The Highland Village City Council voted 5-2 Tuesday night to approve the final read of the town’s update Comprehensive Plan.
Over a year ago, the City contracted with McAdams and began the “Our Village, Our Vision” process to update the plans. Many meetings have been held with the public, property owners, focus groups, Park Board, Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council. The plan includes updates to the Comprehensive Plan; Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan; Trail System Master Plan Update; Opportunity Areas; and the FM 407 Trail Corridor and Amenity Plan.
The current Comp Plan was adopted in 1995 and last amended in 1997, according to a city news release. The Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan was adopted in 2008 and the Comprehensive Trail System Master Plan in 2011. Many factors have changed since that time necessitating updates; it is critical to have updated park and trail plans in order to seek grant funding for future capital projects.
A large component of the plan update is the FM 407 Corridor and Amenity Plan. The intent is to expand the trail system to include the FM 407 corridor with multi-modal uses (pedestrian, bicycles, golf carts) and connectivity between residential and commercial areas, according to the city news release. The idea behind the plan is to create more visibility and activation of existing commercial centers (create a sense of place), which would attract people to various retail areas. Enhanced streetscapes and public spaces with experiential elements would be included.
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