HomeMy WebLinkAboutPart II Comprehensive PlanPART TWO: GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES
AND FRAMEWORK PLAN;
INTRODUCTION
The Goals and Citizen Priorities and
Framework Plan can be viewed as guiding
documents that direct the planning work
that follows. Goals and Citizen Priorities
provide the Planning Team with:
An understanding of what the current
residents of Westlake value and see
as important distinctions separating
Westlake from other cities and
townships.
An understanding of what the residents
of Westlake determine worthy of
preservation.
An understanding of the level of
change that residents of Westlake are
willing to embrace.
An understanding of resident
preferences for how planning issues
confronting the Town should be
approached.
An understanding of "town" as held by
the current residents of Westlake.
An understanding of the relationship
between residential development
present and future) and forthcoming
non-residential development as entitled;
by current zoning.
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN
An understanding of how the residents
and property owners of Westlake view
their connection with, and relationship
to, neighboring communities.
Once the Goals and Citizen Priorities were
established by bringing together inputs
from citizen participants in the Public
Planning Workshop # 1, a Framework Plan
was produced to visually explain how
these guiding statements would impact
the physical form of Westlake, which was
presented in Public Planning Workshop
2. The Framework Plan is a diagrammatic
portrayal of how goals and objectives
would likely be manifest using a graphic
language of districts, linkages, focal points,
edges, transitions, and hierarchies. The
Framework Plan is a template that reveals:
The relationship between residential
and non-residential components of the
community that fulfills the understanding
of "town";
The pattern of community districts
ranging from pastoral to urban relative
to the major views of the Town,
thereby assuring preservation of visual
character.
The connection of residential and
commercial areas that naturally
accommodates the demand for
movement in a town -centered system;
The distribution of barriers and
separations meant to protect and
preserve pastoral areas;
The transition from pastoral to urban
character that softens the effects of
change; and
The sequence and structure of focal
and district elements in a way that
creates a core town area while also
establishing a location for both pastoral
and urban areas to support it.
The following text explains the Goals and
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
Citizen Priorities and Framework Plan
process and products.
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES
The purpose of having a planning
phase related to establishment of goal
statements is to assure that the plan
developed through this process is firmly
founded upon concerns of the citizenry so
that it can more clearly promote the public
health and welfare.
Public Planning Workshops # 1 and #2
were held at Westlake Academy on the
evening of January 11 th and March 5th,
2014. During Workshop #I (January 11 th,
2014), inputs necessary to assemble Goals
and Citizen Priorities were gathered.
The process through which necessary
inputs were gathered included small
discussion groups (each with a geographic
focus) discussing issues flowing from the
consultant's presentation of present and
emerging conditions/trends, as well as
response to specific questions aimed at
stimulating comment on perception of
place, future change, and desired quality
of life outcomes. Upon conclusion of
the presentation, workshop attendees
sat in breakout groups identified by their
geographic area of concern (Figure 91) to
discuss the implications of the presented
material and to give their opinions/
preferences as to how such emerging
conditions should be manifest in the future
Town.
Key comments from the discussions were
documented on flip charts by steering
committee members (Figure 92). The
charts were presented to the gathered
general assembly of participants at the
close of the evening session. There were
five separate discussion groups and
together they produced 116 comments.
Figure 91: Workshop #1 Break -Out Group Areas
Upon completion of the meeting, the
citizen comments, as reflected on the
flip charts, and all other notes made at
the general assembly were collected,
reviewed and distilled into goal statements
by the Planning Team. This process
described below) is called the TRIO
method. This method is designed to yield
a set of statements consistent with the
comments provided, listed at a similar
level of generality and are, to the extent
possible, mutually exclusive.
TRANSLATING WORKSHOP COMMENTS TO
CITIZEN PRIORITIES
The process employed to distill the wide
spectrum of 116 community comments
into a more concise list of mutually
exclusive statements at a similar level of
generality is called the TRIO method. The
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Figure 92: Workshop # 1 Flip Chart Presentation
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN
acronym "TRIO" stands for:
Themes: Themes are unifying
characteristics or characterizations
of place, setting, and/or community
that emerge in the breakout groups.
These are often characterizations of
outcomes that may be suggested by
various descriptive terms or phrases. For
example, the phrase "predominantly
undeveloped", the term "agricultural",
and caution to "preserve rural heritage"
all reflect a thematic passion and desire
for preserving rural-ness as a feature of
the future Town.
Repeats: Repeats are particular phrases
or words that are simply repeated by
more than one breakout group. For
example, the term "picturesque"
appears on the flip chart of more than
one group, indicating that there is a
common preference of a composed,
natural setting.
Input Indicators: Input Indicators are
statements of problems or conditions
that call for remedial action set in
motion by goals. The desire is for a
different outcome than the problem
statement or condition statement
describe. For example, complaints
that Westlake is "not easily accessible"
or that Westlake has "cut through on
back roads" or Westlake has "access
issues" suggests that people want better
access that does not encourage cut
through traffic.
Output Indicators: Output Indicators
are statements of desired outcomes
or conditions that reflect remedial
action set in motion by goals. Output
Indicators suggest goals that are
required to attain a stated outcome.
For example, statements like "maximize
and increase value of lake" suggest
goals calling for shared connection
between community lakes and
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
residential areas, public parks, trails or
development in general.
Through the TRIO method, each of the 116
community comments are considered and
ultimately distilled into 75 statements called
Citizen Priority Statements.
Figure 93 lists each of the 116 Workshop
generated comments and identifies
whether they are a Theme, Repeat, Input
Indicator, or an Output Indicator. To the
left of each statement is a code that
indicates the discussion group in which
the statement was recorded. TD indicates
the Turner Group (the group focusing on
the area generally lying between the
two creeks flowing into Turner Lake); SO
indicates the Solana Group (the group
focusing on areas in the east most portion
of Westlake along SH 114); HT indicates
the Hilltop Group (the group focusing on
areas generally east of Marshall's Branch);
DL indicates the Deloitte Group (the group
focusing on areas generally lying between
the eastern most creek flowing into Lake
Turner and the creek flowing into the
lakes west of Fidelity Investments); and EZ
indicates the Edge Zone West Group (the
group focusing on areas generally west of
Marshall's branch and fronting SH 170).
Note that the Themes are mostly about
recognition of the natural, pastoral, rural
character of Westlake and the desire
for a town core. Also note that the
Repeats are mostly about the views and
preservation of the character of Westlake
as understood through these views. Input
Indicators reveal concern for addressing
the potentials of change and making sure
that needed systems and protections are
provided. Finally, the Output Indicators
show aspirations for particular amenities,
features, outcomes, and conditions that
will improve life and value in Westlake.
