN THROUGH THE WEST SIDE.
UM, SO WE WANT TO GET AHEAD OF THAT AND DO A SPECIFIC, UM, IT'S ALMOST LIKE A MINI COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR THIS SPECIFIC AREA.
SO WE CAN, UM, HAVE, IT WILL HELP GUIDE OUR DECISIONS IN THIS AREA BECAUSE DEVELOPMENT IS COMING.
AND SO WE WANT TO HAVE A PLAN TO ADDRESS THAT DEVELOPMENT.
AND SO THAT, AGAIN, THAT HELPS US, UM, WITH OUR ZONING AND REGULATORY STRATEGIES.
IT'S GONNA GIVE US SOME PARKS RECOMMENDATION LIKE CHRIS, UM, HAD MENTIONED WHILE ADDRESSING TRAFFIC AND DRAINAGE.
I'M GONNA GO INTO THE ECONOMIC ANALYSIS THAT WE RECEIVED AS PART OF THIS STUDY AS WELL.
SO, CDS, UM, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES, UM, HAS PUT TOGETHER A MARKET STUDY.
[00:25:01]
AND WHAT A MARKET STUDY IS, IS IT BASICALLY IS GOING TO TELL US WHAT IS POSSIBLE OUT HERE, UM, WHAT IS OUR BASELINE SCENARIO, SO WHAT IT WILL HAPPEN WITH JUST NATURAL DEVELOPMENT, AND THEN WHAT ARE ASPIRATIONAL SCENARIOS OUT HERE.AND SO AS PART OF THAT STUDY, IT LOOKED INTO CMA, THE CMA IS THE COMPETITIVE MARKET AREA, AND THAT BASICALLY TAKES THE SURROUNDING, UM, ZIP CODES THAT ARE, THAT ARE CONSIDERED OUR COMPETITIVE MARKET AND ANALYZES ALL THAT TO DETERMINE WHAT'S REALISTIC FOR THIS AREA IN LAKE CITY.
SO JUST A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF IT.
UM, SO BY 2030 WESTERN LAKE CITY, UM, STUDY AREAS PROJECTED TO HAVE 16,000 RESIDENTS.
SO LIKE, LIKE I SAID, DEVELOPMENT'S COMING.
UM, SO IT'S, IT'S OUR JOB TO PLAN FOR THAT DEVELOPMENT.
UM, THERE'S AN ESTIMATED, CURRENTLY 53,000 APPROXIMATELY, UM, RESIDENTS THAT ARE EMPLOYED IN LAKE CITIES THAT ARE PART OF THE WORKFORCE.
AND THIS ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT ALMOST 90% OF THOSE PEOPLE TRAVEL OUTSIDE LEAGUE CITY TO GO TO THEIR JOB.
SO THAT'S OBVIOUSLY A GAP THAT WE HAVE THAT WE'RE GONNA LOOK TO FILL, IS GETTING THOSE EMPLOYMENT CENTERS HERE IN LEAGUE CITY FOR PEOPLE TO WORK, UM, WHERE THEY LIVE.
UM, SO IT LOOKED AT, UM, MULTIPLE LAND USES.
SO THE STUDY LOOKED AT SINGLE FAMILY MULTIFAMILY AND THEN, UM, VARIOUS COMMERCIAL ASPECTS.
SO FROM A SINGLE FAMILY, UM, RESIDENTIAL STANDPOINT, UM, ABOUT 77% OF THE UNITS IN LEAGUE CITY ARE SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES.
ABOUT 74% OF THOSE ARE OWNER OCCUPIED.
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF, UM, PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE.
WE ALSO HAVE RENTERS, ABOUT 25% OF THOSE.
UM, SO, SO WHAT THE ANALYSIS SHOWED IS, UM, THE REMAINING UNDEVELOPED LAND IN THIS STUDY AREA, WE'LL BASICALLY CONTINUE, UM, WITH THE TRENDS THAT YOU'VE SEEN IN THE REST OF THE CITY.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR MASTER PLAN COMMUNITIES DONE THROUGH PUDS, THAT'S WHAT THE ANALYSIS ANTICIPATES CONTINUING ON THIS WEST SIDE OF TOWN FROM A MULTIFAMILY STANDPOINT.
