HomeMy WebLinkAboutComprehensive Plan Implementation JanuaryCOMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
TOWN OF WESTLAKE, TEXAS
JANUARY 2015
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
DRAFT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part One: Policy Tabulations
Introduction
Policy Section A: Land Use
Policy Section B: Thoroughfares
Policy Section C: Parks, Open Space and Trails
Policy Section D: Town Design Structure
Policy Section E: Facilities
Policy Section F: Storm Water and Water Conservation
Policy Section G: Housing
Policy Section H: Economic Development
Part Two: Planning Benchmarks
Appendix A: Development Review Checklist
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IMPLEMENTATION 1
IMPLEMENTATION
PART ONE: POLICY TABULATIONS
INTRODUCTION
The following Schedule of Policies specifi es
the policy recommendations for the eight
Plan Elements. These Plan Elements are:
A. The Land Use Plan
B. The Thoroughfare Plan
C. The Parks, Open Space and Trails Plan
D. The Town Design Structure Plan
E. The Facilities and Town Hall Plan
F. The Storm Water and Water Conservation
Plan
G. The Housing Plan
H. The Economic Development Plan
The policies recommended facilitate use
of the Comprehensive Plan as a guide in
the decision making processes of local
governance. This Comprehensive Plan is a
guiding document and is not meant to bind
or otherwise limit the discretionary authority
of this or any future Town Council that may
use this Plan. The policies presented herein
clarify the Plan Elements and assist with:
• Interpretation
• Application
• Spatial Allocation
To accomplish this purpose of facilitation, it is
important that the policy recommendations
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE2
address several aspects of decision making.
These aspects include:
• Regulatory/ Policy Status: Policies
recommended here are meant to
clarify interpretation of the Plan and
clearly state the Plan’s limitations as well
as its focal purpose. Most of the Plan
Elements are meant to guide discussions
of implementation conducted within the
site plan review and/or development
request process.
• Application Trigger Points: Policies
recommended here are meant to
identify development impact thresholds
that would trigger implementation of the
Plan in order to avoid the environmental
consequences that the Plan Elements
endeavor to prevent.
• Plan Review/ Development Request
Process: The policies recommended
here are meant to guide consideration
of site plans and development requests.
The Plan Elements should be used to
guide staff of the Town in formulating
their recommendations on the matter
and further guide Town Council’s
consideration of such development
requests. Viewing the site plan and/or
the development request through the
lens of these policy recommendations
provides critical information needed to
make decisions.
• Capital Improvements: Policies
recommended here are meant to
address the matters of cost associated
with Plan implementation and guide
determination of possible funding
approaches to this issue.
• Public/ Private Partnerships: Policies
recommended here are meant to
facilitate the formation of relationships
between the land owners and the Town
on matters related to implementation of
this Plan.
Policy Section A: Land Use
A1: The Regulatory/ Policy Status of the Land
Use Plan.
The Land Use Plan as presented in this
Comprehensive Master Plan is a guiding
document only and is meant to supplement
the current Land Use Plan (adopted by
ordinances 702 and 450), not replace it. The
Comprehensive Plan Land Use Plan (CPLP)
identifi es the recommended sending and
receiving areas/ zones within the Town.
• Sending Areas/ Zones are locations from
which it is recommended that commercial
square footage relative to development
land square footage exceeding the
average low FAR’s now in place (or
displaced by implementation of Plan
recommendations of this Comprehensive
Plan), be exported. Sending Areas can
include land given over to public use
(park, thoroughfare, open space, etc.,
as per the Comprehensive Plan) that is
located in a Receiving Area.
• Receiving Areas/ Zones are locations
to which commercial square footage
being exported from sending areas
can be imported because conditions
of such locations relative to the View
Analysis make these areas more tolerant
of increased development density and
building height.
If the Town Council passes a Transfer of
Development Square Footage Article as
part of its Chapter 102 revision, the Land
Use Plan will also become a regulatory
plan within that ordinance. However,
participation in the Commercial Square
Footage Transfer Program is voluntary and
meant to incentivize implementation of the
Comprehensive Plan Recommendations
by preserving the economic value of
any entitlement should the land owner
IMPLEMENTATION 3
participate in implementation of Plan
Element recommendations (such as the
Thoroughfare Plan or the Parks and Open
Space Plan).
The Current Land Use Plan (adopted by
Ordinance 702 and ordinance 450) will
remain the offi cial Land Use Plan of the
Town showing conventional Land Use
designations which refl ect the current
zoning. This document should be amended
to include the open space confi guration
portrayed in the Comprehensive Plan’s Parks
and Open Space Plan. The current Land
Use Plan is an accompanying document
meant to guide application of the Land Use
Plan to matters/ decision processes related
to site plan review, development requests
(including rezoning), and/or requests to
participate in the Commercial Square
Footage Transfer Program (as defi ned in
the revised Chapter 102 of the Westlake
Code of ordinances).
When square footage is taken out of a
Sending Area for purposes of implementing
Comprehensive Plan recommendations
relative to Thoroughfares, Open Space,
Facilities, and/or Housing, it is recommended
that a rate of export greater than 1:1
be considered by the Town Council.
Table 1 above shows the rates of export
recommended in the Comprehensive Plan.
Table 1: Rates of Commercial Square Footage Transfer
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE4
Table 2: Building Envelope Characteristics
*with structured parking
Building Height and Density relationships
within Sending and Receiving Zones defi ne
a “development envelope” with a capacity
to receive imported square footage.
Recommended building heights, square
footage, and coverage which defi ne the
building envelope are as shown above on
Table 2.
A2: Application Trigger Points.
The density redistribution recommendations
of the current Land Use Plan should be
encouraged when the following conditions
prevail with regard to the site plan,
development request, and/or square foot
transfer request being considered:
• A development proposal or site plan and
the required TIA submitted with it reveal
that the proposal will cause streets and/
or intersections serving the development
to attain Thoroughfare Plan Trigger Points
and the submitting/ requesting party is
unable to make (or cause to be made)
off-site street improvements required to
mitigate the traffi c impacts.
• The subject site of the site plan or
development proposal contains land
area designated as open space on
the Land Use Plan or contains natural
features that the Town seeks to preserve
IMPLEMENTATION 5
(as identifi ed in the Parks and Open
Space Plan and includes land mark
landforms and surface water corridors)
or requires roadway dedication as
identifi ed in the Thoroughfare Plan or is
the preferred location of an Emergency
Facility (as shown on the Facilities Plan).
• The subject site of the site plan or
development proposal lies within a
context of existing development that
is built at a lower FAR than the FAR
established by entitlement of the subject
site (or presented in the development
proposal) and maintenance of such
lower FAR’s in the subject area are
consistent with the current Land Use
Plan.
• The subject site of the site plan or
development proposal lies within an
area where expanded residential
entitlement is desired.
A3: Plan Review/ Development Request
Processing.
• Any site plan, zoning request, or other
development proposal which entails
any of the trigger conditions described
above shall be evaluated to determine
the square footage that can reasonably
be transferred from the site location in
accordance with the recommended
table above and the submitting/
requesting party shall be advised of
the opportunity availed through the
Commercial Square Footage Transfer
Program.
• A portion of funds collected from a Tax
Increment Financing District can be
contributed to a Transfer Fund if the TIF
ordinance so permits. Monies from the
Transfer Fund can be used to acquire
square footage from a sending area (at
a 1:1 rate) if the funds received by the
submitting/ requesting party will be used
to offset the costs of implementing Plan
Recommendation (such as roadway
and/ or open space dedication or road
way construction).
• When a request for Transfer is made by
a submitting/ requesting party whose
subject of the request is located within a
sending or sending/ receiving zone, the
Town shall do the following:
◊ Identify the amount of square
footage to be exported and whether
the submitting/ requesting party is
seeking to claim a rate of transfer
higher than 1:1.
◊ If there is a claim for a transfer rate
higher than 1:1, then identify the
public purpose or comprehensive
plan implementation proposed to
qualify for such a transfer rate.
◊ Determine that the proposed site
design satisfactorily accomplishes
the implementation claimed.
◊ Determine the impacts of the transfer
on the receiving area by making
sure that the resulting development
envelope is within the height and
coverage limits for the receiving
area.
◊ If the claim for transfer and the
requested rate of transfer are
consistent with the Comprehensive
Plan AND the development envelope
of the receiving area is not violated,
then the staff may recommend
approval of the request.
• It is the responsibility of the submitting/
requesting party to identify the
justifi cations for the enhanced rate of
transfer (if requested) and prepare a site
plan illustrating how the Comprehensive
Plan implementations will be
accomplished.
• It is the responsibility of the submitting/
requesting party to demonstrate that
transfer of the development to a
receiving area does not violate the
building envelope limitations of that
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE6
area. This condition applies even if the
transfer is between separate property
owners.
• If the transfer causes entitlement within
the receiving property to exceed the
building envelope limitations, then
the Transfer Fund can purchase any
portion of the proposed transfer that
forces entitlement within the receiving
area to violate the building envelope
limitations If such a purchase is made,
the Town must determine that the
Comp Plan implementation proposed
is of great importance to the Town and
the proceeds of such purchase to the
property owner must be used to fund
all or part of the proposed Comp Plan
implementation.
A4: Capital Improvement.
• When a request for Square Footage
Transfer is proposed in order to
facilitate Comp Plan implementation,
it is the responsibility of the submitting/
requesting party to accomplish those
implementations concurrent with the
development of the project unless the
Town and the submitting/requesting party
agree to an alternate time schedule.
However, all roadway provisions must be
built concurrent with development of a
project for which they provide needed
roadway capacity, whether associated
with Square Footage Transfer or not.
• The submitting/ requesting party shall
provide designs and standards proposed
in association with any Comp Plan
Implementation. If approved by the
Town concurrent with approval of the
request, such design and standards shall
be attached to the formal approval and
enforced by the Town building inspector.
A5: Public/ Private Participation.
• By approving any Commercial Square
Footage Transfer request associated
with Comp Plan implementation, the
Town and submitting/ requesting party
are entering a public private partner
relationship. Therefore, the Town will
support and protect implementation of
its interests in the proposal as well as work
with the submitting/ requesting party
where benefi cial to betterment of the
project or Comp Plan Implementation.
• It may be appropriate for the Town to
consider entering into a 380 agreement
where possible to further facilitate
successful implementation of the more
important Comp Plan Recommendations.
Such implementations could include
preservation of landmark landforms
and/ or natural corridors (as discussed
in Policy Section C: Parks, Open Space
and Trails).
Policy Section B: Thoroughfares
B1: The Regulatory/ Policy Status of the
Thoroughfare Plan.
The Thoroughfare Plan as presented in this
Comprehensive Master Plan is a guiding
document only. It identifi es connections
(arrow heads) and linkages (dotted or solid
lines) needed to accommodate the total
traffi c potentially generated by the total
entitlements that have been approved
by the Town of Westlake to date. The
fi nal alignment design of any connection
indicated in the Plan is subject to further
engineer alignment studies and the manner
in which the recommended connections
can be accomplished within any proposed
development as proposed by that
development plan. Required improvements
to intersections within this Thoroughfare
Plan are subject to Town approval of
improvement recommendations made by
the submitting/ requesting party as a result
IMPLEMENTATION 7
of the required TIA (discussed below).
It is the intent of this Plan that the total
Thoroughfare System of the Town of
Westlake be accomplished with 4 lane
divided roadways whose visual character
as a Regional Arterial, a Town Arterial,
or a Pastoral Collector is determined by
compliance with the recommendations
of the Town Design Structure Plan of
this Comprehensive Plan. If roadways
wider than 4 lane divided roadways are
proposed by any submitting/ requesting
party, the reconciliation of such a proposal
with the visual character of Westlake and
with the smaller roadways (located in
adjacent Townships) serving Westlake must
be considered and addressed in a manner
that is satisfactory to the Council. Where
the introduction of roadways wider than
4 lane divided roadways is approved, the
Comprehensive Plan Thoroughfare Plan
must be revised to refl ect that component
of the total street system.
B2: Application Trigger Points.
• Roadways: Road improvements as
portrayed by the Thoroughfare Plan
shall be implemented as needed to
maintain minimum acceptable levels
of service (LOS). A LOS of D or better is
defi ned using the following thresholds
or as calculated using professionally
accepted methods:
◊ 2 Lane Street: 12,000 ADT
◊ 3 Lane Street: 17,000 ADT
◊ 4 Lane Undivided Street: 24,000 ADT
◊ 4 Lane Divided Street: 32,000 ADT
◊ 6 Lane Divided: 55,000 ADT
• Intersections: Road and intersection
improvements (including those
portrayed by the Thoroughfare Plan)
shall be implemented as needed to
maintain an intersection Level of Service
“D” or better.
Professionally accepted methods include
those prescribed in the Highway Capacity
Manual (HCM) and other national
standards. The Town reserves the right
to deem methods to be professionally
accepted.
If the LOS D threshold has been exceeded
or is imminent for any local road segment
or intersection, the Town reserves the right
to identify the necessary improvements.
Necessary improvements could include
lane additions or other improvements to
the failing segment and/or intersection, or
improvements to adjacent segments and/
or intersections that will have the effect
of improving LOS on the failing segment
and/or intersection or providing needed
travel alternatives to failing conditions.
Improvements will be consistent with the
adopted Thoroughfare Plan.
B3: Plan Review/ Development Request
Processing.
