HomeMy WebLinkAboutComp Plan presentation
Town of Westlake
Comprehensive Plan Workshop
October 19, 2012
What is the Comprehensive Plan?
The Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) is the community’s vision for its
future. The Comprehensive Plan describes a process that determines
community goals and aspirations in terms of community development.
The outcome of comprehensive planning is the Comprehensive Plan
which dictates public policy in terms of:
Transportation
Utilities and Infrastructure
Land use
Recreation
Housing
How is the Comp Plan Enforced?
The Comprehensive Plan is not a Zoning Ordinance to enforce, rather a
recommending guide to convey the broad policy goals of the
community.
As such, the plan guides future growth in a responsible manner
resulting in quality developments consistent with the character of
Westlake while supporting the healthy and responsible growth of
Westlake Academy.
The Town’s Comprehensive Plan is the source of strategic policies and
objectives that are more specifically described in enforceable
Ordinances, Development and Design Standards, Subdivision
Regulations and Engineering Guidelines
.
Relationship to Other Plans
Town CouncilTown Council
Comprehensive PlanComprehensive Plan
Future Future
Land UseLand Use
Parks and Parks and
DrainageDrainage
WastewaterWastewater
Thoroughfare Thoroughfare
Hike and Bike Hike and Bike
WaterWater
Open SpaceOpen Space
Review?
Why
The current Comp Plan was adopted in 1992
Review recommended every 7 to 10 years
–
It’s two decades old
–
No commercial development beyond Solana
–
No Glenwyck, No Vaquero, No Wyck Hill,
–
No Westlake Academy
–
No Traffic
–
No Water System
–
Why
Review?
(cont’d)
Important inconsistencies with current practices, plans and
•
entitlements:
Sanitary sewer lines only in floodplain
–
No regional retail projects
–
Curb and gutter not allowed except in cases where storm
–
drainage requires and use only “Belgian block”
Ensure development that minimizes the need for town to
–
provide its own services
Flood plains and lands with slopes in excess of 25% should
–
constitute the majority of the open space system
Regional retail projects to be avoided
–
Predicated on the avoidance of a property tax
–
All natural streetscapes that require little or no maintenance
–
Thoroughfares (Henrietta Creek Rd., etc.)
–
Limited scope
–
E:\\Argyle\\Argyle-Comprehensive-Plan-Amended-June-2011.pdf
Purpose
ObtainhighlevelpolicyguidancefromtheTownCouncil
andP&Zthatwillbeconveyedtotheselected
professionalplanningfirmretainedtorevisetheTown’s
CompPlan.
This high level policy guidance falls into five (5) areas:
Growth
Land use
Transportation/Mobility
Design Standards
Infrastructure
Methodology
Questions will be introduced via the power point presentation and
posed to the Council and P&Z in each of the five categories.
Following each question, each participant will electronically select
their level of agreement according to the following options:
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral/No Preference
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Answers will not be posted until the entire questionnaire is complete.
Answer Key
Strongly Agree -
You agree and it is highly unlikely you will change your
mind.
Agree-.
You agree, but you could change your mind
Neutral, No Preference -
You have not reached a conclusion.
Disagree -.
You disagree, but you could change your mind
Strongly Disagree -
You disagree and it is highly unlikely you will
change your mind.
Growth Questions
Policy
The Comp Plan revision needs to take into account the
relationship between land use, population, service
demand and economic viability all while weighing each
of these elements against what is best for Westlake
Academy.
The following series of statements are designed to
provide feedback to the professional planning firm
that will attempt to integrate the Board’s feelings
about these topics into the Comprehensive Plan
Revision where appropriate.
Please now respond to Questions 1 –4.
Please Stop when prompted.
Land Use Policy Questions
L.1.
The creation and regulation of land uses not only
establishes allowable land uses, but also stresses the
limitation of such uses based on geographic area and
proximity to other uses. In that regard, even with high
development standards, uses appropriate for one area
of Town may not be appropriate for other areas of the
Town.
Please now respond to Question 5.
Please Stop when prompted
.
Land Use Policy Questions
(cont’d)
L.2.
The current comprehensive Plan designates
significant areas in Westlake as “Office Campus” and or
“Office Park” uses. Office development opportunities
are relatively rare in the current and foreseeable
market, therefore should new allowable uses be studied
in certain areas?
Please now respond to Question 6-9.
Please Stop when prompted.
Land Use Policy Questions
(cont’d)
L.3.
The commercial and retail markets have changed
dramatically since the construction of Solana and the
adoption of the 1992 Comprehensive Plan which called for
relatively low density commercial development at Solana.
Additional commercial and or retail square footage means
additional tax revenues without dramatic increases in cost
Should the new Comp Plan Revision study
of service.
new allowable development and redevelopment
options for Solana that maintain strict quality
standards?
Please now respond to Question 10-12.
Please Stop when prompted.
Land Use Policy Questions
(cont’d
)
L.4.
The Comprehensive Plan does not allow certain
uses in Westlake and highly restricts other uses. In an
effort to increase revenue without raising taxes, should
certain areas be studied?
