The Highland Village City Council on Thursday approved several items relating to a senior development to be located on Chinn Chapel Road.
A preliminary plat and a final plat for the Ladera Highland Village development was approved by Council.
Ladera is a detached residential condominium development on approximately 26.153 acres. The development will be an age restricted, maintenance free, gated residential community with amenities such as walking trails, community pool, gazebos and pavilions, sports court, parks and open space.
Council also approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to enter into an agreement with Integrity Group, the developer of Ladera Highland Village, to waive the payment of park fees relating to the development of linear and neighborhood parks.
Ladera is constructing an amenity center with meeting rooms, community pool, gazebos, pavilions and sports court consisting of pickle ball and bocce ball. The developer is also providing designated open space in over 40 percent of the property which is being used for landscaping and trails around the entire perimeter of the property.
Council approved a request to waive the fees considering the amenities included in the development and the light impact the residents will have on the city’s existing public parks and trail system.
The Ladera Development is also completing the final north to south city water line loop connecting the Castlewood and Chapel Hill subdivision and providing a second potable water source for the subdivision.
The city will enter into the agreement to participate in the cost of laying a water line through a bore under the Kansas City and Southern Rail right-of-way adjacent to the Ladera Development. This will provide a completed loop system for that area of Highland Village and will help in water quality and fire protection for Castlewood and Chapel Hill.
An update was provided on the recent trip by city officials to Austin for Denton County Days. Mayor Wilcox, council members and city staff attended the event designed for government and business leaders to meet with legislators to familiarize them with the important issues facing Denton County and how they can help us better serve citizens.
Meetings were held with Senator Jane Nelson, Representative Tan Parker and Representative Ron Simmons. Mayor Wilcox, Council and City Manager Michael Leavitt shared the City’s Legislative Program with each lawmaker.
The program focuses on local control and opposing any legislation that would diminish Highland Village’s ability to effectively manage its resources and serve its citizens.
Of particular interest is a proposed revenue cap bill for city and county entities, excluding school districts.
Highland Village is nearly built out with no potential for expansion of city limits to develop new revenue streams. As a primarily residential community, 68 percent of the city’s budget is derived from property taxes.
“A statewide regulation is not suited to address the diverse makeup of cities in Texas, in other words one size does not fit all. Accountability at the local level will best address the balance of desired services and related costs. Highland Village residents have expressed satisfaction with the level of service received in relation to the amount of taxes paid,” stated a press release from the city.
Highland Village also requested legislators move to pass a statewide ban on distracted driving, i.e. texting and handheld personal electronic device use, to provide uniformity throughout all Texas cities and outline enforcement for public safety officials.
The HVTV Update showcased Mayor Wilcox’s 2017 State of the City address. The City Council early work session and regular session is available on HVTV (Spectrum 16; Frontier 43) and via website streaming by searching HVTV. The meetings are also available for on-demand viewing on the city website.
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