Figure 93. Citizen Workshop Comments TRIO
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN
Theme Rept Inpt Oupt
TDI: Picturesque X
TD 2: Predom undeveloped X
TD 3: Agricultural X
TD 4: Education center X
TD 5: Not easily accessible X
TD 6: Cut through "Back Road" X
TD 7: Lake under appreciated X
TD 8: Cemetery X
TD 9: Vistas X
TD 10: Rolling Hills X
TD 11: Slower pace X
TD 12: Juncture of 170/ 114 key intersection X
TD 13: Do want commercial along frontage and buffer between school and
residential
X
TD 14: Do want more land for the school especially X
TD 15: Do want athletic fields — school/ town possible buffer X
TD 16: Do want walking/ biking trails X
TD: 17: Do want high design standards X
TD 18: Do want open space, large lot sizes to allow use of topography X
TD 19: Don't replicate everything around us "enclave" X
TD 20: Don't want intense uses that destroy pastoral community X
TD 21: Don't want warehouse/ light industrial X
TD 22: Don't want apartments and high density X
TD 23: Maximize and increase value lake X
TD24: Use lakes for Detention (Read: centralize detention) X
TD 25: Use lakes for natural conservancy X
TD 26: Use lakes for trails X
TD 27: Want traffic around and not through it X
TD 28: Traffic congestion zone —pay tolI... speed bumps X
TD 29: Make Westlake better without degrading it X
TD 30: Fire service (shared) X
TD 31: Town center— HUB X
TD 32: Dog park X
TD 33: Golf course X
TD34: Park area -play ground ... likes passive (???) parks X
TD 35: Arboretums X
SO 1: Like open space X
SO 2: Like 2 lane roads X
SO 3: Like quiet X
SO 4: Impressed by quality X
SO 5: Dove road getting worse... need E&W artery X
SO 6: Like pastoral setting X
SO 7: Viewed as healthy mix of single family... commercial X
SO 8: Potential overbuilt of commercial X
SO 9: Should have more single family on Maguire... property to reduce
traffic (no retail) or office traffic
X
SO 10: Access issues X
SO 11: Have property value issues along Dove due to traffic already X
SO 12: Roundabouts needed X
SO 13: More arteries needed X
SO 14: Set aside right of way now to plan for the future X
SO 15: New undeveloped 200 acres. Do this in non -Solana areas X
Figure 93. Citizen Workshop Comments TRIO
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN
Figure 93, continued. Citizen Workshop Comments TRIO
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
Theme Rept Inpt Oupt
SO 16: Make it tough for traffic to get through town in order to keep
tranquil feel of Westlake
X
SO 17: More retention ponds... use as a property value increase & amenity
reduce flooding
X
SO 18: Trails X
SO 19: Sidewalks on perimeter only, to reduce theft X
SO 20: Connectivity of trails X
SO 21: No apartments X
SO 22: No public transportation (Read: there isn't public transportation) X
HT 1: Density of houses to be built is less than 1 ac./ area — it would have
to be consistent with the rest of Westlake (average 1 ac. with the
development)
X
HT 2: Rural space green space X
HT 3: Need for office complex uses to stay with a "campus setting" and
low density
X
HT 4: Need to plan for mass transit- preserve space for transit X
HT 5: Vintage, country, space — love these open rural relaxed X
HT 6: Traffic would be an impact (Roanoke Rd. should stay 2 lanes) X
HT 7: Commercial should stay close to 114 X
HT 8: 10% of development should be green space, parks, trails, etc. X
HT 8a: Hike and bike connect to center of Westlake X
HT 9: Sidewalks in develop areas X
HT 10: Split level between car traffic and bike (Read: separate vehicular
and commercial traffic)
X
HT 11: "Roundabouts", pan for them X
HT 12: Preserve existing creek lands X
HT 13: Preserve rural heritage X
HT 14: Need commercial to balance Ad Val Tax X
HT 15: Zoning for commercial development to include strict landscape
requirements (meet town standards)
X
HT 16: Standards remain high X
HT 17: Density remain low X
HT 18: Measures to reclaim a water X
DL 1: Dove road traffic (Read: too much traffic on Dove Road) X
DL 2: Growth rate seems optimistic (5000 upper limit/ 3,500 preferred) X
DL 3: 1,000 new homes in 5 years
DL 4: Idealic right now X
DL 5: Both DU and FI "hidden" X
DL 6: Retention required, will reduce overall footprint X
DL 7: Pastoral community X
DL 8: Disappointed if parcels sold off for distribution facilities X
DL 9: Higher end development preferred X
DL 10: No strip malls X
DL 11: Duplicate Vaquero X
DL 12: Keep doing what you are doing X
DL 13: Prefer to drive to another economic center X
DL 14: Can residential support town in lieu of commercial taxes X
DL 15: Septic system can be an issue X
DL 16: Pastoral setting X
DL 17: Schools (Read: quality schools) X
Figure 93, continued. Citizen Workshop Comments TRIO
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
Theme Rept Inpt oupt
DL 18: Should grandchildren go to school as population grows and ages X
DL 19: Police Dept. needed? X
DL 20: Don't separate residential and commercial by a "wall" X
DL 21: Don't build to edge, leave a buffer X
DL 22: No smaller lots X
DL 23: Density more important than lot size X
DL 24: Requisite green space X
DL 25: Connect regional trails X
DL 26: Pastures have fences (Read: preserve rural setting) X
DL 27: Bike lanes X
DL 28: Preserve native trees ... not as important as other assets X
DL 29: No 6 lane Dove X
DL 30: Dove keep current characteristics ... not expand X
DL 31: More resources (Read: more assets) X
DL 32: Surface drainage, retention ponds... more natural not cement X
DL 33: More aggressive water restriction X
EZ 1: Good description of area — Commercial District X
EZ 2: Envision commercial/ retail X
EZ 3: High density along this corridor X
EZ 4: Prefer traffic pattern circle in — out vs. E/W N/S X
EZ 5: Residents, quick access to major highways X
EZ 6: Future growth to impact this area most X
EZ 7: Roads — most important consideration for planning X
EZ 8: Maintain landscape corridor on both sides of highway X
TOTALS 13 6 35 62
Figure 93, continued. Citizen Workshop Comments TRIO
The work of the discussion groups was
extremely fruitful and produced the kind
of inputs necessary to establish guiding
Citizen Priority Statements and Goal
Statements.
Summary of Figure 93
THEMES: Unifying characteristics or
characterizations.
TD 1: Predominantly undeveloped
TD 3: Agricultural
TD 9: Vistas
TD 10: Rolling hills
TD 29: Make Westlake better without
degrading it (read like what exists)
TD 31: Town center- HUB
SO 1: Open space
SO 3: Quiet
SO 4: Quality
HT 5: Vintage, country, space - love these
open, rural, relaxed
HT 12: Preserve rural heritage
DL 1: Idealic right now
DL 12: Keep doing what you are doing
REPEATS: Particular phrases or words that
are repeated.