UM, IT ANALYZED, YOU KNOW, DO WE HAVE A LACK OF MULTIFAMILY? DO WE HAVE TOO MUCH MULTIFAMILY? IT SHOWED THAT THERE IS A DEMAND FOR MULTIFAMILY, UM, IN, IN THE, UM, COMPETITIVE MARKET AREA OF AT LEAST 2000 UNITS, UM, BY 2030.
AND SO THERE IS A DEMAND FOR MULTIFAMILY OUT THERE, WHETHER THAT COMES TO FRUITION, UM, WHAT WE'LL JUST HAVE TO SEE, BUT FROM, FROM WHAT THEY ANALYZE THAT THE PRODUCT THAT LEAK C WOULD BE GETTING IF MULTIFAMILY WERE TO COME HERE WOULD BE CLASS A MULTIFAMILY, THREE TO FOUR STORIES, TWO TO 300 UNIT TYPE DEVELOPMENTS.
SO AS I MENTIONED, UM, FROM THE COMMERCIAL ASPECT, UM, WE LOOKED AT MULTIPLE DIFFERENT LAND USE OPTIONS, UM, THE FIRST, AND WE LOOKED AT BOTH, BOTH A BASELINE AND THEN AN ASPIRATIONAL, UM, SCENARIO.
AND SO THE ASPIRATIONAL SCENARIO IS THE BEST CASE SCENARIO, WHAT'S THE HIGHEST QUALITY DEVELOPMENT WE CAN GET, AND HOW DO, HOW DO WE GET THAT? AND BASELINE IS WHAT DO YOU GET IF IT JUST ORGANICALLY DEVELOPS? AND SO, UM, THE BASELINE SCENARIO IS WITHOUT CITY INTERVENTION OR INCENTIVES.
UM, AND YOU'RE GONNA SEE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, SIMILAR PATTERNS TO WHAT YOU SEE ALL OVER LAKE CITY.
UM, STRIP RETAIL, UM, RESTAURANTS, FAST FOOD, CASUAL DINING, UM, GROCERY ANCHORED TENANTS AT MAJOR INTERSECTIONS AT THE GRAND PARKWAY, YOU WOULD SEE, UM, BIG BOX, UM, STORES BEING DEVELOPED THERE, SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU SEE ALONG I 45.
AND SO, UM, THIS SCENARIO PRODUCES LOW ASSESSED VALUE RETAIL PROPERTIES WITH A, A MAJORITY OF THE LAND USE GOING TOWARD PARKING.
AND SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, JUST, JUST AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU SEE, UM, STRIP RETAIL FROM AN ASPIRATIONAL SCENARIO.
UM, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE BEST CASE SCENARIO FOR LAND USE THAT WE CAN GET? UM, YOU'RE GOING TO, THIS WOULD INVOLVE THE CITY PARTNERING, UM, WITH DEVELOPERS ON SOME FORM OF, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE ABATEMENT.
UM, WHETHER IT BE THREE 80 AGREEMENTS OR TOURS IS, UM, BUT TO ACHIEVE A HIGHER QUALITY AMENITIZED MIXED USE DESTINATION ENVIRONMENT, UM, THAT CAN SUPPORT MORE EXPENSIVE CLASS A, UM, COMMERCIAL.
AND SO THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIRING COMMERCIAL SPACE, UM, SUCH AS RESTAURANTS, BARS, ENTERTAINMENT AND MIXED USE WILL REQUIRE A HIGHER LEVEL OF DESIGN CONSTRUCTION.
UM, EXTERIOR TRIM OUT FINISHES AND FEATURES, UH, MORE THAN WHAT HAS TRADITIONALLY TAKEN PLACE IN LAKE CITY.
AND SO THIS IS WHEN YOU START TO GET INTO A MIXED USE TYPE DEVELOPMENT WHERE YOU HAVE MULTIPLE STORIES, UM, RETAIL ON THE BOTTOM, POTENTIALLY OFFICE ON TOP.
AND, UM, THE CDSE ANALYSIS HAS INDICATED THAT THE CITY ASSISTANCE IS REASONABLE, UM, GIVEN THE HIGHER ASSESSED VALUE.
THEY WILL BE PRESENTING AN ROIA RETURN ON INVESTMENT DOCUMENT AS PART OF THIS ANALYSIS AS WELL, THAT'LL BE PRESENTED AT THE FINAL STAGE.