• Any site plan, zoning request, or request
to transfer development square footage
from one Land Use District to another
shall be accompanied by a thorough
Traffi c Impact Analysis (TIA) that projects
traffi c volumes and corresponding levels
of service (LOS) on road segments and
intersections serving the development
(including the service roads of Highway
114 and Highway 114 overpasses) when
other planned, zoned, and/or approved
development(s) served by those streets
are considered. The TIA must also
factor in background traffi c, including
regional traffi c fl ows to the extent that
such fl ows are manifest on the streets of
Westlake and Highway 114/ Highway
170 Service Roads and overpasses.
More specifi cally, the required TIA must
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE8
employ the following:
◊ A TIA using an Employment Demand
Model must apply the following
employment densities:
• Service Employment: 1 employee/
260 square feet
• Retail Employment: 1 employee/
700 square feet
• Basic Employment: 1 employee/
750 square feet
◊ Rates published in the most recent
edition of ITE Trip Generation must
be used for TIA’s using the manual
estimates of trip generation.
◊ A TIA submitted to determine
attainment of threshold ADT or LOS
shall:
• Factor in future traffi c volumes on
all roadways entering Westlake
from Keller, Southlake, Trophy
Club, Roanoke, and Alliance.
Such future volumes shall fully
consider current traffi c counts and
the growth thereof to planning
year 2035.
• State the extent to which
development within the subject
site and/ or Planned Development
District in which the site is located
will build out relative to entitlement.
If the TIA does not consider full use
of entitlement, then the submitting
party shall state which measures
will be put in place to assure
that the level of development
presented will be the highest level
of development for this property
and/ or Planned Development.
• Factor in full use of entitlement
on other properties and Planned
Developments within Westlake.
• Factor in full use of entitlements on
properties abutting Westlake.
• Factor in projected regional fl ows
on roadways within the area
of analysis which shall include
Traffi c Analysis Zones in which
Westlake, Southlake, Keller, Trophy
Club, Roanoke, and Alliance are
located.
• Respond to any road segments
or intersections that exceed a
Level of Service D. Where LOS D
is exceeded as a result of regional
fl ows, such road segments and/or
intersections shall be considered as
exceeding thresholds established
by this Plan.
• Any site plan, zoning request, or request
to transfer development square footage
from one Land Use District to another
shall be accompanied by a thorough
Traffi c Impact Analysis (TIA) that projects
the intersection Level of Service (LOS)
at all Westlake intersections serving
the proposed development (including
the service roads of Highway 114 and
Highway 114 overpasses) when other
planned, zoned, and/or approved
development(s) served by those
intersections are also considered. The TIA
must also factor in regional traffi c fl ows
to the extent that such fl ows are manifest
on the streets of Westlake and Highway
114 Service Roads and overpasses and
all aspects of consideration specifi ed
above for the Roadway TIA.
• If the TIA described above reveals
that threshold level of service (LOS) on
a road segment and/or intersection
Roadway Level of Service (“trigger
Points” described above) have been
attained, the TIA must also identify those
components of the Thoroughfare Plan
and/or other roadway improvements
deemed necessary to bring the road
segment and/or intersection LOS into
compliance with the requirements of the
Town.
• Any right-of-way attained by easement
or dedication shall include suffi cient
width to construct Town or Regional Trails
IMPLEMENTATION 9
as shown on the Trails Plan.
B4: Capital Improvement.
• When the required TIA projects that
the Average Daily Trip Counts and/
or Intersection Level of Service will
exceed the above stated Regulatory
Trigger Points, it is the responsibility of
the submitting/ requesting party to
implement improvements necessary
to attain compliance levels. To the
extent that it can be established that
the traffi c capacity created by the
proposed improvements will exceed the
traffi c capacity necessary to serve the
transportation needs of the total unused
entitlements held by the submitting/
requesting party (called oversized
improvement), such oversizing cost
shall be borne by the Town of Westlake
through one of the following means:
◊ Reimbursement Option “A”: The
submitting/ requesting party’s
expense for the cost of oversized
improvement shall be reimbursed
from revenues collected within a Tax
Increment Financing District covering
the commercial area(s) of Westlake,
if such a District has been established
at the time of the submittal/ request.
◊ Reimbursement Option “B”:
submitting/ requesting party’s
expense for the cost of oversized
improvement shall be reimbursed
from funds identifi ed within a 380
agreement between the submitting/
requesting party and the Town of
Westlake.
◊ Cost Sharing: The submitting/
requesting party’s expense for the
cost of oversized improvement shall
be reimbursed from a future capital
improvement program when and if
approved by the voters of the Town
of Westlake.
◊ Other sources of funding that the
Town may have access to.
B5: Public/ Private Participation.
• Public Private Partnerships: The Town
of Westlake and the submitting/
requesting party will make every effort
to implement the Thoroughfare Plan
on a partnership basis which will allow
the Town to proactively implement
needed roadway capacity and assure
future private property owners that
suffi cient roadway capacity will be in
place to accommodate the impacts
of residential and non-residential
development. Partnership opportunities
to be considered by the Town include:
◊ A Tax Increment Financing District
◊ A 380 Agreement between the Town
and the major land owners
• Roadway Impact Fees: The Town of
Westlake will evaluate the effectiveness
of a Roadway Impact Fee program
for the Town that monetizes the actual
impacts of development on the roadway
conditions of Westlake and is charged
to development at plat approval and/
or permit stages of the development
process. If implemented, an impact
fee will replace the capital methods
described above as they relate to any
improvement specifi ed in the Impact
Fee CIP (as prescribed by Section 395
of the Texas Local Government Code).
However, right-of-way provision is not so
modifi ed and remains the responsibility
of the submitting/ requesting party.
Policy Section C: Parks, Open Space and
Trails
C1: The Regulatory/ Policy Status of the
Parks, Open Space and Trails Plan.
The Parks, Open Space and Trails Plan
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE10
as presented in this Comprehensive Plan
is a guiding document only. It identifi es
public and/ or private landscapes, open
areas, landforms, waterways and key
linkages between these open areas and
natural features necessary to create a
central open space corridor within the
Town that preserves and protects portions
of the natural break between uplands
and lowlands (the ecotone) that are not
generally protected by low FAR or low
density development or development
within a view corridor or view shed zone
(as identifi ed on the Land Use Plan). This
connected and unbuilt landscape is the
characteristic view that will remain a visual
legacy of Westlake’s pastoral/ ranch history
as it develops commercially at a potentially
urban level of intensity. The open space
area is meant to particularly protect and
defi ne the residential portions of the Town
from its commercial portions and in so
doing reconcile the difference in scale and
density they each present as well as protect
the residential values from commercial
encroachment.
The Parks, Open Space and Trails Plan also
identifi es the type and general location of
public recreational facilities necessary to
serve the recreational needs of the Town’s
future build-out population as well as trail
types that collectively constitute a legible
and Town-wide network of pedestrian
connections linking points of trip origin to
important trip destinations within Westlake
(including recreation, work, and shopping).
Finally, the Trails Plan identifi es the types of
trail marker, trail head, trail hub that signals
movement from one trail type to another
within the system.
The location of recreation facility type (such
as a community park or neighborhood
park) within the service areas shown on
the Parks, Open Space and Trails Plan
are general indications of location only.
Final location shall be determined as
development of the Town progresses and
facility sites are acquired by purchase,
donation, dedication, easement, or other
agreement which secures public use and
access. Facility locations may vary from
the general locations shown in the Parks,
Open Space and Trails Plan provided that
the Service Areas around facility types so
located will yield a generally uniform level
of public access across the residential
portions of Westlake (avoid one area being
over-served and another area being under-
served by comparison).
When the recreation facility sites are
acquired by any of the above listed methods,
the Town shall make a determination that
the resulting constellation of service areas
provides a reasonably balanced level of
service for that facility type across the Town’s
residential areas. If the resulting pattern of
service areas cannot be so distributed and
alternate locations are not likely, it is more
important to have the facility availability
within the Town and a less balanced
distribution of service areas may result.
The provisions of this Parks, Open Space
and Trails Plan are not a part of any Planned
Development or zoning entitlement at the
time of adopting this Comprehensive Plan.
Upon adoption of the Comprehensive
Plan, the Town will initiate revision of its
current zoning Land Use Plan (adopted
by ordinances 450 and 702) to refl ect
the open space confi guration shown in
the Comprehensive Plan’s Parks, Open
Space and Trails Plan. Any consideration
of a request to change zoning or revise a
Planned Development Ordinance shall also
seek to include the Comprehensive Plan’s
Open Space confi guration as part of such
change or revision and seek modifi cation
of, or attachment of, map documents
IMPLEMENTATION 11
refl ecting such inclusion.
C2: Application Trigger Points.
Implementation of the Parks, Open Space
and Trails Plan shall be advanced when
any, or any combination of, the following
are part of a development site plan or
other development request submitted for
approval by the Town:
• Location of a landmark landform as
indicated on the Parks and Open Space
Plan.
• Location of a waterway, creek, water
body, wetland, or fl ood zone.
• Location of an opportunity to place a
recreational facility so that a balanced
distribution of facility service areas across
the residential portions of Westlake will
result.
• Location of an historic or culturally
signifi cant landscape or a landscape
that is essentially important to complete
preservation of the Town’s natural
mosaic.
• Constitutes an important connection
between current or intended open
space areas.
C3: Plan Review/ Development Request
Processing.
• Any site plan, zoning request, or request
to transfer development square footage
from one Land Use District to another,
shall indicate any portion of the subject
land area that coincides, or closely
coincides, with areas shown as open
space in the Westlake Comprehensive
Plan (hereinafter known as the Open
Space Envelope).
• When a site plan, zoning request, or a
request to transfer commercial square
footage from one Land Use District to
another demonstrates that any part
of the subject property coincides, or
closely coincides with any portion of the
Open Space Envelope or an Area of
Sensitivity, the Town shall evaluate the
site plan to determine the following:
◊ Is the Open Space Envelope or
any portion thereof proposed for
development?
◊ Are there alternative Open Space
Envelope confi gurations that
will accomplish the intent of the
Comprehensive Plan on, or off, the
subject property?
◊ Are any Landmark Landforms,
waterways, water bodies, other
special natural features, or an Area
of Sensitivity present in this portion of
the Open Space Envelope?
◊ Does a balanced arrangement of
any recommended “Park Type”
Service Areas suggest that this open
space location is best suited for
location of a park?
◊ Is any part of the subject property
located within the 100 year fl ood
plain after consideration of future,
upstream development and is that
fl ood plain part of the recommended
Open Space Envelope?
◊ In the event that there is a confl ict
between the Parks, Open Space and
Trails Plan recommendation and the
submitted plan, is the submitting/
requesting party willing to permit Plan
implementation through any of the
following means:
• Redesign of the site plan
• Participation in the Commercial
Square Footage Transfer
Program (wherein the submitting/
requesting party) may be eligible
for transfer rates greater than 1:1
(as per policy B3)
• Willing to seek acquisition of the
square footage displaced by
inclusion of the Open Space
Envelope within the site plan by
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE12
the Transfer Fund or TIF described
above in Policy A3. Such
acquisition shall be based on a
transfer rate of 1:1.
• Acquisition of any square footage
displaced to implement the Open
Space Envelope shall be based on a
land value for such property developed
at the density of the displaced square
footage, not the construction value of
the displaced square footage. Such
value shall be determined based on
comparable sales within the market area
as identifi ed by a licensed appraiser.
• Any open space acquired through
acquisition of displaced square footage
shall be secured by easement, or
dedication or transfer of ownership to
the Town and the public shall have rights
of access to the open space. Further,
any open space so acquired may be
used to develop public park facilities as
shown on the Parks, Open Space and
Trails Plan.
• Any right-of-way attained by easement
or dedication shall include suffi cient
width to construct Town or Regional Trails
as shown on the Trails Plan.
• Property boundary fences along any
commercial property containing public
or private open space and a roadway or
trail (identifi ed on the Thoroughfare Plan
or Trails Plan) are encouraged to be open
fences wherever possible (such as an
agricultural fence or open wrought iron
fence) which allows the visible ground
plane to continue from road/trail to
open space without visual discontinuity
created by visual disruptions (such as
opaque fences). Property boundary
walls are strongly discouraged in such
locations.
• Where the open space is secured through
agreement or transfer of commercial
square footage and contains a Landmark
Landform, distinctive vegetative
community, or water way/ water body,
the Town shall make every effort to also
secure public access and right to build
trails for public use.
C4: Capital Improvement.
• The Town will make submission to the
Texas Parks and Wildlife or any and/ or
all of the following grants to assist with
implementation of the Parks, Open
Space and Trails Plan:
◊ Outdoor Recreation Grant (grant
award limit $400,000)
◊ Urban Outdoor Recreation (grant
award limit $1 million)
◊ Recreation Trail Grant (grant award
limit $200,000)
• Trail continuity has the same importance
to the Town as roadway continuity.
Therefore, any submitting/ requesting
party building roadways as required
to address potential attainment of
Thoroughfare Plan Trigger Points shall
also build the trails associated therewith.
All trail construction shall meet the design
requirements of the Trail Plan. Any trail
markers/ trail heads identifi ed in the Trail
Plan, located on the subject property
or within the extent of the required
improvement shall also be built as part
of the required street construction.
• Any over sizing of the trail relative to the
demand placed upon it, as established
by the submitting/ requesting party
through an approved methodology shall
be treated in the same manner as street
oversizing (discussed above in Policy B4).