TD 1: Picturesque
SO 6: Like pastoral setting
HT 2: Rural green Space
DL 7: Pastoral community
DL 15: Pastoral setting
DL 26: Pastures have fences (read:
preserve rural setting)
INPUT INDICATORS: Statements of
problems or conditions that call for
remedial action set in motion by goals ... a
different outcome than the problem or
condition described.
TD 5: Not easily accessible
TD 6: Cut through back road
TD 7: Lake under appreciated
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN
TD 8: Cemetery
TD 19: Don't replicate everything around
us, "enclave"
TD 20: Don't want intense uses that destroy
pastoral community
TD 21: Don't want warehouse/ light
industrial
TD 22: Don't want apartments and high
density
TD 27: Want traffic around and not through
it
SO 5: Dove road getting worse... need E&W
artery
SO 8: Potential overbuilt of commercial
SO 9: Should have more single family on
Maguire... property to reduce traffic (no
retail or office traffic)
SO 10: Access issues
SO 11: Have property value issues along
Dove due to traffic already
SO 12: Roundabouts needed
SO 13: More arteries needed
SO 19: Sidewalks on perimeter only to
reduce theft
SO 21: No apartments
SO 22: No public transportation (read:
there isn't public transportation)
HT 6: Traffic would be an impact (Roanoke
Road should stay 2 lanes)
HT 14: Need commercial to balance Ad
Val Tax
DL 1: Dove Road traffic (Read: too much
traffic on Dove Road)
DL 6: Retention required, will reduce
overall footprint
DL 8: Disappointed if parcels sold off for
distribution facilities
DL 13: Prefer to drive to another economic
center
DL 14: Can residential support Town in lieu
of commercial taxes
DL 15: Septic system can be an issue
DL 18: Should grandchildren go to school
as population grows and ages
DL 23: Density more important than lot size
DL 29: No 6 land Dove
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
DL 33: More aggressive water restriction
EZ 4: Prefer traffic circle in - out vs, EW/ NS
EZ 6: Future growth to impact this area the
most
EZ 7: Roads most important consideration
for planning
OUTPUT INDICATORS: Statements of desired
outcomes or conditions that reflect
remedial action set in motion by goals...
goals required to attain stated outcome.
TD 4: Education center
TD 11: Slower pace
TD 12: Juncture of 170/ 114, key intersection
TD 13: Do want commercial along frontage
and buffer between school and residential
TD 14: Do want more land for school,
especially
TD 15: Do want athletic fields - school/
town possible buffer
TD 16: Do want walking/ biking trails
TD 17: Do want high design standards
TD 18: Do want open space, large lots to
allow use of topography
TD 23: Maximize and increase value of lake
TD 24: Use lakes for detention (Read:
centralize detention)
TD 25: Use lakes for natural conservancy
TD 26: Use lakes for trails
TD 28: Traffic congestion zone - pay toll...
speed bumps
TD 30: Fire service (shared)
TD 32: Dog park
TD 33: Golf course
TD 34: Park area- play ground ... likes
passive (???) parks
TD 35: Arboretums
SO 2: Like 2 lane roads
SO 7: Viewed as healthy mix of single family
and commercial
SO 14: Set aside right of way now to plan
for the future
SO 16: Make it tough for traffic to get
through Town in order to keep tranquil feel
of Westlake
SO 17: More retention ponds ... use as a
property value increase & amenity &
reduce flooding
SO 18: Trails
SO 20: Connectivity of trails
HT 1: Density of houses to be built is
less than 1 acre - it would have to be
consistent with the rest of Westlake
average I ac. with the development)
HT 3: Need for office complex uses to stay
with a "campus setting" and low density
HT 4: Need to plan for mass transit -
preserve space for transit
HT 7: Commercial should stay close to 114
HT 8: 10% of development should be green
space, parks, trails, etc.
HT 8a: Hike and bike connect to center of
Westlake
HT 9: Sidewalks in developed areas
HT 10: Split level between car traffic and
bike (Read: separate vehicular and bike
movement)
HT 11: Roundabouts, plan for them
HT 12: Preserve existing creek lands
HT 15: Zoning for commercial development
to include strict landscape requirements
meet the Town standards)
HT 16: Standards remain high
HT 17: Density remain low
HT 18: Measures to reclaim water
DL 2: Growth rate seems optimistic (5,000
upper/ 3,500 preferred)
DL 5: DU and FI "hidden"
DL 9: Higher end development preferred
DL 10: No strip malls
DL 11: Duplicate Vaquero
DL 17: Schools (Read: quality schools)
DL 19: Police Dept. needed?
DL 20: Don't separate residential and
commercial by a "wall"
DL 21: Don't build to edge leave a buffer
DL 22: No smaller lots
DL 24: Requite green space
DL 25: Connect regional trails
DL 27: Bike lanes
DL 28: Preserve native trees ... not as
important as other assets
DL 30: Dove keep current characteristics...
not expand
DL 31: More resources (Read: more assets)
DL 32: Surface drainage, retention ponds...
more natural, not cement
EZ 1: Good description of area -
commercial district
EZ 2: Envision commercial/ retail
EZ 3: High density along this corridor
EZ 5: Residents, quick access to major
highways
EZ 8: Maintain landscape corridor on both
sides of highway
OUTLIERS: Statements that do not relate to
goals
SO 15: New undeveloped 200 acres. Do
this in non -Solana areas
DL 3: 1,000 new homes in 5 years
FORMULATING THE CITIZEN PRIORITIES FROM
DISCUSSION GROUP COMMENTS
The following list presents the translation
of discussion group comments into
Citizen Priority Statements. Citizen Priority
Statements are the underpinnings of Goal
Statements to follow and act to illustrate
how any goal should be applied. Each
statement starts with a verb, suggesting
action. Then, the statement suggests the
purpose of the action and, where needed,
adds action qualifiers. To illustrate, a
statement such as "Preserve the sense
of balance between residential and
commercial development by promoting
continuity of development forms, pallet
of landscaping, meaningful/ functional
buffers, built area to land area ratios,
and character of the street experience"
starts with the desired action (namely,
Preserve") aimed at a particular purpose
the sense of balance between residential
and commercial development). The
community input informing this statement
refers to the current balance between
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN
the two uses (output indicator). This is
understood as a balance because the
essence of the balance referred to is a
sense of openness, residential forms in
commercial design, campus configuration
of commercial development, and ground
plane continuity that speaks to the rural-
ness of Westlake. Therefore, it is necessary
to add additional conditions to the
statement that capture the essence of
balance. This is contained in the many
visual characteristics typical of the current
condition: continuity, landscaping, open
space buffers, and the amount of the
perceived level of undeveloped land
to developed land. The following list of
Citizen Priority Statements takes the 116
Discussion Group Comments and reduces
them into 75 Citizen Priority Statements.