BUT, UM, THIS IS THE TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT THAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT WHENEVER THEY TALK ABOUT AN ASPIRATIONAL SCENARIO.
AND THIS IS JUST A CLIP FROM THE WOODLANDS, UM, AREA WHERE YOU SEE THE RETAIL ON THE BOTTOM AND THEN OFFICES UP ABOVE THAT.
UM, FROM AN OFFICE STANDPOINT, WE MENTIONED AT THE TOP THAT, UM, WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE SOME LEAKAGE OF OUR PEOPLE
[00:30:01]
WHO LIVE HERE GOING ELSEWHERE TO WORK.AND SO WE WANT TO CAPTURE SOME OF THAT AND HAVE AN OFFICE ENVIRONMENT HERE OF HIGH PAYING JOBS SO THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE CAN ALSO WORK HERE.
AND SO, UM, WHAT THE ANALYSIS SHOWED IS THERE'S, UM, BY 2025, SO YOU KNOW, THIS COMING YEAR, THERE'S CURRENTLY 205,000 SQUARE FEET, UM, THAT IS NEEDED IN LEAK CITY.
AND SO THAT, THAT'S A BIG NEED.
UM, FROM 2030, THERE'S ADDITIONAL DEMAND FOR ANOTHER 150,000 SQUARE FEET OF OFFICE SPACE.
AND SO FROM A BASELINE SCENARIO, AGAIN, YOU'RE GONNA GET, UM, YOU SINGLE STORY PROFESSIONAL PARKS, COULD BE MEDICAL OFFICES, HEALTHCARE SERVICES, UM, BUILDINGS AT A MAXIMUM OF FOUR STORIES.
SO THIS COULD BE ANYTHING FROM STRIP OFFICES, UM, TO SOMETHING YOU SEE KIND OF BY THE SOUTH SHORE AREA.
UM, AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF A STRIP OFFICE FROM AN ASPIRATIONAL SCENARIO.
THIS IS WHERE YOU'D GET THE MORE REGIONAL DRAWS, UM, CEOS FROM BIG COMPANIES RELOCATING THEIR COMPANIES HERE.
AGAIN, THESE ARE 50 TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND SQUARE FEET IN MIXED USE SETTINGS.
AND, UM, YOU GET GROUND FLOOR RETAIL AND OFFICES ABOVE IN SOME INSTANCES, UM, BE DEVELOPED IN PHASES.
MIXED USE DEVELOPMENTS, AGAIN, MEDICAL OFFICE AND, UM, OFFICES TAILORED FOR THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY.
I KNOW SCOTT IS SEEKING OUT CURRENTLY, BUT THE ASPIRATIONAL SCENARIO, YOU GET LARGER COMPLEXES SUCH AS THIS.
AND THE STUDY HAS SHOWN THAT IT IS REASONABLE GIVEN SOME FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.
UM, INDUSTRIAL, AGAIN, UM, YOU'RE LOOKING AT BASELINE SCENARIO BEING, UM, THE, THE STANDARD INDUSTRIAL YOU SEE AROUND TOWN.
COULD BE TILT WALL, COULD BE METAL BUILDINGS WITH YOUR ROLLUP DOORS, UM, FROM AN ASPIRATIONAL SCENARIO.
UM, THE, THE MARKET STUDY SHOWED THAT THIS WAS PROBABLY PRETTY UNLIKELY IN THIS STUDY AREA.
UM, BUT NONETHELESS WE WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
UM, AN EXAMPLE IS THE LOWER KIRBY, UM, THAT, THAT REQUIRED A $20 MILLION INVESTMENT FROM THE CITY OF PEARLAND.
SO IT'S A SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENT TO GET THESE HIGH QUALITY INDUSTRIAL PARKS.
UM, AND THEN HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF ONE FRONTIER INDUSTRIAL PARK.
THEY CAN BE REALLY COOL AND BE VERY VALUABLE TO THE CITY, BUT, UM, IT, IT'S UNLIKELY IN THIS STUDY ERA WHEN YOU GET, UM, DEVELOPMENT LIKE THIS, UM, SUBURBAN MIXED USE.