• Public participation in trail construction
by a submitting/ requesting party shall
be on a refund basis only and such
refund can be capitalized through any
of the following:
◊ Capital Improvement Bond Program
when and if approved by the voters
of Westlake.
IMPLEMENTATION 13
◊ Tax Increment Financing Revenues
if the subject trail improvement is a
project included in the current TIF
plan.
◊ A 380 agreement between the Town
and the submitting/ requesting party.
◊ Use of Trail Grant monies received
by the Town when the subject trail is
consistent with the grant application
and such refund is authorized by the
granting agency
◊ Other sources of funding that the
Town may have access to.
C5: Public/ Private Participation.
• Public Private Partnerships: The Town of
Westlake and the submitting/ requesting
party will make every effort to implement
the Parks, Open Space and Trails Plan
on a voluntary partnership basis that will
allow the Town to proactively implement
needed recreational facilities and
natural fabric protections and assure
future private property owners that
the pastoral essence of Westlake that
attracted their investment in Westlake
will be in place as residential and
commercial development continues.
Partnership opportunities to be
considered by the Town include:
◊ A Tax Increment Financing District
◊ A 380 Agreement between the Town
and the major land owners
• The Town will make every effort to place
open space areas intended to protect
natural features into conservation
easements where multi-generational
preservation is assured.
• The Town will make every effort to
allow private property participation
in implementation of the Parks, Open
Space and Trails Plan to benefi t the
property owner in ways that potentially
include:
◊ Mitigation: When a property owner
can use open space set aside as
mitigation purposed under the rules
and/ or regulations of other agencies
(local, state, or federal), the Town will
seek to facilitate such cooperative
application of the set aside.
◊ Equity: Where public ownership of
open space can be credited to the
development project as an equity
contribution, the Town will seek
appropriate and legal means to
permit such accreditation.
◊ Benefi cial Transfer Rate: Where the
fi nancial impacts of the open space
set aside can be offset by transferring
commercial square footage at a
rate greater than 1:1 (consistent with
Policy A1), the Town shall facilitate
compliance necessary to achieve
such a transfer rate.
◊ Satisfaction of open space
requirements assigned to the vertical
construction by other provisions within
the Westlake Code of Ordinances:
Where possible, the Town will
consider the open space set aside
by any property owner as meeting
some or all of the open space/
landscape requirements found in
various sections of the Town’s Code
of Ordinances and applicable to
the subject property. The Town will
review a submission in light of such
requirements to determine which can
be waived as a result of the property
owner set aside.
Policy Section D: Town Design Structure
D1: The Regulatory/ Policy Status of the
Town Design Structure Plan.
The Town Design Structure Plan as presented
in this Comprehensive Plan is a guiding
document only. It identifi es the form, pattern,
and sequence of streetscape, public art,
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE14
trail heads/ markers, public/ private premise
signs, street/ way-fi nding signs, intersection
treatment, and public gathering spaces
which defi ne the constellation of visual
experiences that work together to create
a legible Town identity. The Plan contains
symbols, indicating the location of urban
design elements. The placement of
symbols on the Town Design Structure
Plan are meant to establish relationship
between, and sequence of, elements, not
the exact location of such elements. The
fi nal placement/ arrangement of urban
design elements will be determined as land
use development proceeds. Site plans and
development requests, submitted for Town
approval reveal how the identifi ed urban
design elements are implemented with a
project design.
The intent of the Town Design Structure
Plan is that the visual character of the
Town as experienced within the public
domain/ public use spaces (such as
roadways and plazas) is brought together
by visual characteristics that promote visual
continuity and a uniformly high aesthetic
standard. All improvements that constitute
the public domain shall implement the
surface material, plant material, planting
confi guration, street standard and fi xture
type, general forms, and patterns identifi ed
in the Town Design Structure Plan for any
urban design element associated with the
street type, street relationship to another
street, public space, trail, trail relationship
to another trail, trail head/ marker, or
proposed premise sign location that is
manifest in a development site plan or
other development request submitted to
the Town for approval.
The overarching image of the Town as
promoted by the Town Design Structure
Plan is a pastoral, campus, estate
community. This is generally accomplished
by promoting a Townscape that is not overly
subdivided by opaque walls but rather
permits visual access to an uninterrupted
ground plane which provides both the
foreground and terminus of views and vistas
deemed essential to Westlake by its citizens.
Therefore, development that contributes to
important view and vista zones (identifi ed
in the Land Use Plan) is also part of the
Townscape and should complement the
characteristics of the Townscape however
possible and reasonable.
D2: Application Trigger Points.
Implementation of the Town Design
Structure Plan shall be advanced when
any, or any combination of, the following
is part of a development site plan or other
development requests submitted for Town
approval:
• When any street that is a Regional Arterial,
Town Arterial, or Pastoral Collector or
intersections thereof (as generally shown
in the Thoroughfare Plan) is built by public
or private parties.
• When an existing street that can
be classifi ed as a Regional Arterial,
Town Arterial, or Pastoral Collector or
intersections thereof (as generally shown
in the Thoroughfare Plan) is improved or
upgraded.
• When private development landscape
areas abut, or otherwise visually extend
the streetscape (such as roadway
setback or buffers).
• When a site plan implements any portion
of the Parks, Open Space or Trails Plan
as discussed above in Policy Section D.
When a premise sign is located within 30
feet of a road right-of-way.
• When a space within a proposed project
is intended to be a public gathering
space.
• When any area of a proposed project
includes or abuts the location of a portal
IMPLEMENTATION 15
monument (as shown on the Town
Design Structure Plan)
D3: Plan Review/ Development Request
Processing.
• Any site plan, zoning request, or request
to transfer development square
footage from one Land Use District to
another, shall indicate any portion of
the subject land area that coincides,
or closely coincides, with streetscapes,
monument locations, or features shown
in the Westlake Comprehensive Plan’s
Town Design Structure Plan (hereinafter
known as the Urban Form Element).
• When a site plan, zoning request, or a
request to transfer commercial square
footage from one Land Use District to
another demonstrates that any part pf
the subject property coincides, or closely
coincides with any portion of the Urban
Form Element, the Town shall evaluate
the site plan to determine the following:
◊ Is the Urban Form Element or
any portion thereof proposed
for implementation within the
development proposal?
◊ Are there alternative locations or
confi gurations of the Urban Form
Element that will accomplish the
intent of the Comprehensive Plan on-
or-off, the subject property?
◊ Are any major portals or points of
confl uence (vehicular or pedestrian),
associated with the project plan or
the location of the project within
the total vehicular/ pedestrian/
open space system of Westlake (as
portrayed by the Comprehensive
Plan)?
◊ Is the presented elevation view
of proposed right-of-way/ trail
improvements consistent with the
palettes, thematic samples, and
design themes of the Town Design
Structure Plan?
◊ In the event that there is a confl ict
between the Town Design Structure
Plan recommendations and the
submitted plan, is the submitting/
requesting party willing to support
implementation of the urban design
recommendations through any of
the following means:
• Redesign of the site plan
• Reimbursement of additional
costs through one of the
means identifi ed in the Capital
Improvements policy.
• The Town will pursue every regulatory
measure to assure that overarching
design continuity prevails as Westlake
builds out. The Town will consider adoption
of an Overlay District ordinance that will
ultimately cover the right-of-way of the
Highway 114 Service Road, Highway
114 overpass enhancement, Regional
Arterials, Town Arterials, and Pastoral
Collectors. This Overlay District ordinance
will codify the recommendations of the
Town Design Structure Plan and prevail
over any construction within the right-of-
way space of any Arterial or Collector
mentioned in the Town Design Structure
Plan, whether the constructing party is
public or private.
D4: Capital Improvement.
• Public participation with a submitting/
requesting party that facilitates
implementation of the Town Design
Structure Plan shall be on a refund basis
only, and such refund can be capitalized
through any of the following:
◊ Capital Improvement Bond Program
when and if approved by the voters
of Westlake.
◊ Tax Increment Financing Revenues
if the subject trail improvement is a
project included in the current TIF
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE16
plan.
◊ A 380 agreement between the Town
and the submitting/ requesting party.
◊ Use of Trail Grant monies received
by the Town when the subject trail is
consistent with the grant application
and is authorized by the granting
agency.
◊ Other sources of funding that the
Town may have access to.
• The presence or absence of
public participation that facilitates
implementation of the Town Design
Structure Plan does not modify the
regulatory requirements and/ or
standards of the Overlay District
ordinance in any way.
D5: Public/ Private Participation.
• Public Private Partnerships: The Town of
Westlake and the submitting/ requesting
party will make every effort to implement
the Town Design Structure Plan on a
voluntary partnership basis which will
allow the Town to proactively implement
needed recreational facilities and natural
fabric protections and assure future
private property owners that the pastoral
essence of Westlake that attracted
their investment in Westlake will be in
place as residential and commercial
development continues. Partnership
opportunities to be considered by the
Town include:
◊ A Tax Increment Financing District
◊ A 380 Agreement between the Town
and the major land owners
Policy Section E: Facilities
E1: The Regulatory/ Policy Status of the
Facilities and Town Hall Plan.
The Facilities and Town Hall Plan as presented
in this Comprehensive Plan is a guiding
document only. It identifi es Emergency
Service, Service Areas (within which a 5
minute response time if possible) and Town
Hall locations (that position the Town Hall to
be more tangibly engaged with the daily
activities and experiences of Westlake’s
citizens and daytime population).
The location of emergency facilities
within the response time zones shown on
the Facilities and Town Hall Plan shall be
determined as development of the Town
progresses and sites are selected/ acquired
through the development process.
Emergency facilities locations may vary
from the general locations identifi ed in the
Facilities and Town Hall Plan provided that
the coverage of the response time window
is substantially consistent with that shown in
the Plan.
The future location of the Town Hall may
vary from the general locations shown in the
Facilities and Town Hall Plan provided that
the Town Hall is positioned along the Town
Arterial System, or placed where signifi cant
use by, and/or, gathering of, the citizens of
Westlake may take place.
E2: Application Trigger Points.
Implementation of the Facilities and Town
Hall Plan shall be advanced when any,
or any combination of, the following is
part of a development site plan or other
development requests submitted for Town
approval:
• The subject site is located within
the central portions of Emergency
Service, Service Areas as shown on the
Comprehensive Plan’s Facilities and
Town Hall Plan.
• When a required response time window
analysis, submitted for Town review as
part of the site plan submittal, zoning
IMPLEMENTATION 17
request, and/ or development proposal
demonstrates that the target 5 minute
response times cannot be attained.
• When private development increases
the Town population (residents) or
increases the “residential equivalent”
(as defi ned in the Facilities and Town Hall
Plan) of commercial square footage to
a point where the equipment capability
or emergency services manpower of
the Town falls below national standards
(number of police or fi remen per
1,000 population…fi gured to include
the residential population and the
population equivalent for commercial
uses).
• When a site plan implements or proposes
to implement any portion of the Facilities
and Town Hall Plan.
• When a commercial project proposal
does not include private security
measures and personnel as part of the
project program.
• When the available supply of potential
sites, within the proximity of the
emergency service areas, as portrayed
in the Facilities and Town Hall Plan, are
limited to 4 options or less.
E3: Plan Review/ Development Request
Processing.
• Any site plan, zoning request, or request
to transfer development square footage
from one Land Use District to another,
shall provide an emergency service
impact analysis which include the
following:
◊ The current Westlake level of
emergency service personnel
(police and fi remen) per 1,000
population, including application of
the population equivalency which
converts commercial square footage
into a residential population demand
equivalent.
◊ The additional emergency service
personnel required to maintain
national emergency service
standards resulting from population
(or population equivalency) increases
generated by this development
proposal.
◊ Fire protection and/or security
measures proposed with the request.
◊ Compliance with emergency service
infrastructure requirement within the
proposed site plan design.
◊ A Response Time Window analysis
to establish the extent to which a
5 minute response time remains
attainable when considering the level
of roadway connection and other
necessary emergency infrastructure
available upon completion of the
proposed project.
• When a site plan, zoning request, or a
request to transfer commercial square
footage from one Land Use District to
another demonstrates that any part pf
the subject property coincides, or closely
coincides with the recommended
location of any emergency facility or
Town Hall, the Town shall evaluate the
site plan to determine the following:
◊ Is the Facilities and Town Hall Plan,
or any portion thereof, proposed
for implementation within the
development proposal?
◊ Are there alternative locations for
emergency service facilities or Town
Hall that will accomplish the intent of
the Comprehensive Plan on-or-off,
the subject property?
◊ Are there any reasons why placement
of an emergency facility or Town Hall
at this location is more important
to the public health, safety, and
welfare than location on another
neighboring, undeveloped site?
• In the event that there is a confl ict
between the Facilities and Town Hall Plan
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE18
recommendations and the submitted
plan, is the submitting/ requesting
party willing to support implementation
of the Facilities and Town Hall Plan
recommendations through any of the
following means:
◊ Redesign of the site plan
◊ Compensation for the displacement
of commercial square footage as a
result of implementing the Facilities
and Town Hall Plan by transferring
commercial square footage to
another site as a rate of transfer
greater than 1:1.
• The Town will make every effort to
locate emergency service facilities
so that the 5 minute response time
capability goal is attainable as the Town
develops. Measures taken by the Town
to accomplish this policy include:
◊ Contracting with third party service
providers (such as neighboring
Towns) until road connections and
require infrastructure or facility sites
are available.