The statements are presented below
according to the common area of
concern they address.
CITIZEN PRIORITY STATEMENTS DERIVED
FROM COMMUNITY COMMENTS at
WORKSHOP #1 (before public review at
Public Workshop #2)
Views:
1. Maintain views of a largely
undeveloped foreground as Westlake
grows.
2. Maintain views of agricultural land and
agricultural activities as Westlake grows
3. Maintain distant vistas from higher
elevations.
4. Maintain views of natural topography.
5. Maintain view sheds that contain
essential elements of Westlake's
pastoral character.
Visual Image
1. Create development standards on
features that promote and preserve the
picturesque and pastoral qualities of
Westlake and reinforce the notion of a
pastoral community".
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
2. Promote a rural character in present
open spaces and future open space
expansion.
Quality of Life
1. Preserve the quiet rural character of
Westlake in residential areas and in the
public domain.
2. Preserve Westlake's sense of "slow
paced" life as it develops by promoting
experiential and visual characteristics
associated with the current non -
encroachment condition.
Preservation
1. Preserve the rural and agricultural
features of cultural significance.
2. Preserve natural corridors.
3. Preserve sense of openness in the
continuity of a ground plane that is not
interrupted by opaque fences or walls.
Visual Image/Identity
1. Promote aspects of rural heritage in
future development.
2. Promote a visual character that
communicates a high quality of
building and landscape construction,
both public and private.
3. Encourage development patterns in
the western portions of Westlake that
preserve landmark characteristics of this
landscape and embody visual qualities
that continue rural characteristics.
4. Promote design excellence in land and
landscape development, both public
and private.
5. Preserve the natural land profiles and
landmark land forms as well as promote
greater open space as Westlake
develops through regulation of building
to land area relationships.
6. Preserve the sense of balance
between residential and commercial
development by promoting continuity
of development forms, pallet of
landscaping, meaningful/ functional
buffers, built area to land area ratios,
and character of the street experience.
7. Maintain a continuity between
the character of future smaller lot
development and the dominant
larger lot developments of Westlake
by a consistency in landscape, design
quality, and general visual character
of development as seen from the street
internally and externally).
8. Promote non-residential/ office
development that hosts a significant
ground plane of pedestrian features
and visual amenities, instead of parking
and service, and that ground planes
of neighboring projects flow together
to create a more campus -like setting
overall.
9. Maintain trajectory of small residential
population at build -out in order
to promote a small town sense of
community.
10. Establish development standards that
discourage the direct visual connection
or orthogonal orientation between
roadways and structure that is typical
of most suburban development.
11. Establish development guidelines that
discourage typical strip -like, suburban
commercial development
12. Promote a continued use of natural
forms in, and non -structured means
of, storm water management and
detention facility design.
13. Promote the continued creation of
environmental, cultural, educational,
and visual assets for Westlake in all
private and public development.
14. Promote the aggregate and singular
identity of multiple private projects,
especially in the commercial areas of
Westlake so that the Town attains a
coherent overall identity rather than
multiple autonomous identities.
15. Promote a special freeway scape
identity for Westlake where it lies on
both sides of SH 170 and SH 114.
Urban Form
1. Create a town center/ hub.
2. Create a future relationship between
commercial and residential that is
rooted in the current pastoral identity of
Westlake.
3. Maintain Westlake's sense of separation
from surrounding typical commercial
and residential development.
4. Focus the commercial components of
Westlake to locations along the SH 114
and SH 170 portions of the community.
5. Create meaningful and purposeful
buffers between single-family, lower
density, residential uses and non-
residential development that link
activities while protecting the residential
areas from encroachment.
6. Promote the aggregation of higher
density in the SH 170/ SH 114 corridor
instead of a uniform density overall,
thereby lessening total land coverage.
7. Encourage aggregation of current
entitlement rights, where possible,
in ways that contribute to a greater
amount of undeveloped land.
Development Form
1. Encourage less development coverage
of land and promote the use of land
for enhanced retention and other
landscape amenities.
2. Establish development standards for
more creative regulation of density
instead of simply lot size.
3. Encourage the predominantly non-
residential growth of western portions
of Westlake to properly compliment
the residential portions of Westlake and
preserve/ enhance residential values.
Accessibility
1. Make pedestrian movement from
neighborhoods to desired destinations
within Westlake more conveniently
accessible
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN
2. Make the commercial areas of
Westlake accessible to patrons
without encroaching upon residential
neighborhoods.
Vehicular Circulation/ Traffic
1. Discourage cut -through traffic on local
and residential roadways, including
the provision of a roadway system that
accesses residential and non-residential
areas of Westlake from perimeter
roadways that prevent the need for
cross town vehicular movement.
2. Encourage traffic movement around
Westlake more than through Westlake.
3. Relieve the growing traffic pressure on
Dove Road while preserving the rural
image of Dove Road.
4. Mitigate the negative impact of high
traffic volumes on residential property
values.
5. Mitigate the negative impact of high
traffic volumes on the rural character of
local roadways.
6. Provide additional circulation capacity
that protects local residential roadways
from traffic inundation.
7. Create a thoroughfare system
built upon a road typology that
recognizes the need for different street
classifications that include high and
low traffic volume capacity as well as
roadways with a more rural character.
8. Minimize the encroachment of
commercial traffic onto residential
roadways and/or through
residential areas by such measures
as implementing traffic calming
techniques (such as roundabouts) to
discourage traffic encroachment and
enhance pedestrian safety.
9. Manage traffic to prevent traffic
congestion through the use of traffic
calming measures, where appropriate
and by intersection capacity
improvements to enhance the level of
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
service at key intersection locations.
10. Relieve potential traffic congestion
zones through the provision of user
funded lane capacity where feasible.
1 I. Anticipate future vehicular circulation
needs and take measures to secure
right of way availability.
12. Separate vehicular and bike/
pedestrian movement spatially and/ or
functionally in order to facilitate efficient
vehicular traffic flow and enhance bike/
pedestrian safety and user experience.
13. Preserve and promote the convenient
access to major roadways for the
residents of Westlake.
Alternate Modal Movement
1. Promote sidewalks along the perimeter
of all residential development and
assure connections to non-residential
development.
2. Provide public transportation for
residents and local patrons/ employees
that work and/or shop in Westlake that
moves people within commercial areas,
reduces trip generation of commercial
areas, and provides better connection
between residential areas and
Westlake's commercial center.