SO THIS IS KINDA THE MOST VALUABLE OF THE, OF THE DIFFERENT LAND USES.
UM, SO IT'S A, IT'S A HIGHER DENSITY, GREATER MIX OF USES AND MORE WALKABLE.
AND SO THIS IS KIND OF THE LIVE WORK AND PLAY MANTRA.
AND SO SOME OF THE BYPRODUCTS OF THIS ARE FISCAL PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFICIENCY, VARIETY OF RESIDENTIAL PRODUCTS AND ATTRACTION OF PRIMARY EMPLOYERS.
SO WE DID JUST A BRIEF ANALYSIS ON THIS, AND WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE VALUE PER ACRE ON SOME OF THESE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENTS, IT CAN GET UP TO 10 TO 15 TIMES THE VALUE PER ACRE OF OUR SINGLE FAMILY HOMES.
AND SO ATTRACTING THESE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENTS HELPS US, ALLOWS OUR COUNCIL, WHICH I KNOW IS A GOAL OF THEIRS, TO TAKE THE TAX BURDEN OFF OF OUR RESIDENTIAL TAXPAYERS AND PUT IT ON THE COMMERCIAL ASPECT.
SO A FEW MORE, UM, POINTS TO MAKE HERE.
ATTRACTION OF VISITOR SPENDING, YOU MAKE A DESTINATION, YOU GET PEOPLE COMING HERE, FACILITATION OF WALKING AND BIKING, UM, CREATION OF A U UNIQUE IDENTITY AND PLACEMAKING.
UM, THESE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT SUBURBAN MIXED USE PRODUCTS.
UM, YOU HAVE SOME IN THE HOUSTON AREA, YOUR SUGARLAND TOWN SQUARE.
YOU'VE GOT QUITE A FEW IN THE DALLAS METROPLEX AS WELL.
UM, LAKESIDE AND FLOWER MOUND, AND I'LL GIVE YOU A COUPLE EXAMPLES HERE.
THIS IS THE LAKESIDE AND FLOWER MOUND.
UM, YOU CAN SEE AGAIN, WALKABLE.
YOU'VE GOT YOUR OFFICE AND RESIDENTIAL ABOVE.
YOU'VE GOT YOUR, UM, COMMERCIAL AND UM, RETAIL ON THE GROUND FLOOR.
AND THEN THIS IS AN EXAMPLE IN ALLEN, UM, JOHN'S ALMA MATER, UM, OF WATERS CREEK.
AND SO AGAIN, YOU SEE THE RESIDENTIAL, THE PARK MIXED IN.
YOU'VE GOT RESTAURANTS, YOU'VE GOT RETAIL ALL IN ONE AREA, SO YOU CAN LIVE, WORK AND PLAY IN THE SAME AREA.
I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO KATIE NOW TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE LAND USE PLANS AND OUR NEXT STEPS.
UM, SO I'M GONNA GO THROUGH THE BULLETS ON THE SCREEN AND I'M GOING TO COMBINE THE FIRST TWO.
WHAT IS THE FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND WHAT IS IT USED FOR? SO A FUTURE LAND USE PLAN IS CHRIS MENTIONED AS PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN SINCE THE LAST FUTURE LAND USE PLAN FOR LEAGUE CITY WAS DONE IN 2011 WITH THIS, WITH THAT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND SO MANY THINGS HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME, THE CITY FELT IT WAS NECESSARY TO LOOK SPECIFICALLY AT THIS AREA, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING IT'S ONE OF THE LAST UNDEVELOPED AREAS OF THE CITY.
AND IT'S A PLANNING TOOL THAT'S USED BY CITIES TO HELP DETERMINE HOW THE AREA IS GOING TO GROW AND DEVELOP OVER TIME.
IT CATEGORIZES LAND USES INTO VERY HIGH LEVEL LAND USES.
[00:35:01]
ON THESE PLANS YOU'LL SEE SINGLE FAMILY, WHICH COULD BE LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH DENSITY, BUT IT'S ALL TALKING ABOUT RESIDENTIAL.AND UM, IT ALSO LOOKS AT COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL PARKS AND PUBLIC SPACES, AND IT HELPS GUIDE DECISIONS ON ZONING INFRASTRUCTURE, OVERALL DEVELOPMENT.