◊ Location of temporary facilities, under
agreement with property owners
which permits temporary location.
◊ Requirement of stricter fi re
suppression and/or security measures
within residential and/or commercial
development that will allow extension
of the emergency service window.
• The Town will evaluate its subdivision
and fi re code provisions periodically
to assure that development standards
continue to meet the needs of current
service equipment. Such evaluations will
take place at least every 5 years and be
conducted by the Town’s Fire Marshall
or Fire Chief or a consultant qualifi ed to
make such evaluations.
• The Town will seek to purchase
emergency service facility sites.
• The Town may offset the burden imposed
upon a property owner by provision of
emergency service facilities, through any
means other than purchase, by allowing
the property owner to transfer any square
footage displaced by the provision of a
facility site at a transfer rate greater than
1:1 (as specifi ed in policy A3).
E4: Capital Improvement.
• Emergency facilities are likely candidates
for a Town CIP funded by voter approved
bond programs
• Public participation with a submitting/
requesting party that facilitates
implementation of the Facilities and
Town Hall Plan shall be on a refund basis
only and such refund can be capitalized
through any of the following:
◊ Tax Increment Financing Revenues
if the subject trail improvement is a
project included in the current TIF
plan.
◊ A 380 agreement between the Town
and the submitting/ requesting party.
◊ Use of Trail Grant monies received
by the Town when the subject trail is
consistent with the grant application
and is authorized by the granting
agency.
◊ Use of Transfer Funds (or other funds)
to acquire commercial square
footage displaced by provision of a
facility site pursuant to Policy A3 and
Policy C3, above.
◊ Other sources of funding that the
Town may have access to.
E5: Public/ Private Participation.
• Public Private Partnerships: The Town of
Westlake and the submitting/ requesting
party will make every effort to implement
the Facilities and Town Hall Plan on a
voluntary partnership basis which will
allow the Town to proactively implement
needed emergency service facilities
IMPLEMENTATION 19
and response time capability and
assure future private property owners
that the Town of Westlake will continue
to be a safe and secure community
as residential and commercial
development continues. Partnership
opportunities to be considered by the
Town include:
◊ A Tax Increment Financing District
◊ A 380 Agreement between the Town
and the major land owners
Policy Section F: Storm Water and Water
Conservation
F1: The Regulatory/ Policy Status of the
Storm Water and Water Conservation Plan.
The Storm Water and Water Conservation
Plan presented in this Comprehensive Plan is
a guiding document only. It identifi es design
and organizational initiatives intended to
improve water quality and promote water
conservation. This Plan is intended to guide
the Town of Westlake as it considers any
request for site plan approval, Planned
Development amendment, re-zoning,
and/or request to transfer commercial
square footage from one Land Use District
to another. The Town establishes that
development going forward should take
every reasonable measure to improve
water quality and conserve water usage.
This is both a design and a management
issue (public and private). Therefore, the
Town will seek to initiate various regulatory
and organizational measures as well as
promote better project design aimed at
less water use and/or providing natural
fi ltration/infi ltration/pattern for storm water
fl ows.
F2: Application Trigger Points.
Implementation of the Storm Water
and Water Conservation Plan shall be
advanced when any, or a combination of,
the following is part of a development site
plan or other development/zoning request
submitted for Town consideration:
• The Town adopts the Comprehensive
Plan ( certain organizational and/or
regulatory measures should be pursued)
• The Town considers drainage plans for
any residential development/ zoning/
platting.
• The Town considers drainage plans
for any non-residential development/
zoning/ platting.
• When any portion of the Thoroughfare
Plan is being implemented (fi ltration and
bio-swale measures shall be considered
where appropriate).
• Any improvement to development
adjacent to a waterway and/or water
body.
• Any improvement of a waterway and/or
water body.
• The creation of any water amenity as a
development/project feature.
• The construction of stock or private
ponds.
• The construction of any water detention
or retention facility.
• The Town considers any public or private
improvement in a View Corridor Zone.
• The Town considers any public or private
improvement within the Open Space
Envelope.
F3: Plan Review/ Development Request
Processing.
• Upon approval of this Comprehensive
Plan, the Town of Westlake should pursue
certain organizational measures which
will enhance water quality and promote
water conservation. These measures
include appointment of a Water
Conservation Coordinator, initiated a
periodic system water audit and water
loss audit, explore curriculum and/
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE20
or curriculum supplements that teach
water quality and water conservation
through Westlake Academy and other
city sponsored educational strategies (as
described in the Economic Development
Plan), conduct periodic surveys of
Westlake water customers regarding
current and changing use habits/
trends, and publish materials/ conduct
workshops on Water Wise Landscape
Design and Conservation.
• Upon approval of this Comprehensive
Plan, the Town of Westlake should pursue
certain regulatory measures which will
enhance water quality and promote
water conservation. These measures
include prohibitions of water wasting,
landscape irrigation ordinance, water
fi xture ordinance, and codifi cation of
best management practices (BMP)
in project plan/site/ roadway/public
facility design.
• Upon approval of this Comprehensive
Plan, the Town of Westlake should pursue
certain economic measures which will
enhance water quality and promote
water conservation. These measures
include establishing a mechanism for
water conservation pricing based on
amount of usage where higher usage is
discouraged through higher cost.
• Any site plan, zoning request, or request
to transfer development square footage
from one Land Use District to another shall
indicate any portion of the subject land
area that coincides with a waterway,
major drainage way, water body, open
space, a View Corridor Zone (hereinafter
known as a Water Way Association).
• Any site plan, zoning request, or a request
to transfer commercial square footage
from one Land Use District to another
submitted for Town consideration shall
also submit a plan of existing drainage
as well as proposed drainage and
shall identify any water conservation
and surface water fl ow management
techniques/devices/practices being
employed in the proposal.
• When a site plan, zoning request, or a
request to transfer commercial square
footage from one Land Use District to
another demonstrates that any part
of the subject property coincides, or
closely coincides with any portion of a
Water Way Association, the Town shall
evaluate the submittal to determine the
following:
◊ Is the Water Way Association or any
part of it within the development
proposal?
◊ Are there alternate locations
or confi gurations of the Water
Association that will accomplish the
intent of the Storm Water and Water
Conservation Plan?
◊ Are there opportunities for design
measures that facilitate water
infi ltration, fi ltration such as bio-
swales, green parking lot features, rain
gardens, deep root native grass areas
(that promote infi ltration), infi ltration
trenches, permeable pavement, and
rain barrels and/ or cisterns?
◊ Are there opportunities for land set
asides which facilitate water quality
and control water run-off such as
riparian buffers, and/or creation of/
preservation of wetlands?
◊ Are there opportunities for installation
of water control measures such as
inlet protection devices and storm
water detention facilities?
◊ Are there opportunities to increase
the surface water storage through
storm water retention facilities?
◊ Are there opportunities to preserve
natural water fl ows through
elimination of curb and gutter?
F4: Capital Improvement.
IMPLEMENTATION 21
• Public participation with a submitting/
requesting party that facilitates
implementation of the Storm Water
and Water Conservation Plan shall be
on a refund basis only, and such refund
can be capitalized through any of the
following:
◊ Capital Improvement Bond Program
when, and if, approved by the voters
of Westlake.
◊ Tax Increment Financing Revenues
if prevailing TIF Plan includes Storm
Water and Water Conservation
projects.
◊ A 380 agreement between the Town
and the submitting/ requesting party.
◊ Use of any applicable State or
Federal Grants.
◊ Other sources of funding that the
Town may have access to.
F5: Public/ Private Participation.
• Where Storm Water and/or Water
Conservation projects are part of a
street, public way, and/or publically
accessible open space/ amenity
the Town can initiate various public
private partnerships such as fi nancial
participation through a 380 agreement,
creating a TIF District, or becoming a co-
applicant for a grant.
• Where private educational and/
or organizational initiatives can
complement or substitute for those of
the Town, the Town can assist such efforts
through technical assistance, provision
of space for meetings/operations, and/
or coordination with the Academy.
Policy Section G: Housing
G1: The Regulatory/ Policy Status of the
Housing Plan.
The Housing Plan as presented in this
Comprehensive Plan is a guiding document
only. It identifi es the emergence of stable
sub-markets within the Town fabric which
allows use of residential entitlement in
such a way that it defi nes and protects the
spatial defi nition of price point submarkets.
The Housing Plan also seeks to identify
location of transitional price-point areas
that will protect the Town from potentially
depreciating infl uences of neighboring
price-point markets as they approach
the Town limit while growth of the Town
also approaches the Town limit without a
planned interface in place.
The Housing Plan identifi es four housing
goals that arise as a result of changes in
housing demand emanating from life cycle
transitions of the existing population and the
desire for increased in-migration of young,
high end buyers. The Housing Plan also
identifi es portions of existing commercially
zoned property that should be encouraged
to develop with residential uses through
the Commercial Square Footage Transfer
Program (Policy A3 or C3, above).
It is the intent of the Housing Plan to transform
a currently formless distribution of housing
entitlement into a coherent sequential
and transitioning distribution of entitlement
that protects value within currently built
residential areas.
G2: Application Trigger Points.
Implementation of the Housing Plan shall be
advanced when any, or any combination
of, the following is part of a development
site plan or other development request
submitted for Town approval:
• The subject site is located within an
area identifi ed as an area suitable
for establishment/re-establishment
of residential use as portrayed in the
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE22
Comprehensive Plan’s Housing Plan.
• The project proposal contains a
residential use.
• When the development proposal
contains a use or condition of use that
confl icts with existing land use.
• When the development proposal would
prevent the emergence of a coherent,
transitioning, and sequential housing
distribution.
• When the development proposal isolates
or otherwise fragments the consolidation
of residential uses.
• When the development proposal
contains conversion of existing residential
use to a non-residential use.
G3: Plan Review/ Development Request
Processing.
• Any site plan, zoning request, or request
to transfer development square footage
from one Land Use District to another,
shall provide a residential impact
analysis which include the following:
◊ Any modifi cation of key value
conditions that support current
price points. These value conditions
include:
• Spatial continuity of submarket
area.
• Housing proximity to pastoral
settings
• Increases in traffi c on roadways
serving residential development
• Signifi cant reduction of the existing
open space buffer between
residential and commercial land
uses (whether it is defi ned by
entitlement or not).
• Deterioration of view settings
which include undeveloped land
promontories and waterways/
water bodies.
• Transformation of the Dove
Road vista from a predominantly
undeveloped landscape
to a dominance of vertical
development.
◊ Any spatial disruption of contiguous
residential land uses.
◊ Any spatial separation of other
residentially zoned or entitled area,
yet to be developed, from developed
areas or fragmentation of residentially
zoned/ entitled sub-districts.
• When a site plan, zoning request, or a
request to transfer commercial square
footage from one Land Use District to
another demonstrates that any part
of the subject property coincides, or
closely coincides with the location
of, or recommended location of, any
residential use, the Town shall evaluate
the site plan to determine the following:
◊ Is the Housing Plan or any portion
thereof proposed for implementation
within the development proposal?
◊ Are there alternative locations
for new sub-market and/or value
transition areas that will accomplish
the value preservation intent of the
Comprehensive Plan on-or-off, the
subject property?
◊ Are there any reasons why a
residential use at this location is more
important to the public health, safety,
and welfare than location on another
neighboring, undeveloped site?
• In the event that there is a confl ict
between the Housing Plan
recommendations and the submitted
plan, is the submitting/ requesting party
willing to support implementation of the
Housing Plan recommendations through
any of the following means:
◊ Redesign of the site plan
◊ Compensation for the displacement
of commercial square footage as a
result of implementing the Housing
Plan by transferring commercial
square footage to another site and
IMPLEMENTATION 23
conversion of the former commercial
area to a lot size (at this location)
consistent with the Housing Plan.
• The Town will make every effort to locate
future residential land uses in such a way
that:
◊ Single residential projects are not
spatially isolated by commercial use
◊ Areas of price point identity are
protected from value encroachment
◊ Appropriate adjacencies between
residential and non-residential land
uses are part of any proposed project.
• The Town will evaluate housing activity
within and encroaching upon the
Westlake market area to ascertain that
the assumptions supporting this Housing
Plan remain valid. Such evaluations will
consider quarterly sales activity within
the study area covering at least 12
quarters.
• The Town will seek to develop public
facilities which support desired housing
sub-markets so that the desired sub-
markets select Westlake as a desired
location.
G4: Capital Improvement.
• Public facilities supporting resident
activities are likely candidates for a
Town CIP funded by voter approved
bond programs.
• Public participation with a submitting/
requesting party that facilitates
implementation of the Housing Plan
shall be on a refund basis only and such
refund can be capitalized through any
of the following:
◊ Tax Increment Financing Revenues
if the subject residential supporting
facility is a project included in the
applicable TIF Plan
◊ A 380 agreement between the Town
and the submitting/ requesting party.
◊ Other sources of funding that the
Town may have access to.
G5: Public/ Private Participation.
• Public Private Partnerships: The Town
of Westlake and the submitting/
requesting party will make every effort
to implement the Housing Plan on
a voluntary partnership basis which
will allow the Town to proactively
implement needed residential activity
facilities (such as neighborhood parks
and trails) and thereby assure future
residents that the Town of Westlake will
continue to be a safe, secure, and highly
amenitized community as residential
and commercial development
continues. Partnership opportunities to
be considered by the Town include:
◊ A Tax Increment Financing District
◊ A 380 Agreement between the Town
and the major land owners
Policy Section H: Economic Development
H1: The Regulatory/ Policy Status of the
Economic Development Plan.