3. Create a workable system of walking
and biking trails that links points of trip
origin with desired destinations and
integrates with regional trail systems.
4. Employ existing and future lakes/ water
bodies and other natural systems in the
overall Westlake trail system.
5. Encourage the connection of
individually constructed trail facilities as
they are built and assure connection to
desired destinations within Westlake.
Land Use
1. Promote for -sale housing options over
rental housing options where ever
possible.
2. Discourage the development of
distribution facilities in Westlake and
maintain a land use differentiation from
land development to the west.
3. Promote and encourage compatibility
between commercial development
in Westlake and other commercial
centers that contributes to greater
economic vigor overall and prevents
competition between commercial
centers in the region.
4. Preserve and promote the single
family character of the Solana area as
commercial PD's develop.
5. Maximize the opportunity of the
strategic importance of the SH 170/ SH
114 intersection to create a center and
identity that is uniquely Westlake and
enhance the value of Westlake overall.
6. Encourage larger lot development
contiguous to existing residential areas.
Value/ Financial Sustainability
1. Make vehicular movement for Westlake
residents from home to destinations
more accessible.
2. Maintain a balance between the Ad
Valorem revenues of non-residential
and residential development so that
property taxes on residential property
do not have to be disproportionately
raised to accommodate the impacts
of future development in and around
Westlake.
Academy Sustainability
1. Maintain the Academy's continued
availability to the resident children of
Westlake as Westlake and the areas
around Westlake grow through facility
expansion and/ or enrollment policy
revisions as appropriate.
Education
1. Improve and promote Westlake's
growing reputation as a community
of educational excellence and
educational opportunity.
Water Ways, Water Bodies, and Natural
Systems
1. Encourage the gathering of required
detention into major environmental
amenities for the Town.
2. Maximize the potential of present
and future lakes and water courses to
enhance the value of residential and
non-residential development.
3. Centralize detention as much as
possible in current lakes/ ponds and
other "in-line" water catchment areas
in order to encourage larger, more
useful, and more recreational water
bodies.
4. Anticipate the effects of upstream
development in Keller and Southlake on
the configuration of future flood areas
and water flow management systems
including creek ways, lakes, and
ponds); and secure area for floodway/
water body expansions as they are
needed and use such increases to
further enhance the open space and
recreational assets of Westlake.
Infrastructure and Public Facilities
1. Create or expand a city sewer system
that relieves the predominance of
septic systems as Westlake grows.
2. Provide adequate fire service to
accommodate both residential and
non-residential demand for such
services, meet the requirements of
insurers, and prevent future loss of life or
significant property damage to other
properties.
3. Provide adequate police service to
accommodate both residential and
non-residential demand for such
services, meet the requirements of
insurers, and prevent future loss of life or
significant property loss.
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN
Environmental Sustainability and
Conservation
1. Promote water conservation and
reduce water usage.
2. Preserve existing creek ways and creek
areas associated with them through
creation of preserves/parks and/ or
development standards that promote
responsive, low -impact development
practices.
3. Initiate natural and system supported
measures to reclaim and reuse water
where appropriate.
4. Preserve significant native trees and
tree communities, especially within
riparian areas.
5. Use existing and future lakes as facilities
for water conservation and waterways
serving them as places of natural
conservancy.
Parks and Recreation
1. Provide park and recreation
opportunities that serve the needs
of Westlake's present and future
population, such as dog parks,
playgrounds, and public golf course.
2. Provide recreational opportunities
that are more undeveloped passive
open spaces that serve less intense
and contemplative activities, such as
arboretum or natural preserve.
DERIVING GOALS FROM THE 75 CITIZEN
PRIORITY STATEMENTS
The Citizen Priority Statements listed
above are gathered under headings
that indicate areas of common concern.
The statements are descriptive of the
expected performance of any action
taken in the area of common concern
and are, therefore, descriptive of a goal
related to the area of common concern.
The following list presents the goals that
these statements suggest for each area
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
of concern. Beneath each Planning Goal
Statement are the Citizen Priorities, which
support the goal. The red text indicates
additions to the above Citizen Priority
Statement list that came as a result of
public review in Public Workshop #2. This
list is the final list of Planning Goals and
Citizen Priority Statements and is used to
guide the planning work presented in
this Comprehensive Plan Update. These
Statements should be reviewed from time
to time and used as a guide to clarify
meaning of the plan elements and their
application.
Views
General Goal: Future views from residential
areas should present qualities of vista,
natural-ness, pastoral/ agricultural
character, and sense of openness that
exist today.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Maintain views of a largely
undeveloped foreground as Westlake
grows.
2. Maintain views of agricultural land and
agricultural activities as Westlake grows.
3. Maintain distant vistas from higher
elevations.
4. Maintain views of natural topography.
5. Maintain view sheds that contain
essential elements of Westlake's
pastoral character.
Visual Image
General Goal 1: Future development
should perpetuate picturesque and
pastoral qualities that promote a visual
identity associated with rural-ness.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Create development standards
defining features of development that
promote and preserve the picturesque
and pastoral qualities of Westlake and
reinforce the notion of a "pastoral
community".
2. Promote a rural character in present
open spaces and future open space
expansion.
3. Promote aspects of rural heritage in
future development.
General Goal 2: Future development
should embody recognizable quality
of building and site design as well
as maintain an overall balance and
continuity between commercial and
residential portions of the Town.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Promote a visual character that
communicates a high quality of
building and landscape construction,
both public and private.
2. Encourage development patterns in
the western portions of Westlake that
preserve landmark characteristics
of this landscape and embody
visual qualities that continue rural
characteristics.
3. Promote design excellence in land and
landscape development, both public
and private.
4. Preserve the sense of balance
between residential and commercial
development by promoting continuity
of development forms, pallet of
landscaping, meaningful/ functional
buffers, built area to land area ratios,
and character of the street experience.
5. Maintain a continuity between
the character of future smaller lot
development and the dominant
larger lot developments of Westlake
by a consistency in landscape, design
quality, and general visual character
of development as seen from the street
internally and externally).
6. Promote non-residential/ office
development that hosts a significant
ground plane of pedestrian features
and visual amenities, instead of parking
and service, and that ground planes
of neighboring projects flow together
to create a more campus -like setting
overall.
7. Maintain trajectory of small residential
population at build -out in order
to promote a small town sense of
community.
8. Establish development standards that
discourage the direct visual connection
or orthogonal orientation between
roadways and structure that is typical of
most suburban development.
9. Establish development guidelines that
discourage typical strip -like, suburban
commercial development.
10. Promote a continued use of natural
forms in, and non -structured means
of, storm water management and
detention facility design.
11. Promote the continued creation of
environmental, cultural, educational,
and visual assets for Westlake in all
private and public development.