AND IT ENSURES A BALANCE BETWEEN BUSINESSES, RESIDENTIAL, UM, AND OTHER NEEDS.
BUT IT ALSO IS CONSIDERING THINGS LIKE POPULATION GROWTH, TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS.
IN SHORT, THE THIS DOCUMENT IS MEANT TO BE A GUIDING DOCUMENT.
IT'S NOT A, THIS IS WHAT IT HAS TO BE.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHERE ALL THESE LAND USES ARE GONNA GO.
IT'S JUST TO HELP COUNCIL P AND Z AND STAFF MAKE DECISIONS AS DEVELOPMENT COMES IN, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING ALL THIS AREA IS CURRENTLY ZONED SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL.
AND THAT'S ALL YOU CAN DEVELOP BY, RIGHT, RIGHT NOW, UM, IN THIS SPECIFIC PLAN WE HAVE 11 DIFFERENT CATEGORIES, REALLY THERE'S 10, BUT ONE IS A COMBINATION OF TWO.
UM, AND WHEN WE BREAK OUT AT THE END, UM, WE'LL DISCUSS MORE WHAT THE COMBINATION IS, WHY IT'S IMPORTANT.
UM, AND IT, AGAIN, IT HELPS DIVIDE, UH, PROVIDE GUIDANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT AND REDEVELOPMENT AND, UM, IT DOESN'T ESTABLISH ZONING DISTRICT OR BOUNDARIES, UM, OR REGULATIONS.
AND IT ALSO DOESN'T GUARANTEE THAT ALL OF THESE INDIVIDUAL PROPERTIES ARE SUITABLE FOR THIS TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT.
UM, THAT REQUIRES A LOT MORE IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS IN THE FIELD AND ON INDIVIDUAL TRACKS.
UM, THIS IS A HIGH LEVEL LOOK AT THE AREA AND IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FLEXIBLE IN NATURE AS LONG AS THE INTENT OF THE PLAN IS BEING MET.
UM, WIND DEVELOPMENT IS COMING IN, THEY SHOULD BE LOOKING AT THE FUTURE LAND USE PLAN, BUT THEY SHOULD ALSO BE LOOKING AT OTHER MASTER PLANS.
THE CITY HAS LIKE THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, THE MASTER MOBILITY PLAN, UM, AND ANY OTHER MASTER PLANS THAT THE CITY HAS ALREADY ADOPTED, THEY'RE ALL SUPPOSED TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION TOGETHER.
UM, SO WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT FOR Y'ALL? AND I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE Y'ALL, UM, BEING HERE.
JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, THESE PLANS ARE NOT FINAL.
THE REASON WE'RE HAVING THIS MEETING IS TO GET YOUR FEEDBACK SO THAT WE CAN INCORPORATE THEM INTO THE PLANS BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO P AND Z AND COUNCIL NEXT YEAR.
SO, UM, I'LL TALK ABOUT THIS MORE AT THE END.
BUT BY HAVING A FUTURE LAND USE PLAN, IT'S ENSURING COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN ADJACENT LAND USES, IT'S PROVIDING A PATH FOR ANTICIPATED GROWTH, ENSURES THE AVAILABILITY OF PUBLIC SERVICES, FACILITIES, AND RESOURCES WHILE PROTECTING THE, UM, ENVIRONMENT AS IT CURRENTLY IS AND ALSO NOT NEGATIVELY IMPACTING EXISTING RESIDENTS AND RESIDENTS DOWNSTREAM SPECIFICALLY, UM, REGARDING DRAINAGE, UM, IT, ONE OF THE BIGGEST GOALS OF THIS PLAN IS ALSO TO HELP BALANCE THE TAX BURDEN SO THAT EXISTING RESIDENTS CURRENT AND FUTURE RESIDENTS ARE NOT NEGATIVELY IMPACTED AS THE YEARS GO ON.
AND SO THAT THE CITY CAN MAINTAIN THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT IS CURRENTLY BEING PROVIDED WITHOUT HAVING A LOT OF TAX INCREASES OVER TIME.
THIS DOCUMENT IS TO HELP THE CITY PLAN FOR 1, 5, 10, 20 YEARS.
AND, UM, THERE IS THE LIKELIHOOD THAT AS DEVELOPMENT OCCURS THAT PLANS LIKE THIS COULD BE UPDATED OVER TIME.