Please now respond to Question 13-16.
Please Stop when prompted.
Land Use Policy Questions
(cont’d)
L.5. Most Comprehensive Plans reflect a broad range of uses
which are regulated by Special Use Permits and Conditional
Use Permits. While Westlake does have land use charts that
utilize special and conditional uses, there are only 6 zoning
categories in the Town’s current Comp Plan. They are:
Low Density Residential
o
High Density Residential
o
Local Retail
o
Planned Office Park
o
Planned Office Park –Hotel
o
Industrial
o
Please now respond to Question 17.
Please Stop when prompted.
Land Use Policy Questions
(cont’d)
L.6. Amending the Comprehensive Plan to allow
additional residential uses will in most cases result in a
higher projected enrollment at Westlake Academy.
Assuming development and design standards to which
Westlake is accustomed could be ensured, should the
Comp PlanRevision consider enrollment a factor?
Please now respond to Question 18-19.
Please Stop when prompted.
Transportation/Mobility
T.1. Mobility refers to the time and costs required for travel.
Mobility is higher when average travel times, variations in
travel times, and travel costs are low. Indicators of mobility are
indicators of travel times and costs and variability in travel
times and costs.
Urban planners further define mobility two ways:
the prefix: inter-meaning between or among
the prefix intra-meaning within.
For example, an interstate highway is a highway that goes
between or among states, while an intrastate highway is one
that exists only within a single state.
Transportation Policy Questions
Inter-community mobility reflects the ability to
move from one city to another; while
Intra-community focuses on the ability to move
about within a particular community.
Please now respond to Question 20-23.
Please Stop when prompted.
Transportation/MobilityPolicy
Questions
(cont’d
)
T.4. TxDOT has made multiple changes to all four state
highways and FM roads through and around Westlake
since the ‘92 Comp Plan was approved. Access to and
from SH 114 and SH 170 is an important consideration,
not only for regional connectivity, but for commercial
and retail viability. Should the Comp Plan Revision
improve access?
Please now respond to Question 24.
.
Please Stop when prompted
Transportation/MobilityPolicy
Questions
(cont’d)
T.5. The current Comp Plan includes mandatory
developer construction of a significant network of hike
and bike trails in Westlake. Under the current Comp Plan,
these trails are intended to be provided primarilyalong
floodplain and drainage areas. Should the Comp Plan
Revision be amended?
Please now respond to Question 25-27.
Please Stop when prompted.
Transportation/MobilityPolicy
Questions
(cont’d)
T.6. In addition to trails, the current Comp Plan
contemplates open public space along most
floodplain and drainage areas. Should the Comp
Plan re-evaluate open space?
Please now respond to Question 28-32.
Please Stop when prompted
.
Design Policy Questions
The ’92 Comp Plan states that development
should accommodate and preserve the area’s
special rural character and key prominent natural
features of the Town. This desire drove many
policies in the Comp Plan, that may be subject to
revisiting in the Comp Plan revision.
Design Policy Questions
(cont’d)
D.1. In order to preserve the hillside views and natural
topography, the ’92 Comp Plan provides that building
heights in excess of 2 ½ stories should only be allowed
in low elevations areas adjacent to Hwys 377, 170 and
114. Commercial buildings up to 7 stories (700 msl) are
allowed as part of a site comprehensive plan, taking
into account other development in the area, the
preservation of view corridors, and the maintenance of
the rural character of the Town.Should the Comp Plan
Revision make consideration for these elements?
Please now respond to Question 33-34.
Please Stop when prompted.
Design Policy Questions
(cont’d)
D.2. The streetscape standards in the ’92 Comp
Plan call for natural vegetation in streetscape
cross-sections that require minimum mowing
and maintenance, utilizing natural vegetation
and trees. Curb and gutter streets are
discouraged. Should the Comp Plan Revision
modify these standards?
Please now respond to Question 35-39.
Please Stop when prompted.
Design Policy Questions (cont’d)
D.3. Westlake has been aggressive about
regulating light pollution, although few mentions
of lighting are included in the ’92 Comp Plan,
and Westlake has not adopted the standards
recommended by the International Dark Sky
Association. Should the Comp Plan Revision
modify lighting?
Please now respond to Question 40-42.
Please Stop when prompted.
Design Policy Questions (cont’d)
D.4. According to Futurist Carolyn Corbin,
“sustainability” is the capacity of a system to
maintain its vitality far into the future. Language
that lends itself to sustainability and building
sustainable community systemswas not featured
in the ’92 Comp Plan, but is a focus of many
communities today. Should the Comp Plan
Revision address sustainability?
Please now respond to Question 43-45.
Please Stop when prompted.
Infrastructure Policy Questions
I.1. Westlake has always maintained a philosophy
that the development should pay its own way in
terms of infrastructure costs including utility
construction and extension, streets, drainage,
electric and wastewater. Should the Comp Plan
Revision be modified?
Please now respond to Question 46-48.
.
Please Stop when prompted
Conclusion
Comprehensive Plan Workshop
Review and discuss results of survey