12. Promote the aggregate and singular
identity of multiple private projects,
especially in the commercial areas of
Westlake, so that the Town attains a
coherent overall identity rather than
multiple autonomous identities.
13. Promote a special freeway scape
identity for Westlake where it lies on
both sides of SH 170 and SH 114.
Quality of life
General Goal: Future Westlake should
continue to be a place where one can live
a "slow paced" life style in a quiet, rural
like setting.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Preserve the quiet rural character of
Westlake in residential areas and in the
public domain.
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN
2. Develop strategies that encourage and
inspire commercial development to
incorporate visual qualities reflective of
Westlake's "rural -like setting".
3. Preserve Westlake's sense of "slow
paced" life as it develops by promoting
experiential and visual characteristics
associated with the current non -
encroachment condition.
Preservation
General Goal: Future Westlake should
contain essential scenic, cultural, and
architectural features which are a legacy
of its rural heritage.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Preserve the rural and agricultural
features of cultural significance.
2. Preserve natural corridors.
3. Preserve sense of openness in the
continuity of a ground plane that is not
interrupted by opaque fences or walls.
4. Preserve the natural land profiles and
landmark landforms as well as promote
greater open space as Westlake
develops through regulation of building
to land area relationships.
Urban Form
General Goal: Future Westlake should
come together as an overall town
form with an identifiable town center,
residential areas and employment
areas, tied together by streets, trails, and
transitional buffers that maximize resident
convenience and protect residential areas
from commercial encroachment.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Create a town center/ hub that is
uniquely Westlake; an organic center
to the Town and more than a retail
development that looks like a town
center.
2. Create a future relationship between
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
commercial and residential that is
rooted in the current pastoral identity of
Westlake.
3. Maintain Westlake's sense of separation
from surrounding typical commercial
and residential development.
4. Focus the commercial components of
Westlake to locations along the SH 114
and SH 170 portions of the community.
5. Create meaningful and purposeful
buffers between single-family, lower
density, residential uses and non-
residential development that link
activities while protecting the residential
areas from encroachment.
6. Promote the aggregation of higher
density in the SH 170/ SH 114 corridor
instead of a uniform density overall,
thereby lessening total land coverage.
7. Encourage aggregation of current
entitlement rights where possible in
ways that contribute to a greater
amount of undeveloped land.
Development Form
General Goal: Future development should
create a greater level of amenity and
residential compatibility for the Town.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Encourage less development coverage
of land and promote the use of land
for enhanced retention and other
landscape amenities.
2. Establish development standards for
more creative regulation of density
instead of simply lot size.
3. Encourage the predominantly non-
residential growth of western portions
of Westlake to properly compliment
the residential portions of Westlake and
preserve/ enhance residential values.
Accessibility
General Goal: Future Westlake should have
a coherent trail system (pedestrian and
bike trails) that links residential areas to
important destinations within the Town.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Make pedestrian movement from
neighborhoods to desired destinations
within Westlake more conveniently
accessible, easily identifiable, and safer
i.e. eliminate pedestrian conflicts with
barbed wire).
2. Encourage the use of city sidewalks
and trails by children as a means of
going to school by enhancing safety,
convenience, and educational
potential.
3. Implement grade separated street
crossings for trails where feasible.
4. Make the commercial areas of
Westlake accessible to patrons
without encroaching upon residential
neighborhoods or bisecting
development properties.
Vehicular Circulation/ Traffic
General Goal: Future Westlake should
have a functional roadway network
that protects property values and rural
character by providing additional road
capacity where needed to prevent the
encroachment of commercial traffic into
residential areas and keeps commercial
circulation north of residential areas.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Discourage cut -through traffic on local
and residential roadways, including
the provision of a roadway system that
accesses residential and non-residential
areas of Westlake from perimeter
roadways that prevent the need for
cross town vehicular movement.
2. Encourage traffic movement around
Westlake more than through Westlake.
3. Relieve the growing traffic pressure on
Dove Road while preserving the rural
image of Dove Road.
4. Mitigate the negative impact of high
traffic volumes on residential property
values.
5. Mitigate the negative impact of high
traffic volumes on the rural character of
local roadways.
6. Provide additional circulation capacity
that protects local residential roadways
from traffic inundation.
7. Create a thoroughfare system
built upon a road typology that
recognizes the need for different street
classifications that include high and
low traffic volume capacity as well as
roadways with a more rural character.
8. Minimize the encroachment of
commercial traffic onto residential
roadways and/or through
residential areas by such measures
as implementing traffic calming
techniques (such as roundabouts) to
discourage traffic encroachment and
enhance pedestrian safety.
9. Manage traffic to prevent traffic
congestion through the use of traffic
calming measures, where appropriate,
and by intersection capacity
improvements to enhance the level of
service at key intersection locations.
10. Relieve potential traffic congestion
zones through the provision of user
funded lane capacity where feasible.
1 l .Anticipate future vehicular circulation
needs and take measures to secure
right-of-way availability.
12. Separate vehicular and bike/
pedestrian movement spatially and/
or functionally in order to facilitate
efficient vehicular traffic flow and
enhance bike/ pedestrian safety and
user experience.
13. Preserve and promote the convenient
access to major roadways and
destinations for the residents of
Westlake, including SH 170 and SH 1 14.
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN
Alternate Modal Movement
General Goal: Future Westlake should
reduce vehicular trips and promote
pedestrian safety/ convenience through
the provision of trails, sidewalks, and public
transit.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Promote sidewalks along the perimeter
of all residential development and
assure connections to non-residential
development without bisecting
development parcels.
2. Promote a complete system of bike and
pedestrian trails that connects places
where people live to places people
want to go within Westlake.
3. Provide public transportation for
residents and local patrons/ employees
that work and or/shop in Westlake
when feasible based on build -out
demand) that moves people within
commercial areas, reduces trip
generation of commercial areas, and
provides better connection between
residential areas and Westlake's
commercial center.
4. Create a workable system of walking
and biking trails that links points of trip
origin with desired destinations and
integrates with regional trail systems.
5. Employ existing and future lakes/ water
bodies and other natural systems in the
overall Westlake trail system.
6. Encourage the connection of
individually constructed trail facilities as
they are built and assure connection
to desired destinations within Westlake
and tie into regional trails that interface
with Westlake's borders.
7. Designate truck routes that preserve
maximum roadway capacity and
protect residential areas from truck
encroachment.
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
Land Use
General Goal: Future Westlake should
have clearly defined residential and
commercial areas that reinforce single-
family values and neighborhoods as well
as distinguished Westlake from other cities
and townships in the general region.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Promote for -sale housing options over
rental housing options where ever
possible.