The Economic Development Plan as
presented in this Comprehensive Plan
is a guiding document only. It identifi es
initiatives necessary to promote desired use
of entitlements for attainment of corporate
location, higher price point housing options,
and specialized retail. The Economic
Development Plan serves an overarching
economic objective of establishing an Ad
valorem base of suffi cient value to sustain
continued rates of Ad valorem taxation on
residential land uses.
The Economic Development Plan
establishes that attainment of corporate
location, higher price-point housing, and
more specialized retail are integrated
outcomes where success in any one area
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE24
of desired attainment is dependent on
success in the other. Therefore, the pursuit
of economic development necessitates a
holistic, multi-tiered strategy that includes
residential and non-residential uses. More
specifi cally, the Economic Development
Plan will require coordinated actions in the
following areas of initiative:
• H1a: Target Recruitment. The Town will
pursue initiatives that seek to attract
businesses to locate in Westlake that
have the potential to strengthen or defi ne
business clusters for the local economy.
The Town will identify recruitment targets
by the following measures (which are
explained more fully in the Economic
Development Plan):
◊ Evaluate Corporate Community
Options that lie within the Westlake
Market Area.
◊ Perform a SWOT Analysis and
construct a recruitment agenda that
seeks to fi ll missing/ desired supply/
production links.
◊ Set up a working council with major
land owners to determine recruitment
targets and necessary incentive
packages.
◊ Look to Alliance as an opportunity for
vertical expansion of industrial clusters
in Westlake.
◊ Initiate a Town sponsored Corporate
Relocation Program.
◊ Develop Town strategies aimed at
fi lling workforce gaps, quality of life
gaps, as well as supply/ production
gaps which are important to targeted
recruitments.
• H1b: Cluster Formation. The Town will
pursue initiatives (including incentives)
that will promote the aggregation of
business activity and, thereby, attain
a suffi cient magnitude of such activity
as to defi ne Westlake as a center for
such activity. The Town will focus on
those potential clusters that will support
higher wages. The Town will support
and promote Cluster Formation by the
following measures which are explained
more fully in the Economic Development
Plan:
◊ Initiate a program of on-going supply
chain/ production assessment that
refi nes and further focuses recruitment
and improvement targets.
◊ Initiate a corporate expansion
program that will assure opportunity
for and infrastructure support for plate
or operations expansion.
◊ Initiate an incubator business program
that will allow emerging corporations
to stay in Westlake.
◊ Create a public market place that
serves the marketing of related
corporate activities as a means of
supporting growth.
◊ Execute initiatives that seek to fi rm
and stabilize key production inputs,
particularly those which support
corporate business aggregation.
◊ Develop partnerships with neighboring
Alliance that will leverage its logistic
platform as a locational advantage
for Westlake.
• H1c: Circulation and Information
Networks. The Town will pursue (with
and without private partnerships)
such infrastructure development as
will support a distribution of density as
recommended by the Land Use Plan as
well as the operations of businesses that
are targeted for recruitment. The Town
will pursue circulation and information
capabilities with the following qualities
which are explained more fully in the
Economic Development Plan:
◊ Distribution of development density
supportive of the Land Use Plan.
◊ Assure that Corporate Centers are
connected to the Trail system.
◊ Locate Corporate Centers on the
IMPLEMENTATION 25
Town Arterial Component of the
Westlake Thoroughfare system to
affi rm their association with the Town
over their association with the region
◊ Initiate a street design that visually
affi rms a corporate estate identity
over a simple commercial identity.
◊ Form partnerships with optics
utilities to construct a primary
telecommunications system within
Westlake. All roadway construction
(public or private) which is part of
the Thoroughfare Plan must provide
right-of-way for and extend such a
telecommunications infrastructure.
◊ Establish a research and information
platform that is managed according
to continued input from corporate
sponsors and permits important data
sharing, information dissemination,
and corporate visibility.
• H1d: Proximity. The Town will pursue the
Thoroughfare Plan, Parks, Open Space,
and Trails Plan, and the Town Design
Structure Plan elements which seek to
redefi ne the proximity of Westlake as
being a Town destination more than a
place along Highway 114. The Town will
pursue clarifi cation of proximity defi nition
within the Town through the following
activities which are explained more fully
in the Economic Development Plan:
◊ Expand economically desirable
frontage locations within Westlake
through implementation of the
Thoroughfare plan.
◊ Support the emergence of a
Westlake centered value gradient
which defi nes multiple investment
opportunities within the Town.
Further, high value locations should
be expressed through targeted
recruitment.
• H1e: Identity. The Town will cultivate and
build the identity of Westlake through
initiatives which effect Westlake’s
appearance, quality, and characteristics
activities as seen, experienced, and
perceived by the general public and
those seeking location within the
Westlake market area. The Town will
pursue identity defi ning outcomes
through the following, which are
explained more fully in the Economic
Development Plan:
◊ Establish design guidelines and
standards for public and private
development.
◊ Establish standards of construction
quality which will guide the use
of materials and construction
technology and allow a distinctive
level of quality to be recognized.
◊ Promote the creation of public
activity spaces where programmed
and organized activities are regularly/
periodically conducted. The Town
will identify a program director to
coordinate.
• H1f: Amenity. The Town will create a
higher level of amenity for the residential
and commercial portions of Westlake
that will promote a longer duration of
stay in retail areas as well as provide
a higher quality of life for resident and
worker populations. The Town will
place highest priority on amenities
which offer enhanced micro-climate,
entertainment, and pedestrian as
explained more fully in the Economic
Development Plan:
◊ Establish standards for commercial
centers that produce micro-climate
conditions in public spaces and
within the public domain, especially
at locations of programmed activity.
◊ Establish a cooperative program
with local businesses that supports
entertainment within the public
domain.
◊ Establish standards and guidelines
that promote a pedestrian friendly
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE26
ground plane in built and unbuilt
areas.
• H1g: Association. The Town will build
upon its community of distinctive
resident and business citizens to promote
an identity of association that target
markets will fi nd compelling. The Town
will pursue strengthening the potential
for association through the following
initiatives which are explained more fully
in the Economic Development Plan:
◊ Initiate a Community Image
campaign that better projects the
identity of Westlake into the market
place.
◊ Establish Community based activities
that are organized by the Town (as a
function of its recreational program)
and/or membership organizations
(working in conjunction with the
Town). These activities should be
organized around special interests
or educational experiences to
further support educational initiatives
presented below.
◊ Promote and nurture the
establishment of community
membership organizations, open to
all community members that support
and host community activities as well
as promote associations between
community members.
• H1h: Education. The Town will promote
and build Westlake as an education
center within the Metroplex that
establishes educational experiences,
situations, and opportunities throughout
the community and the daily patterns
of its residents and work populations.
Education includes information transfer
through diverse information venues,
information ambiance, mentoring,
and improved education facilities. The
Town will pursue and expand education
through the following initiatives which
are explained more fully in the Economic
Development Plan:
◊ Create a Community Education
Platform that facilitates information
transfer through greater collaboration
among participants.
◊ Identify opportunities in the normal
activity patterns of the Community
to present interpretative information
and discovery opportunities.
◊ Establish mentoring programs.
◊ Establish a school location program
which considers the use of land and
other incentives to target educational
institutions of excellence at all levels
of learning.
• H1i: Land Use Context. The Town will seek
to create Town form that will have the
qualities of coherency and Town-ness.
The Town will seek an organic relationship
between its land use elements as well as
sequential juxtaposition of densities and
use. The Town will pursue an improved
land use context through the following
initiatives which are explained more fully
in the Economic Development Plan:
◊ Establish and enforce land use
patterns that move the Town toward
relationships of use type and density
that are more closely associated
with the capability of the landscape
to accommodate development
intensity. Such measures will include
the transfer of commercial square
footage from one land use area to
another as described in the Land Use
Plan element.
◊ Establish sequential relationship
between land use elements through
clear expression of transition,
destination, district, and edge in the
distribution of land uses.
◊ Incentivize development alternatives
for isolated tracts that are inconsistent
with surrounding or abutting land
uses.
IMPLEMENTATION 27
H2: Capital Improvement.
• The Town will take advantage of
increasing sales tax from commercial
expansion to create an Economic
Development Corporation (4b) Board.
• The Town will allocate a portion of its
sales tax revenues to a Transfer Fund as
described in the Policy Sections A and
C.
• The Town will seek corporate sponsorship
of educational initiatives and initiatives
which seek to facilitate community
activities, and targeted recruitment.
• The Town will seek to raise funds for
Economic Development Initiatives from
community activities.
• The Town will employ Tax Increment
Financing and 380 agreements
to reimburse Comprehensive Plan
Implementation as described other
Policy Sections.
• The Town will seek to include infrastructure
expansion needed to attract target
business in its CIP program.
H3: Public/ Private Participation.
• The Town will make every effort to
establish relationships (formal and
informal) with the businesses of Westlake
in areas of general cooperation,
facility/ process expansion, information
dissemination, activity sponsorship, and
target recruitment.
• The Town will create public/ private
partnerships where appropriate to
implement aspects of the Economic
Development Plan suitable to
partnerships and where both the Town
and the business participant can
benefi t. Partnerships considered by the
Town include:
◊ Reimbursement structures such as:
• Tax Increment Financing
• 380 agreements
• Other sources of funding that the
Town may have access to.
◊ Grant applications
◊ Tax abatements
◊ Lease for public purpose
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE28
The purpose of the Comprehensive Plan
Benchmarks section is to set out performance
thresholds that should trigger a re-evaluation
of the Comprehensive Plan and possibly
justify an update. This Comprehensive
Plan and the recommendations it contains
are based upon certain assumptions,
data, and trends visible to the consultant.
However, Westlake resides on the edge
of great change due to its location within
the Highway 114 corridor. From the Town’s
founding to this present time, Westlake has
fl ourished in its “edge” location (i.e. edge
of the outward urban expansion of both
Dallas and Fort Worth). In this position
relative to urban development, Westlake
has established itself as a pastoral oasis in
a bustling Metroplex. However, the power
of the 114 corridor and the velocity of
growth within it will move Westlake from
its heretofore edge proximity to one that
is more central to urban development.
Certainly the 25 million square feet of non-
residential entitlement currently held by
landowners in Westlake portray an image
of the future that is potentially dramatically
different than the present.
While the above described change is
not upon Westlake as yet, it is rapidly
approaching. Therefore, this Comprehensive
Plan has to attempt to stand out in the
future and look back on the present
in order to recommend ways in which
valuable assets and a cherished identity
can be preserved while not foregoing the
economic benefi ts of Westlake’s strategic
location. Standing in the future means
looking at emerging and likely conditions
based on extrapolations of available data
and a familiarity with corridor development
throughout the history of Dallas/ Fort
Worth. However, the best observations,
projections, and trend identifi cations are,
to some extent, “fortune telling”, which has
no control over the future. Therefore, it is
important that ANY Comprehensive Plan
set out some benchmarks by which the
validity of assumptions and the effi cacy of
recommendations can be evaluated.
The following text presents 13 important
benchmarks. The plan should be periodically
tested against these benchmarks, and
where a meaningful difference between
the Plan and the reality of growth is visible,
the document should be updated in the
critical area where such differences exist.
The key benchmarks are:
1. Growth Balance: The Comprehensive
Plan makes a residential growth
projection for Westlake projecting that
its residential capacity of 2,600-2,800
households will be attained by 2037.
The Plan also identifi es that Westlake
must realize a signifi cant portion of its
non-residential entitlement (19 million
sf.) in order to capture an Ad valorem
Tax revenue of suffi cient magnitude to
maintain the current low Ad valorem tax
rate. Year 2037 is 23 years away. The
projected annual growth rate of 7.12%
suggests that Westlake’s population will
increase by 100 to 200 households per
year (depending on the population
at any point in time). An increasing
population means increased general
fund obligations and the need for
a proportionate growth of the non-
residential portions of the Town. In order
to realize an additional 17 million square
feet in 22 years (the 19 million sf. required,
less current levels of development), the
non-residential portions of the Town
would have to grow by 739,000 sf. per
IMPLEMENTATION
PART TWO:
PLANNING BENCHMARKS
IMPLEMENTATION 29
year. The distribution of this growth does
not have to be even over the 22 year
time horizon as household population
increases in the near future will likely
be closer to 100 or less. However, the
market analysis presented in the Housing
Plan suggests that the market potential
for Westlake can exceed this IF Westlake
is successful in opening up new high-end
sub-markets within the Town. Therefore,
it is important to track the correlation
between residential and non-residential
growth as disproportionate residential
growth could trigger the need for tax
rate adjustments.
Because of the low Ad valorem tax rate
that the Town charges to property within
its taxing jurisdiction, a $1,500,000 home
in Westlake generates tax revenue
equal to a $300,000 home in a taxing
jurisdiction with a more typical rate
of $.65/ $100 valuation. This means
that homes in Westlake cost the Town
about $1.25 in services for every $1.00
in revenue the Town takes in. This fi gure
is based on an analysis done by Joel
Gareau in his book The Edge City with
some modifi cation on the consultant’s
part to recognize a $300,000 base unit.