UM, SO WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR, UM, REVIEW AND FEEDBACK TONIGHT.
UM, OPTIONS A AND B, AND I'M GONNA RUN THROUGH WHAT THE OPTIONS, THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO OPTIONS REALLY QUICKLY.
UM, SO OPTION A, IT, THE, THE PLANS ARE RELATIVELY SIMILAR IN NATURE, BUT, UM, OPTION A IS PRIORITIZING TWO CRITICAL THINGS FOR THE AREA DETENTION AND COMMERCIAL LAND USE.
UM, AS CHRIS MENTIONED, THIS AREA IS EXTREMELY FLAT.
IT NEEDS A LOT OF DETENTION AND THERE ARE A LOT OF EXISTING CREEKS AND STREAMS AS WELL AS PIPELINE EASEMENTS.
AND SO THAT WAS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHILE LOOKING AT THIS PLAN.
UM, AS CHRIS MENTIONED, WE TRIED, WE LOOKED AT A REGIONAL DETENTION SITUATION, BUT THE TOPOGRAPHY AND THE ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF THAT IS JUST NOT REALISTIC.
UM, SO THIS LOOKS AT KIND OF A MORE INDIVIDUALIZED DETENTION SYSTEM, ALTHOUGH YOU WILL SEE SOME SHARED SPACES WITH, UH, FOR DETENTION.
UM, THE, AS MENTIONED, ONE OF THE MAIN GOALS FOR THIS PROJECT IS TO INCREASE TAX REVENUE WITHOUT BURDENING CURRENT OR FUTURE CITIZENS.
UM, SO WE LOOKED AT COMMERCIAL MIXED USE AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT.
THIS PLAN OPTION A INCLUDES A GREATER PERCENTAGE OF THOSE SPECIFIC LAND USES, UM, WHICH WILL ALLOW
[00:40:01]
A GREATER DIVERSITY OF RETAIL, SMALL OFFICE RESTAURANT, LIGHT MANUFACTURING, AND OTHER COMMERCIAL OR INDUSTRIAL USES.AND THEN OPTION B, THIS PLAN LOOKS AT A MORE HOLISTIC APPROACH.
IT'S KIND OF A ATTEMPT TO HAVE A MORE REGIONAL DETENTION SYSTEM WITHOUT HAVING A REGIONAL DETENTION SYSTEM.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS PLAN HAS A LOT OF INTERCONNECTED PARKS, TRAILS, AREAS, DETENTION THAT KIND OF GOES THROUGH THE MIDDLE TOWARDS THE SOUTHEAST.
UM, AND THEN IS SURROUNDED BY MIXED USE AND COMMERCIAL PARCELS.
UM, THIS WAS INSPIRED BY OTHER VERY HIGH QUALITY DEVELOPMENTS LIKE THE EMERALD NECKLACE IN BOSTON AND THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER WALK.
AND IT BASICALLY, UH, PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTEGRATE YOUR DETENTION WITH YOUR PARK SYSTEM, YOUR MIXED USE, YOUR RESIDENTIAL, AND MAKE IT KIND OF ALL WORK NICELY TOGETHER.
UM, IN THIS PLAN BY PLACING AMENITIZED DETENTION PONDS NEXT TO THE RETAIL, THE OFFICE, THE RESIDENTIAL, IT CAN, THE PONDS CAN FUNCTION IN A PRAGMATIC AND AN AESTHETIC WAY.
SO 'CAUSE IT WORKS, UM, TO CONTAIN FLOOD WATERS, BUT ALSO PROVIDE AN AMENITIES SO YOU'RE NOT JUST LOOKING AT A POND TO HOLD WATER, YOU'RE ACTUALLY ACTIVATING IT.
YOU CAN EITHER WALK AROUND IT OR MAYBE YOU CAN EAT NEAR IT OR THERE'S A PARK AS CHRIS MENTIONED.
UM, SO THIS HAS SLIGHTLY LESS COMMERCIAL LAND USE THAN OPTION A, BUT NOT SIGNIFICANTLY.
UM, AND THERE'S A GREATER QUANTITY OF AMENITIZED RETAIL OFFICE AREAS TO OFFSET THAT DECREASE IN COMMERCIAL.