2. Discourage the development of
distribution facilities in Westlake and
maintain a land use differentiation from
land development to the west.
3. Promote and encourage compatibility
between commercial development in
Westlake and other commercial centers
that contributes to greater economic
vigor overall and prevents competition
between commercial centers in the
region.
4. Preserve and promote the single-
family character of the Solana area as
commercial PD's develop.
5. Maximize the opportunity of the
strategic importance of the SH 170/ SH
114 intersection to create a center and
identity that is uniquely Westlake and
enhance the value of Westlake overall.
6. Encourage larger lot development
contiguous to existing residential areas.
7. Promote the creation of natural buffers
landscaped open space) between
conflicting land uses.
Value/ financial Sustainability
General Goal: Future Westlake should
continue to have an Ad Valorem tax base
sufficient to serve future financial needs.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Preserve Westlake's distinctively low
Ad Valorem tax rate on residential
properties.
2. Maintain a balance between the Ad
Valorem revenues of non-residential
and residential development so that
property taxes on residential property
do not have to be disproportionately
raised to accommodate the impacts
of future development in and around
Westlake.
Academy Sustainability
General Goal: Future Westlake Academy
should meet the educational needs
of Westlake's future population with
continued high quality educational
services and facilities.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Maintain the Academy's continued
availability to the resident children of
Westlake as Westlake and the areas
around Westlake grow through facility
expansion and/ or enrollment policy
revisions as appropriate.
Education
General Goal: Future Westlake should be
an educational center.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Improve and promote Westlake's
growing reputation as a community
of educational excellence and
educational opportunity.
2. Expand educational opportunities
to additional schools (such as
preparatory school) and venues
such as interpretative nature trails)
that give Westlake a unique value
associated with a strong commitment
to educational experiences and
opportunities.
Water Ways, Water Bodies, and Natural
Systems
General Goal: Future Westlake should
transform future detention needs into a
system of distinctive water features and
amenities for the Town.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Encourage the gathering of required
detention into major environmental
amenities for the Town.
2. Maximize the potential of present
and future lakes and water courses to
enhance the value of residential and
non-residential development.
3. Centralize detention as much as
possible in current lakes/ ponds and
other "in-line" water catchment areas
in order to encourage larger, more
useful, and more recreational water
bodies.
4. Anticipate the effects of upstream
development in Keller and Southlake on
the configuration of future flood areas
and water flow management systems
including creekways, lakes, and
ponds); and secure area for floodway/
water body expansions as they are
needed and use such increases to
further enhance the open space and
recreational assets of Westlake.
Infrastructure and Public Facilities
General Goal: Future Westlake should
have sufficient infrastructure and
emergency services to assure the
continued health and safety of the Town's
full-time and day -time populations.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Create or expand a city sewer system
that relieves the predominance of
septic systems as Westlake grows.
2. Provide adequate fire service to
accommodate both residential and
non-residential demand for such
services, meet the requirements of
insurers, and prevent future loss of life or
significant property damage to other
properties.
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN
3. Provide adequate police service to
accommodate both residential and
non-residential demand for such
services, meet the requirements of
insurers, and prevent future loss of life or
significant property loss.
4. Form public/ private partnerships to
facilitate private assistance with the
cost of improved emergency services.
Environmental Sustainability and
Conservation
General Goal: Future Westlake should
be a model of water conservation and
environmental preservation for the area.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Promote water conservation and
reduce water usage.
2. Preserve existing creek ways and creek
areas associated with them through
creation of preserves/parks and/ or
development standards that promote
responsive, low -impact development
practices.
3. Initiate natural and system supported
measures to reclaim and reuse water
where appropriate.
4. Preserve significant native trees and
tree communities, especially within
riparian areas.
5. Use existing and future lakes as facilities
for water conservation and waterways
serving them as places of natural
conservancy.
Parks and Recreation
General Goal: Future Westlake should
be a town offering its residents distinctive
recreation and park opportunities.
Supporting Citizen Priorities:
1. Provide park and recreation
opportunities that serve the needs
of Westlake's present and future
population, such as dog parks,
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
playgrounds, and public golf course.
2. Provide recreational opportunities
that are more undeveloped passive
open spaces that serve less intense
and contemplative activities, such as
Arboretum or natural preserve.
EMPLOYING THE GOALS IN THE FRAMEWORK
PLAN
The completed Goal Statements (listed
above) are the guiding elements of the
Plan. Once published, these statements
describe the nature of solution that
planners should seek. From these goals a
community Vision Statement was created:
Westlake is an oasis of natural beauty that
maintains open spaces in balance with
distinctive development, trails, and quality
of life amenities amidst an ever expanding
urban landscape.
The Vision Statement suggests a planning
challenge of creating a diagrammatic
vision for Westlake that harmonizes existing
entitlements and previously proposed
plans with the directives set by the citizens,
residents, and land owners of Westlake.
In order to do this, the Planning Team
produced a Framework Plan, which is a
graphic portrayal of the goal statements.
The Framework Plan is diagrammatic in
nature suggesting the areas, links, focal
points, edge conditions, and sequences
described by the community inputs.
The visual elements of the diagram are
zones, linkages, focal points, edges, and
relationship to characteristic vistas. While
not a plan, the Planning Framework is
a consensus document (confirmed in
Public Workshop #2) that portrays the
meaning of Planning Goals and Citizen
Priority Statements in geographic terms.
Therefore, the Planning Framework is the
template for the Comprehensive Plan
Figure 94: View Analysis
work to follow. The Planning Framework
is derived through a six step process as
follows:
Step 1: Building On the Issue of Views.
The Citizen Priority Statements reveal the
importance of the "visual township" to
the residents, citizens, and landowners
of Westlake. The following set of images
referred to as the View Analysis) present
the form of the "view settings" that make
Westlake distinctive.
The Westlake View Analysis identifies five
view conditions as follows:
Vista Point Zone (yellow):
The Sectors from which recognizable
views are typically seen.
Typically northerly views.
Vista Termini (red)
The recognizable views/ promontory
landforms of Westlake.
Typically exceed elevations of 690 ft.
above sea level.
Vista Shade Zone (blue):
Areas generally along SH 114, north of
Vista Termini (red).
Largely obscured from view by the Vista
Termini.
View Shed Zone (purple):
Areas not visually screened or obscured
by high elevation landforms.
Area lies within the vista seen from the
Vista Point Zone (yellow).
View Corridor Zone (green):
Linear views usually along creekways.
Host water bodies and wooded areas.
Important visual asset.
The view conditions respond to the Citizen
Priority Statements calling for protection of
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN
i - Pa$mraI Links
u
Figure 95: Pastoral Links
and recognition of the "view fabric" that
distinguishes Westlake and is, therefore, the
first framework element established in the
creation of a Framework Plan for Westlake.