While this is an approximation, it reveals
how much non-residential development
the Town must realize in order to continue
service at present levels. Commercial
uses, according to Joel Gareau, cost
about $.33 for every $1.00 of revenue.
Therefore, the non-residential Ad valorem
has about a $.66 revenue over cost while
the residential use has a $.25 cost over
revenue. This distribution would suggest
that every 100 residential units should
be accompanied by non-residential
development ranging from 660,000 sf.
to 750,000 sf. With a holding capacity
of approximately 2,800 units; the total
non-residential development needed to
offset service cost is slightly less than 19
million sf. This general calculation could
vary depending on the value of non-
residential development and the overall
FAR attained. Modest value assumptions
were made here, but corporate
centers and resort hotels (as depicted
in the current Planned Development
Ordinances) could exceed the value
assumptions employed. Therefore, an
annual building permit report should be
prepared and broken out into residential
Ad valorem revenue and non-residential
Ad valorem revenue so comparisons
can be made regarding balance. At
present the Budget Summary only
identifi es Ad valorem overall (a single
number). This should be broken apart to
reveal the split between residential and
non-residential as well as the magnitude
of growth in each category.
2. Growth Distribution: The spatial
distribution of growth is an important
benchmark for evaluation of the Plan.
A key effect of growth pattern is the
distribution of trip generation. The
Thoroughfare Plan portrays a complete
circulation system capable of handling
the assumed total trip generation upon
completion of all connections and
links indicated. However, it is likely that
development will tend to aggregate in
certain places around Westlake before
it is more uniformly distributed at build-
out. This means that there will be “hot
spots” of high trip volumes in certain
locations before that complete system is
available to serve them. In these cases,
it may be diffi cult to relieve congestion
as such relief requires signifi cant “off-
site” road improvement.
In light of development’s potential to
be market driven and the potential of
market dynamics to cluster spatially, the
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE30
Town must monitor the spatial distribution
of non-residential development. For
example, a concentration of growth
in the western portions of Westlake will
place disproportionate pressure upon
Highway 170 Service Road and Dove
Road (as the only available east/west
route), causing congestion for residential
areas and adding to congestion along
the freeway service roads.
Another effect of aggregated
development is the tendency of defi ning
sub-markets within the Town. For example,
the Offi ce Industrial use contained
within PD-3 is generally located in the
western portion of the Town. Substantial
development of that use early in the
sequence of overall development could
establish a sub-market pattern where
more industrial-like uses are to the west
and offi ce campus uses are in the vicinity
of Deloitte and Fidelity. It is a vision
of the Comprehensive Plan that the
Community Commercial 2 (CC-2) zone
be more attractive for campus offi ce as
it is a transition zone between the more
freeway oriented form of CC-1 and the
Pastoral Community.
In light of the above observations, it is
important to maintain a permitted and
built development map that reveals the
spatial distribution of growth as Westlake
moves toward build-out value. Where
disproportionate activity is occurring and
and/ or shaping sub-markets (as a result
of its aggregation), the need to modify
or promote certain recommendations
of the Comprehensive Plan must be
considered. For example, extension of
certain roadways ahead of development
may be necessary. If the Town is realizing
non-residential development in proper
proportion to its residential development,
the debt funding capability should be in
place to take such measures (depending
on scale of debt required).
3. Expense of Building Envelope: The
primary growth management strategy
proposed by this Comprehensive
Plan is the mechanism by which non-
residential development square footage
can be transferred within the Town’s
PD’s. To facilitate management of this
mechanism, the Land Use Plan of the
Comprehensive Plan proposed certain
heights and coverage parameters
for the various Land Use Plan Districts.
Collectively, these parameters defi ne a
building envelope that sets a limit in the
amount of square footage that can be
transferred to a Receiving Zone.
As growth of the Town increases, it is
important to monitor the extent to which
the available building envelope in the
Receiving Areas is:
• Consumed by transfer of square
footage into the zone: It is important to
keep tract of each transfer transaction
(conducted in accordance with
the Development Square Footage
Transfer Program proposed in the
Comprehensive Plan) and, thereby,
monitor the extent to which the
building envelope within any
Receiving Zone is being used (fi lled by
imported square footage). Because
the transfer is from a Receiving Area
to the currently entitled square
footage of a PD Planning District (or
portion of a district) located within
the Receiving Zone, it is important to
understand how much envelope is
available within a PD Planning District
for future transfers.
As development goes forward, it is
important to know the remaining
availability of the Receiving Envelope.
IMPLEMENTATION 31
To maintain a record of remaining
Building Envelope, it is suggested
that any application for transfer of
development square footage into a
PD Planning Area located (or partially
located) within a Receiving Zone be
accompanied by:
◊ A defi nition of the available
building envelope before the
transfer and
◊ A calculation of the available
building envelope consumed by
the proposed transfer.
A summary of these statements
should be posted on the Master
Zoning Map as notes attached to
each PD Planning Area.
• Consumed by freeway driven
development at densities less than
targeted by the recommended
building envelope and, thereby, no
longer available for transfer: It is likely
that development of the freeway
frontage will lead most development
in Westlake as the retail market
recovers from its 2008 setback. The
freeway frontage areas are also the
prime Receiving Areas for importation
of development square footage from
Sending Areas.
Traffi c-driven retail tends to attain
a lower height and coverage than
the building envelope would permit.
However, development at that lower
FAR takes building envelope area “off
the table” in terms of its availability
to future transfer. Therefore, it
can be said that traffi c/ freeway-
driven retail development has the
tendency to reduce the building
envelope available to future transfer
and, thereby, impacts the growth
management options of the Town
where such growth management
options are necessary to implement
streets, open space, and public
facilities.
In order to monitor the availability
of building envelope, it is important
that commitment of the building
envelope land area (by development
of the land area within a Receiving
Area) to lower FAR development be
documented. Therefore, as lower
FAR development proposals come
forward for development within a
Receiving Area, the remaining land
within the Receiving Area should be
calculated. If the available land
area for importation of development
square footage is reduced by 50%
through lower FAR development,
impacts on the Development Square
Footage Transfer Program must be
considered. Further, as the available
land area is reduced by 35%, the
issue of land area loss should be
discussed by the Town Council and
mechanisms to encourage better use
of the building enveloped discussed.
4. Loss of Canopy and/ or Natural Asset:
Much of the Land Use Plan and the
Parks, Open Space and Trails Plan is
aimed at natural asset and historic
landscape preservation. Much of the
justifi cation for preservation of landmark
landforms, transfer of development
square footage, and land use transition is
based upon the continued existence of
key view conditions and natural settings
as well as the connected nature of the
open space fabric. If these important
defi ning features of Westlake are lost it is
important to revisit the Comprehensive
Plan as the basis of the vision presented
therein is weakened.
The important natural asset
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE32
considerations include:
• Discontinuity: A key feature of
the Parks, Open Space and Trails
Plan is the extent and connected
nature of the open space system
as recommended in the Plan.
Fragmentation of the connected
system as proposed presents several
challenges to implementation of
the Westlake vision. A key to view
preservation is to preserve the view
termini (the Landmark Landforms)
and the foreground (open space
areas north of Dove Road). If these
associated elements of the view
were to be diminished, the case can
be made that the view protection
initiative is weakened.
In addition, a natural fabric is a
complete tapestry of natural settings
arrayed in their ecological sequence.
This is different than defi ning islands
of open space within an otherwise
developed context. A connected
fabric is a more conservation oriented
approach and serves to separate
the most intensely developed
commercial areas from the pastoral
residential areas with a landscape
that is as close to the predevelopment
condition as possible (given the plans
produced by land owners to date).
Therefore, it is important to monitor the
extent to which the recommended
open space is being implemented
or fragmented. If it is clear that key
connections are being lost, the open
space issue should be revisited in an
effort to devise another strategy that
will redirect the Town’s efforts toward
forms that are more attainable. The
consultant team recommends that if
any of these occur:
◊ Loss of the Town Common as an
open space area
◊ Any separation of the proposed
Town Common from the open
space system
◊ Loss of key east/west linkages
(such as the linkage through
Fidelity and around Deloitte)
◊ Loss of more than 25% of the open
space land area proposed in the
Parks, Open Space and Trails Plan.
• Landmark Landforms: It can be said
that the Landmark Landforms defi ne
Westlake within the larger landscape
of the Highway 114 corridor.
Therefore, any loss of these landforms
to development and/ or modifi cation
is a fundamental erosion of the Town’s
essential character. If the Town
Common or the Landmark Landform
located west of Fidelity cannot be
preserved as open space (public or
private), then measures should be
undertaken to infl uence the visual
impact of development thereon. If
the Landmark Landforms are lost to
development, then the issue of view
preservation needs to be revisited.
• Corridor Disruption: Waterways
are another essential element of
Westlake’s character and identity.
These waterways occur as drainage
corridors running in a generally north/
south direction across the Town.
Continuity of the waterway is essential
to preservation of the waterway
and the landscape it has fostered.
Therefore, if any natural course is
signifi cantly altered south of Dove
Road and within the open space
area as defi ned in the Parks, Open
Space and Trails Plan, then the issue
of waterway preservation should be
revisited in order to determine what
measures are necessary to protect
the natural condition. Waterways
north and west of the open space
area are internalized into more
IMPLEMENTATION 33
heavily developed zones. Therefore,
bank and fl ow line modifi cation is to
be expected.
• Native Vegetative Community:
Preservation of the natural
watercourses also means
preservation of the native tree cover.
In addition, there is considerable
native canopy in certain areas of
Westlake such as the areas north of
Glenwyke Farm and South of Solana
Boulevard. If more that 30% of any
area of natural tree cover is lost to
development, the Plan should be
revisited to include such tree cover in
a more public area.
5. Capacity Reserve Availability: An
important part of growth management
is the sequential expansion of street
capacity as development grows
and traffi c volumes increase. Proper
management would mean that the Town
is mindful of the traffi c volume capacity
available within the system at any point
in time. It would be problematic if streets
of the Town were constantly functioning
at or above capacity because the
relieving elements of the system have not
as yet been implemented. Therefore,
when there is less than a 15% capacity
availability, the Town should reconsider
its sequence of street implementation
so that the residents of Westlake do not
have to fi ght congestion in hope of a
better future that may be years away.
6. Service Area Potential: The Facilities and
Town Hall Plan is constructed around the
concept of “Service Area”. The term
Service Area is a response time zone
wherein any property located within the
zone could receive an emergency service
response within 5 minutes of dispatch
of emergency equipment (assuming
that the complete Thoroughfare Plan is
in place and the system is not suffering
from capacity impediments). In order
to provide Westlake of the future a 5
minute response time capability, two
Service Areas are required (as depicted
in the Facilities and Town Hall Plan).
In order to reach all portions of the
Service Area within the 5 minute time
frame, it is important that the Fire/
Police Station responsible for covering
the Service Area be located close to
its center. Therefore, a signifi cant shift
in potential station location means
reconfi guration of the service area
emanating from that station. Further,
signifi cant reconfi guration of the Service
Areas could result in portions of the Town
lacking the desired 5 minute response
time coverage.
In light of the effect of Service Area
reconfi guration as a result of shifting
station locations, it is important that the
Town be continually mindful how Service
Areas are infl uenced by development
and the possible foreclosure of station
location options. As station location
options decrease, the public health and
welfare served by determining station
locations increases. There is a trigger
point at which the public health and
welfare need precipitates municipal
actions fl owing from a responsibility
to the health and welfare. Therefore,
it is important that the Town monitor
available station location options and
keep track of options foreclosed as the
Town develops. At some point where
the service areas as currently proposed
within the Comprehensive Plan must be
reconfi gured as a result of shifting station
location options, the Facilities and Town
Hall Plan should be revisited to assure
that the Service Areas defi ned by this
reconfi guration adequately provide the
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE34
Town with recommended response time
coverage.
7. Balkanized Enrollment Patterns: At
present, Westlake Academy has a
reasonably balanced distribution of
enrollment. Recent tabulation of
enrollment by the Academy shows
that among Westlake residents, 149
are 5th grade and below (including
Kindergarten), and 120 are grades 6-12,
meaning that there is an 11% greater
concentration of Westlake enrollees
in the lower grades. This is reasonably
balanced. However, population growth
patterns can infl uence that distribution
if an older population (older than child
bearing years) brings more grandchildren
into the enrollment census, thereby
creating an age aggregation at a
certain grade or set of grades. Such
an aggregation by children with a fi rst
choice enrollment option could make
it impossible for non-Westlake enrollees
to remain in the Academy beyond
that certain grade. Wherever school
policy gives enrollment preference to
school age children within a specifi ed
population (in this case Westlake), it
is possible for other populations to be
displaced. Displacement makes it
diffi cult to plan long term enrollment and/
or expansion. Therefore, it is important
that the Town monitor the distribution
of Westlake enrollees at Westlake
Academy in order to spot emerging
enrollment aggregations.
The Housing Plan seeks to prevent such
aggregation by facilitating the arrival
of new housing markets to Westlake.
These new markets would include older
citizen housing options as well as young
families and singles. Enrollment at the
Academy is an indicator of successful
implementation of the Housing Plan.
When Academy enrollment reveals that
any grade is experiencing a Westlake
enrollment greater than 18% of the total
Westlake enrollment, it is recommended
that the Housing Plan be revisited to
determine how enrollment fl ows from
the local population can be diversifi ed.