SO THAT'S A VERY HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF BOTH OF THOSE PLANS.
UM, WE HAVE FOUR STATIONS, UM, TWO ON EACH SIDE THAT WE WILL HAVE ONE LJA PERSON AND ONE LEAGUE CITY STAFF MEMBER TO ANSWER ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT THE BOARDS.
UM, IN THE MIDDLE OF EACH OF THE TWO OR EACH OF THE SETS OF BOARDS ARE DEFINITIONS OF ALL THE LAND USES THAT YOU'LL SEE ON THE PLANS AND WITH PICTURES AND EXAMPLES SO THAT YOU CAN GET A FEEL FOR WHAT'S BEING ENVISIONED.
UM, BECAUSE I KNOW MIXED USE IS KIND OF A VAGUE TERM, THERE'S PICTURES AND DESCRIPTIONS, SO PLEASE READ THAT.
UM, SO THIS, THIS PRESENTATION AND THE UH, WEB WEBSITE IS CURRENTLY LIVE, BUT THE PRESENTATION WILL BE UPLOADED TO THE LEAGUE CITY LISTENS WEBSITE AND THIS SPECIFIC PROJECT PAGE NEXT MONDAY THE 11TH.
FOR EVERYONE THAT'S HERE TONIGHT, WE HAVE A PAPER SURVEY THAT WE ASK THAT YOU FILL OUT.
IT'S GONNA ASK YOU QUESTIONS LIKE, WHICH PLAN DO YOU LIKE BEST? WHAT THINGS DO YOU LIKE ABOUT EACH PLAN? WHICH ONES DO YOU NOT LIKE ABOUT EACH PLAN? AND YOU CAN DROP THOSE OFF AT THE TABLE IN THE BACK FOR THOSE WHO WERE NOT ABLE TO ATTEND TONIGHT.
AS I MENTIONED, THIS VIDEO OR THIS PRESENTATION WILL BE RECORD IS BEING RECORDED AND WILL BE ONLINE SO THAT PEOPLE CAN WATCH IT.
AND THEN THERE WILL BE AN ONLINE VERSION OF THE SAME SURVEY FOR THOSE PEOPLE TO FILL OUT AS WELL.
SO ENCOURAGE YOUR FRIENDS WHO AREN'T HERE TO FILL IT OUT.
WE WANT EVERYONE TO LOVE THIS PLAN.
THE PLAN THAT WE GO WITH, UM, THE ONLINE SURVEY WILL ALSO OPEN NEXT MONDAY ON THE 11TH AND IT'S, IT CLOSES DECEMBER 5TH.
UM, ONCE WE HAVE ALL OF THE CITIZEN COMMENTS INCORPORATED OR RECEIVED, WE WILL INCORPORATE THOSE COMMENTS INTO THE PLAN AND CONSOLIDATE INTO ONE FUTURE LAND USE PLAN.
UM, ONCE THAT OCCURS, UH, WE WILL START SCHEDULING THE PLANNING AND ZONING MEETING AND CITY COUNCIL, THERE WILL BE A PUBLIC HEARING AT BOTH OF THOSE MEETINGS.
SO THERE WILL BE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK, ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE IN A PUBLIC FORUM SETTING.
UM, AND THE PLANS WILL COME WITH A REPORT WITH, UH, BASICALLY AN OVERVIEW OF EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENED OVER THE PAST EIGHT MONTHS, ALL THE FINDINGS FROM ALL THE REPORTS, AND THEN, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POTENTIAL ZONING CHANGES OR ANY OTHER REGULATORY CHANGES THAT CAN HELP MAKE THE THE PLAN THAT WE MOVE FORWARD WITH MORE REALISTIC FOR DEVELOPERS.
UM, AND THEN HOW DOES THAT WORK FROM AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STANDPOINT AS WELL.
UH, WE ARE LIKELY GOING TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION IN LATE FEBRUARY AND COUNCIL IN MARCH WITH HOPEFUL ADOPTION BY APRIL OF NEXT YEAR.
SO THAT IS ALL FOR OUR PRESENTATION.
UH, WE ARE GOING TO BREAK OUT TO OUR STATIONS, SO DON'T BE SHY, COME ASK QUESTIONS AND WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.