Step 2: Protecting the Pastoral Pathways
and Pastoral Areas. Other important
concerns of participants at the Public
Planning Workshops #1 and #2 was
that of protecting the pastoral quality
of residential areas in the southern
portions of Westlake, which includes the
preservation of rural street character and
protecting these streets from excessive
traffic. Therefore, the second installment
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
toward creation of a Framework Plan is the
identification of rural -like roadways. The
diagrammatic map above shows those
roadways as "Pastoral Links" (Figure 95).
Note that the Pastoral Links are those
roadways serving existing residential areas
of the Town, thereby putting the residential
portions of Westlake on a pastoral system.
I
i.
and recognition of the "view fabric" that
distinguishes Westlake and is, therefore, the
first framework element established in the
creation of a Framework Plan for Westlake.
Step 2: Protecting the Pastoral Pathways
and Pastoral Areas. Other important
concerns of participants at the Public
Planning Workshops #1 and #2 was
that of protecting the pastoral quality
of residential areas in the southern
portions of Westlake, which includes the
preservation of rural street character and
protecting these streets from excessive
traffic. Therefore, the second installment
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
toward creation of a Framework Plan is the
identification of rural -like roadways. The
diagrammatic map above shows those
roadways as "Pastoral Links" (Figure 95).
Note that the Pastoral Links are those
roadways serving existing residential areas
of the Town, thereby putting the residential
portions of Westlake on a pastoral system.
Figure 96: Town Links
Step 3: Creating a Town Movement
System. The citizen participants in the
Public Planning Workshops expressed
the desire for a coherent town -specific
vehicular circulation system instead of
a system extending into Westlake from
Keller/Southlake (south) and from SH 114
north). Instead, there was a desire for
Westlake to reach out from within and
connect to the areas around it, thereby
expressing itself as a town. Therefore, the
third installment in creation of a Framework
Plan is the indication of a town -centric
circulation system that reaches from the
center out, thereby establishing Westlake
Pastoral Links
Traffic Calming
MiNhanism5
4 Town Links
as a place within the ubiquitous fabric of
the SH 114 corridor.
Note that the Town Links are the primary
connections to Pastoral Links, which
are further protected by traffic calming
initiatives. This means that one must enter
the Town in order to enter the residential
areas of the Town.
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN
Figure 97: Town Hub
Step 4: Establishing a place of Town
Convergence (a Hub). One of the themes
among discussion group participants was
the desire to ground the town form with a
functioning town hub. Therefore, the fourth
installment in creation of a Framework
Plan is the indication of a centralized
point for town circulation, which, as a
result of its importance to movement
patterns, will be understood as a town
hub or town common. The diagrammatic
map above shows the structural center
of town movement as a town hub/
common (Figure 97). Town movement
in this diagram has both vehicular AND
pedestrian movement.
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
r
Pastoral Links
Traffic Calming
MtNhanismg
Town Links
Commeir-ial Town
Center
Traits
Note that the pedestrian system (trails) is
indicated to link all residential areas to the
hub of town activity.
G
Figure 98: Open Space
Step 5: Protecting the Viewed Township.
The view analysis reveals that much of the
characteristic views of Westlake occur in
the foreground between the Vista Point
Areas (generally the pastoral areas) and
the Vista Termini, the rising landscape
that terminates at the hilltops located
between residential areas (to the south)
and commercial areas (to the north).
Therefore, the fifth installment in creation
of a Framework Plan is designation of a
viewed landscape called Open Space.
This viewed landscape also addresses the
prevailing citizen concern for protecting
and preserving the natural and rural assets
of the Town in the face of pending growth.
This common open space designation
also brings residential and non-residential
activities together in a meaningful way.
Pastoral Links
u
Traffic Calming
Mecha nism5
Town Links
Commemial Town
Center
Trails
E] Open Space
Note that the creation of an open space
core establishes a central landscape
through which the ordinary vehicular and
pedestrian movement of the Town passes.
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN
Figure 99: Community Types
Step 6: Transitioning from pastoral to urban
through a sequenced set of Community
Types that relate to Views. The resident
participants in discussion groups called
for a balance between residential and
commercial development. They want that
balance to occur in a way that preserves
the rural-ness of Westlake and protects
distinctive features of its landscape.
Therefore, the sixth installment in creation
of a Framework Plan is establishing a
compliment of communities arrayed
around a central landscape element
that protects the land features, buffers
residential/non-residential adjacencies,
and provides an appropriate setting for
town elements. The Community Types
shown in the Framework plan are:
The Pastoral Community: Primarily
residential areas in the southern portions
WESTLAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
1 2'• Pastoral Links
I
Traffic Ca Imi ng
mfechanisrns
4 Town Links
Regional Links
Cornmercial Town
Center
rl Trails
Open Space
Pastoral Community
Town Community
Viewshed
Community
Regional Community
of the Town, which are served by the
Pastoral Links. Also, this is the area in
which the Vista Points are located.
The Town Community: A place served
by the Town Linkage System that should
relate to the needs of the Town as well
as the needs of the region.
Town Hub/Town Common Community:
The area that is the focal point of
the town fabric, the center of town
movement, and the primary town
destination.
The View Shed Community: The portions
of the Town (currently zoned office)
that lie within the view seen from higher
elevations (Vista Points)
The Regional Community: The primary
commercial frontage of SH 1 14 and the
area most hidden from view as seen
from the Pastoral Community.
Figure 100: Framework Plan and View Analysis
Note that all the Community Types are
arrayed within a system of movement
positioned around a town hub/town
common.
Figure 100 shows the Framework Plan
superimposed over the View Analysis
discussed earlier).
USE OF THE FRAMEWORK PLAN
This Framework Plan reflects full
implementation of the Planning Goals,
Citizen Priority Statements, and Vision
Statement as presented earlier in this
section. Therefore, it serves as a reference
for development of the Planning Elements
and, to the extent possible, Planning
Elements should incorporate spatial
features and relationships indicated.
erz l Links
C CA Irn ing
anisms
i Links
mal Links
nercial Town
r
space
oral Community
I Community
shed
nunity
mal Community
9f 3
However, the practicalities of crafting
the Plan may mean that implementation
of the intent of the Framework Plan is
accomplished in spatial arrangements that
are slightly different. For example, property
owner concerns, natural barriers, extreme
topography, conditions of the entitlements
or construction may effect and augment
spatial arrangements shown. Therefore,
the Planning Framework is to be viewed as
a spatial expression of Planning Goals and
Citizen Priority Statements meant to guide
the work and influence how "conditions on
the ground" are addressed, realizing that
final plan patterns may vary.
GOALS AND CITIZEN PRIORITIES AND FRAMEWORK PLAN