8. Frontage Availability: As the commercial
markets recover from the setbacks of
2008, the value of Highway 114 will be
increasingly powerful as an attractor for
development. Like most corridor settings
throughout Texas, development of the
frontage properties leads development
of parcels further from the frontage.
Most corridor development seeks to fully
capture the value presented by the
corridor location. Therefore, corridor
frontage development most often faces
the freeway/ highway with its parking
apron and entry while placing its service
facilities at the rear (away from corridor
frontage). When this type of capture
pattern takes place, values behind
the corridor frontage actually trough
(decrease). Such a result of corridor
development can be economically
destructive for Westlake.
In light of this brief analysis, there are two
key considerations related to corridor
frontage development:
• Frontage Consumption: As stated
above, a rebounding commercial
market can accelerate market
interest in Highway 114 and 170
fronting properties. The distribution of
development within any municipality
corresponds to the distribution of
value (known as the rent/bid function
in planning theory). For Westlake,
Frontage of Highway 114 and 170 is the
highest value and should attract the
greatest intensity of capture. As the
IMPLEMENTATION 35
higher value locations are taken out
by development that development
represents the “penthouse” condition
and such condition sets the high-end
of the value distribution. Corridor
consumption infl uences other
development toward the interior of
Westlake. Therefore, the Town must
be mindful of the extent to which
the corridor frontage is being taken
down and the implications on other
values within Westlake. Certainly,
consumption of 50% of the available
frontage is a point at which the value
trend of that development should
be considered. A second point of
consideration would be 50%. If the
frontage development is dominated
by retail instead of offi ce, the value
implications could be more dramatic.
Most of the retail components of
PD-3 are located within the corridor
frontage, so careful monitoring is
important as is the importance of
higher valued destination retail over
traffi c-driven box retail.
• Frontage Capture Pattern: As
discussed above, the capture pattern
of frontage development is critical
to the value it will transfer to interior
parcels. When development totally
fronts the corridor, turning its back on
the interior, it becomes a wall that
separates the interior from the value
creation benefi ts of corridor proximity.
Heretofore, the Town should evaluate
development proposals for corridor
fronting property in light of the extent
to which site design transfers value
to Westlake’s interior. Often corridor
frontage parcels are shaped to
maximize frontage exposure, thereby
making platting an important
consideration in order to prevent the
creation of parcels predisposed to
“total capture”.
The Comprehensive Plan assumes that
road improvements will create a second
tier of development value of suffi cient
magnitude to persuade development
to turn toward the Town and away
from the freeway (much like Southlake
has done as development establishes
a relationship with Main Street while
still having access from Highway 114).
Therefore, if Highway 114 frontage
development signifi cantly leads other
interior development and the form of
frontage development can be classifi ed
as a “total capture”, then the Commercial
Square Footage Transfer Program needs
to be revisited to fi nd a more compelling
incentive that will mitigate this trend. It
does not contribute to the overall value
of Westlake (objective of the Plan) if the
freeway becomes the highest value
determinant and is developed with total
capture retail.
9. Corporate Satisfaction: Recently, the
Solana project has been acquired by an
investment company. This is the fi rst step
in fi nding appropriate and economically
viable reuse of this unique facility. Like
most corporate center locations, the
specialized building plates of the Solana
offi ce structures are not well suited to most
speculative offi ce space requirements;
Solana buildings are wider and longer
than most speculative structures.
The tendency of corporate centers
(custom designed offi ce buildings
for corporate headquarters) to
yield a building plate that is unique
and inconsistent with the normative
dimensional standards of speculative
multi-tenant facilities, is common.
Therefore, Westlake’s economic
development objective of attracting
more corporate centers/ headquarters
makes the Town vulnerable to holding
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE36
an inventory of building plates that are
hard to reuse IF the corporation that
built the building moves on (as did IBM
at Solana).
Corporate centers share many qualities
with estates and, in fact, are corporate
estates. As estates, they seek to situate
in a campus-like setting with verdant
open space. By contrast, speculative,
multi-tenant facilities seek locational
determinates more geared to access
and proximity to higher density. Therefore,
as Westlake becomes populated with
corporate centers/ headquarters, it is
essential that corporate satisfaction
remains high and sentiments regarding
possible relocation are low. Cluster
Formation has much to do with creating
a uniquely attractive environment for
certain corporations who share a type
of business. Attractiveness also includes
executive housing and community
quality of life (as discussed in the
Economic Development Plan). In order
to keep track of the level of corporate
satisfaction, the Town should periodically
survey its corporate residents regarding
various dimension of satisfaction. These
include:
• Housing (implementation of the
Housing Plan)
• Education (implementation of the
Economic Development Plan)
• Business environment (implementation
of the Economic Development Plan)
• Community and culture
(implementation of the Economic
Development Plan)
• Safety, security, and convenience
(implementation of the Facilities and
Town Hall Plan and the Thoroughfare
Plan)
• Options and choice (Implementation
of the Economic Development Plan,
Housing plan, and Land Use Plan)
• Amenities and facilities
(implementation of the Facilities
and Town Hall Plan, the Parks, Open
Space and Trails Plan, and the Land
Use Plan)
• Town identity and quality of
development (implementation of the
Land Use Plan and The Town Design
Structure Plan)
Most of the above items are subjects
of various Plan Elements of the
Comprehensive Plan (as identifi ed
above). Therefore, a survey of corporate
satisfaction (based on rating satisfaction
regarding the 8 dimensions of satisfaction
listed above) can reveal the effi cacy of
Comprehensive Plan Implementation.
Where dissatisfaction is high in certain
dimensions of satisfaction, the Plan
Element associated with it should be
revisited to potentially identify ways in
which its content or implementation can
be improved.
10. Corporate Aggregation/ Cluster
Strength: The Economic Development
Plan builds a strategy around an initiative
called Cluster Formation. The purpose
of this initiative is to create economically
meaningful aggregations of businesses
in similar/ related spheres of business
so that Westlake can become a major
center for certain types of corporate
activity. Just as Richardson and/ or the
Silicon Valley have built their success
on the benefi ts of aggregating digital
companies, Westlake can, through
its own unique aggregation, begin
to justify investment in unique types
of infrastructure that promote such
aggregation, thereby creating a
locational advantage. Therefore, it is
important that the Town monitor the in-
coming corporations with regard to their
cluster potential and the impacts such
in-coming corporations have on the
IMPLEMENTATION 37
Town’s Targeted Recruitment Strategy.
It is important that Westlake constantly
refi ne its targeted recruitment efforts and
tune them to fi ll gaps and weaknesses in
the emerging constellation of businesses
so that a clear aggregation can take
place. Existing businesses at any time
should be displayed against possible
Cluster Formations to see if there is a clear
direction for the Targeted Recruitment
Program.
11. Skyline Transformation: Skyline
transformation is an inevitable challenge
that Westlake will have to face. Much
work has been done in the Land Use
Plan to defi ne a “viewscape” for the
Town that will allow Westlake to address
skyline transformation in a proactive
way. The Land Use Plan lays out skyline
envelopes in which there should be no
change (open space and view termini/
Landmark Landforms), little change
(view shed and view corridor), and
much change (view shade). Therefore,
there is a prescribed skyline inherent
in the Land Use Plan. The Town should
monitor the emerging skyline to monitor
the extent to which the skyline template
(as prescribed by the Land Use Plan is
being implemented).
When areas of little change are seeing
signifi cant change and areas of
preferred change are seeing limited
change, the skyline envelopes as
prescribed in the Land Use Plan should
be revisited. If skyline transformation
renders the vision of the Land Use Plan
unattainable, then the Land Use Plan
strategy should be revisited and an
alternative concept found. Key Skyline
Transformations include:
• Vertical development of the
Landmark Landforms/ view termini
• More than a 25% loss of the Open
Space Envelope
• 50% of the development in the
primary Receiving Zone (regional
commercial) is less than .6:1 FAR
• The average FAR in the Community
Commercial 2 and 3 zones (view
shed) is greater than .3:1
• When the above specifi ed
benchmarks are attained, the Plan
should be evaluated as to whether
key elements of the vision will be lost
if the trend continues.
12. Water Use and Continued Availability at
Rates of Consumption: The Storm Water
and Water Conservation Plan reveals
how per-household water consumption
in Westlake is 343% greater than the
national average. Continued Town
growth at this rate of consumption is
unsustainable and one of the reasons
why Westlake should consider other
high-end housing types as well as
water conserving landscape standards.
Therefore, Westlake should monitor
the per-household levels of water
consumption. Also, Westlake must set a
standard for corporate and commercial
water consumption as there is a
potential that the residential trend will
be repeated with corporate estates.
Westlake should set attainment targets
each year and periodically examine
the extent to which these targets are
being met. For example possible targets
include:
• Year 2; 10% reduction from the 2014
level.
• Year 4; 25% reduction from the 2014
level
• Year 6; 30% reduction from the 2014
level
13. Image Fragmentation: The Town Design
Structure Plan lays out a means by
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE38
which Westlake’s current level of visually
disassociated streetscapes and thematic
initiatives can be brought together in
a singular, coordinated visual identity.
Presently, Westlake is at the tipping
point, where continued fragmentation
can render any unifi cation initiative
ineffective. Therefore, Westlake must
carefully monitor development proposals
and evaluate the extent to which the
public domain improvements proposed
compliment or compete with the Town’s
public domain initiatives. Where a
development proposal is going to inject
a visually strong theme or image into
the Town Structure (such as a Highway
114/ 170 overpass that is visually different
than the ones currently developed
at Westlake Parkway), the Town must
consider its palettes and themes as
proposed in the Town Design Structure
Plan and determine if a refi nement of
that structure is necessary.
Conclusion
The above specifi ed Planning Benchmarks
are meant to guide the Town in constant
evaluation of its Comprehensive Plan and
the extent to which it is being implemented.
Also, these Benchmarks become part of any
future Plan Update RFP, charging the future
consultant to look at Plan performance in
these critical Benchmark areas. If the Town
is unable to monitor these Benchmarks,
then it is recommended that Westlake
fund a Comprehensive Plan Performance
Review by a qualifi ed consultant every 2
years and provide the Council with a report
summarizing performance relative to the
Planning Benchmarks specifi ed herein.
IMPLEMENTATION 39
APPENDIXA
DEVELOPMENTREVIEWCHECKLIST
ThefollowingchecklististobeusedbytheTownofWestlakeastheyprepareazoningrequest,siteplan
reviewsubmittal,and/orarequestforthetransferofnonͲresidentialdevelopmentsquarefootage
(fromonePDPlanningAreatoanotherpropertyoranotherPDPlanningArea)forconsiderationbythe
TownPlanningCommissionand/ortheTownCouncil.TheChecklistisaseriesofPlanElementSpecific
Checklistsderivedfromthepoliciesrecommendedbythe2014ComprehensivePlanUpdate.
EachoftheabovespecifiedcasetypessubmittedtotheTownStaffforprocessingbeforebeingplaced
asanagendaitemoftheTownPlanningCommissionand/ortheTownCouncilwillbecomparedtothe
recommendationsoftheComprehensivePlanbycompletionofthisChecklist.Inthisway,theTown
PlanningCommissionortheTownCouncilcaneasilyseewherethesubmittalimpactsthe
recommendationsandvisionoftheplanandthereby,evaluatetheextenttowhichthesubmittal
facilitatesoraugmentsprovisionofcapacityandfacilitiesneededtoaccommodatethefuturebuildͲout
ofWestlake.
THOROUGHFARES
TrafficImpactTripVolumeAnalysis:AthoroughfareanalysisthatprojectsADT’sonall
roadwaysservingtheproposeddevelopment,includingtheserviceroadsofSH114
andSH114overpasseswhenotherentitled(planneddevelopmentorzoned)land
uses,alsoservedbytheroadways,arefactoredinaswellasregionalvolumes
projectedbyNCTCOGtotheextenttheywillbemanifestonthestreetsofWestlake
andHighway114serviceroadsandoverpasses.AretheCapacityTriggerPoints
attainedintheTIA?IfanEmploymentDemandModelisused,RetailEmployment
shallbeoneemployeeper700SF.andOfficeEmploymentshallbeoneemployee
per260SF.
TrafficImpactLevelofServiceAnalysis:Athoroughfareanalysisthatprojectsthelevelof
service(LOS)atallWestlakeintersectionsservingtheproposeddevelopment,
includingtheserviceroadsofSH114andSH114overpasseswhenotherentitled
(planneddevelopmentorzoned)landuses,alsoservedbytheroadways,are
NO
YE
S
COMMENT:
NO
YE
S
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE40
factoredinaswellasregionalvolumesprojectedbyNCTCOGtotheextenttheywill
bemanifestonthestreetsofWestlakeandHighway114serviceroadsand
overpasses.AretheLevelofServiceTriggerPointsattainedintheTIA?Ifan
EmploymentDemandModelisused,RetailEmploymentshallbeoneemployeeper
700sq.ft.,ServiceEmploymentshallbeoneemployeeper260sq.ft.,andBasic
Employmentshallbeoneemployeeper750sq.ft.
RecommendedThoroughfareRemediation:Doesthesubmittalincluderecommendations
toattainsufficientstreetcapacitywheretheADTorLOSTriggerPointshavebeen
exceededineitheroftheaboveTIA’s?
RightͲOfͲWay:DoesthesubmittalprovideRightͲofͲway(orrightͲofͲwayreserve)where
requiredtoattainneededcapacity(asaresultoftheaboveTIA’sandRecommended
Remediation)orimplementtherecommendationsoftheThoroughfarePlan(where
otherfeasiblerightͲofͲwayisnotattainable)?
LANDUSE
LocationwithinaSendingorReceivingArea:1)IsthepropertylocatedwithinaSendingor
ReceivingArea(asidentifiedontheLandUsePlan)?2a)IfinaSendingArea,doesthe
submittalspecifyanamountofnonͲresidentialsquarefootageproposedforexportation
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
NO
YE
S
1
2a
2b
NO
YE
S
NO
YE
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IMPLEMENTATION 41
andwhereitwillbeexportedto?2b)IflocatedinaReceivingArea,doesthesubmittal
specifyanamountofnonͲresidentialsquarefootagetobeimportedandwhereitis
beingimportedfrom?
AvailableTransferPotentialandCapacityofBuildingEnvelope:Determinethesquare
footagethatcanreasonablybetransferredfromthesitelocationinaccordancewith
recommendedcommunitytypesanddesiredlevelsofdensitytheytarget.Inthecaseof
squarefootagebeingimported,canthenonͲresidentialsquarefootage,proposedfor
importation,beaccommodatedwithinthebuildingenveloperecommendedforthat
LandUseCategory?
DeterminetheAppropriateRateofTransfer:1)Doesthesubmittalproposetousethe
propertyfromwhichthenonͲresidentialsquarefootageisbeingexportedforanyofthe
publicpurposeswhichwouldqualifythesubmissionforatransferrategreaterthan1:1
(theseinclude:publicopenspace,rightͲofͲwayforimplementationoftheThoroughfare
Plan,apublicfacilitysite,park,and/orpreservationofaLandmarkLandform)?2)Does
thesubmittalsatisfactorilyillustrate/specifythepublicpurpose(s)thatqualifyfora
transferrategreaterthan1:1?
SubmittalRelativetotheTransferRequirements:Doesthesubmittalidentifythe
justificationsforanenhancedrateoftransfer(ifrequested),illustratehow
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
1
2
NO
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NO
YE
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NO
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WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE42
ComprehensivePlanimplementationwillbeaccomplished,anddemonstratethat
transferofnonͲresidentialdevelopmentsquarefootagetoaReceivingAreadoesnot
violatetheBuildingEnvelopelimitationsofthatarea?
SubmittalRelativetotheCommunityTypeCharacter:Istheproposeddensityofthe
submittalconsistentwiththerecommendeddensitycharacteroftheLandUseDistrictin
whichthesiteislocated?
SubmittalrelativetotheViewObjectives:Doesthesubmittalproposebuildingheightsthat
areconsistentwiththerecommendedviewcharacteroftheLandUseDistrictinwhich
thesiteislocated?
OPENSPACE
SubmittalrelativetotheOpenSpaceEnvelopeand/orLandmarkLandform:1a)Doesthe
submittalencroachupontheOpenSpaceEnvelopeasrecommendedbythe
ComprehensivePlan–or–1b)DoesthesubmittalencroachuponaLandmark
Landform?
NO
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
NO
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1a
1b
YE
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NO
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IMPLEMENTATION 43
SubmittalrelativetoWaterBodyand/orWaterwayand/orFloodPlain:Doesthesubmittal
encroachuponaWaterBodyand/orWaterwayand/orFloodplain?
SubmittalwhentheOpenSpaceEnvelopeand/orWaterBody/Waterway/FloodPlainis
Affected:1a)AretherealternativeOpenSpaceEnvelopeconfigurationsbeing
recommendedbytheapplicant?1b)Aretheyconsistentwiththerecommendationsof
theComprehensivePlanͲorͲ2)Ifnoalternatesarebeingrecommendedbythe
applicant,aretherealternatefeasibleconfigurationsthatwillaccomplishtheintentof
theComprehensivePlan?
SubmittalwhenaLandmarkLandformisAffected:1a)Istheapplicantwillingtoparticipate
intheNonͲResidentialSquareFootageTransferProgramasameansofsecuring
preservationoftheLandmarkLandform–and–1b)Istheresultingbuildingheight(after
constructionupontheLandmarkLandform)consistentwiththeviewshedpreservation
objectivesoftheLandUseDistrictinwhichthesiteislocatedanddensityheight
characteristicsofthatCommunityType?
ApplicationofNonͲResidentialDevelopmentTransfertoEstablishOpenSpaceEnvelope
and/orPreserveLandmarkLandformand/orProtectWaterBody/Waterway/
Floodplain:Istheapplicantiswillingtoparticipateasameanstofacilitateopenspace
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
1a
1b
2
1a
1b
NO
YE
S
NO
YE
S
NO
YE
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NO
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WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE44
objectives,completetheearliertransfersectionsoftheLandUseportionofthis
Checklist?
OtherMeansofPreservation:1a)IstheapplicantwillingtoredesignthesiteplanͲand–
1b)ArethereneededmodificationstoexistingPDconditionssothisredesigncanbe
accomplished?Ifyes,whatarethey?
TOWNDESIGNSTRUCTURE
SubmittalRelativetoUrbanDesignElements:Doesthesubmittalcoincidewith,orclosely
coincidewith,anyoftherecommendedstreetscapetypes,monumentlocations,
intersectiontype,trails,orportals/pointsofconfluenceasshownontheTownDesign
StructurePlanoftheComprehensivePlan?
WhenRelationtoanUrbanDesignElementisestablished:Arealternativelocationsforthe
UrbanDesignElementfeasible?
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
1a
1b
NO
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NO
YE
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NO
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IMPLEMENTATION 45
SubmittalRelativetoDesignCharacter:Istheelevation/planviewoftheproposal
consistentwiththepalettes,visualthemes,and/orthematicsamplesshown/specified
intheTownDesignStructurePlan?
SubmittalRelativetoPreviouslyEstablishedVisualThemes:Totheextentthat
recommendationsoftheTownDesignStructurePlanhavebeenchangedbyprevious
approvals,isthesubmittalcontributingtotheoverarchingdesigncontinuityas
establishedbytheseearlierapprovals?
FACILITIES
SubmittalRelativetoEmergencyServiceImpactAnalysis:Hasthesubmittingparty
preparedanEmergencyServiceImpactAnalysisidentifyingthecurrentlevelof
emergencyservicepersonnelper1,000population,includingapplicationofthe
populationequivalency(whichconvertscommercialsquarefootageintoresidential
populationdemand),theadditionalemergencyservicepersonnelrequiredasaresultof
thissubmittalneededtomeetnationalservicestandards,compliancewithemergency
serviceinfrastructurewithintheprojectsite,analysisoftheresponsetimewindowthat
determineswhetherthe5minuteresponsetimeremainsattainable,andincludesany
fireprotectionand/orsecuritymeasuresproposedwithintherequest?
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
NO
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NO
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NO
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WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE46
SubmittalImpactonEmergencyServiceNeeds:Whenthepreviouslyspecifiedanalysis
demonstratestheneedforemergencyadjustment,hasthesubmittaldemonstrated
measuresneededtoattainnationalpersonnelstandardsand/orpreserve/attainthe5
minuteresponsetimewindow?
SubmittalRelativetoRecommendedFacilitySites:Ifthesubmittalliesinthelocationofa
recommendedfacilitysite,hasthesubmittaldemonstratedtheimpactonthefuture
responsetimewindowifafacilitycannotlocateinthisvicinity?
SubmittalRelativetoFutureAvailabilityofEmergencySites:Arethereotherpotentialsites
incloseproximitythatwouldpreservethe5minutedrivetimewindow?
ApplicantWillingnesstoModifyPlan:Istheapplicantwillingtosupportimplementationof
theFacilitiesPlanthrougheitherredesignofthesubmittalorparticipationinthe
TransferofNonͲresidentialDevelopmentSquareFootageProgram?
HOUSING
SubmittalRelativetoAreasIdentifiedasSuitabletoEstablish/ReͲestablishResidentialLand
Use:Doesthesubmittalpresentaresidentialimpactanalysiswhichconsidersspatial
continuityoftheexistingsubͲmarkets,housingproximitytopastoralsettings,increases
intrafficonroadwaysservingresidentialdevelopment,significantreductionofexisting
openspacebufferseparatingresidentialandnonͲresidentiallanduses,deteriorationof
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
NO
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NO
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NO
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NO
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NO
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IMPLEMENTATION 47
viewsettingsaccessedbyresidentialareas,andthetransformationofDoveRoadfroma
predominantlyundevelopedlandscapetoadominanceofverticaldevelopment?
SubmittalRelativetoFutureEmergenceofCoherent,Transitioning,andSequencing
ResidentialLandUses:Doesthesubmittalcreateanyspatialdisruptionofcontiguous
residentiallandusesorseparationofexistingdevelopedresidentialareasfromyettobe
developedareas,orfragmentationofresidentiallyzonedpropertiesincloseproximity?
SubmittalRelativetotheHousingPlan:1)IstheHousingPlanoranyportionthereof
proposedforimplementationwithinthesubmittalsite?2a)Aretherealternative
locationsfornewsubͲmarketsand/orvaluetransitionareasthatwillaccomplishthe
valueprotectionintentoftheComprehensivePlan?2b)Willthissubmittalnegatively
affectvaluepreservation?
SubmittalContainingaResidentialLandUseComponent:1)Doestheresidentialuseinthis
submittalreinforce,ornegativelyaffect,valuepreservationandsubͲmarketintegrityin
Westlake?2)Doesthissubmittalfacilitatetheentranceofmarketsoriginatingoutside
Westlake?
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
1
2a
2b
1a
1b
NO
YE
S
NO
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NO
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WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE48
SubmissionContainingConversionofanExistingResidentialtoaNonͲResidentialLandUse:
DoesthisconversionfacilitateornegativelyaffectvaluepreservationandsubͲmarket
integrity?
ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT
SubmittalRelativetoTargetRecruitment:
RecruitmentAgenda:Doesthesubmittalalignwithrecruitmentagendaadvancedby
Westlake?
CoordinationwithRecruitmentActivitiesofTown:Hasthesubmittalbeenreviewedbythe
Town’sRecruitmentCommittee?
Workforce/ProductionͲSupplyGaps:Doesthesubmittalfillanyworkforceorproduction/
supplygapsidentifiedbytheTownand/ortherecruitmentcommittee?
SubmittalRelativetoClusterFormation:
ClusterTargets:Doesthesubmittalalignand/orfurtherclusterformationtargetsofthe
Town?
CorporateExpansion:Doesthesubmittalmakeprovisionforfutureexpansionofthecurrent
businessactivity?
BusinessIncubation:Doesthesubmittalfacilitateand/ormakeprovisionforbusiness
incubationwithinWestlake?
InputStabilization:Doesthesubmittalestablish,improve,and/orcreateinputsavailability
forindustrialclusterswithinWestlake?
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
NO
YE
S
NO
YE
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NO
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IMPLEMENTATION 49
SubmittalRelativetoInformationNetworks:
CorporateConnection:Doesthesubmittalprovidetrailorotherconnectionbetween
corporate/employmentcenters?
StrengthenRelationbetweenCorporatecentersandTownArterials:Doesthesubmittal
maintaintherelationshipbetweencorporatecentersandtheTownArterialsystem?
EstateIdentity:Doesthesubmittalpreserve/continuethecorporateestateidentityofthe
Westlake?
Telecommunications:Doesthesubmittalcontributetoexpansionof,orformationof,a
telecommunicationsnetworkforWestlake?
Research/InformationPlatform:Doesthesubmittalestablish,orcontributetothe
formationof,aresearchandinformationplatformforWestlake?
SubmittalRelativetoEnhancedProximity:
ThoroughfarePlan:Doesthesubmittalexpandeconomicallydesirablefrontagelocations
withinWestlakethroughimplementationoftheThoroughfareplan?
ValueGradient:DoestheSubmittalcontributetoabalancedvaluegradientwhichdefines
multipleinvestmentopportunitieswithinWestlake(mitigatestheconcentrationofvalue
atHighway114)?
SubmittalrelativetoEstablishingIdentity:
QualityStandards:Doesthesubmittalembodyparticularstandardsofdesignand
constructionthatpromotevisualandbuiltquality?
PublicActivities:Doesthesubmittalprovidepublicactivityspace?
Landmark:Doesthesubmittalhavelandmarkpotentialthatwillcontributetothevisual
identityofWestlake?
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
NO
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S
NO
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S
NO
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WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE50
SubmittalRelativetoCreatingAmenity:
MicroͲClimate:DoesthesubmittalprovidemeasuresofmicroͲclimaterelief/protectionin
publicavailablespace?
Pedestrian:Doesthesubmittalenhancethepedestriansystemand/orthepedestrian
groundplane?
SubmittalRelativetoIncreasingAssociation:
PublicActivity:Doesthesubmittalprovide,ormakespatial/organizationalprovisionfor,
publicactivities?
SubmittalRelativetoEnhancingEducation:
CommunityEducation:DoesthesubmittalenhanceonͲgoingcommunityeducation
activitiesoroffereducationenhancementprograms/features?
SubmittalRelativetoConsolidationofLandUseContext:
LandUseDistribution:Doesthesubmittalcontributetoaclearandorderlylanduse
distribution/consolidation?
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
NO
YE
S
NO
YE
S
NO
YE
S
NO
YE
S