LH Press Library
Dallas Residents to have Planning Voice
Dallas Morning News, by Dave Levinthal
May 19, 2004
Dallas' government seems to have a plan for most everything: downtown, the Trinity River Corridor, Fair Park, the DART light-rail system. So the City Council on Wednesday resolved to encompass its various visions within a unified theme for improving Dallas' quality of life.
"We need a better mousetrap," City Council member Ed Oakley said. "And this will take us in that right direction."
Known as the Comprehensive Plan Strategy, the initiative seeks to turn traditional urban planning inside out.
Instead of city officials dictating urban development goals, the comprehensive plan seeks to give residents the power, through meetings and workshops, to choose how the land in and around their communities is used.
At the same time, the city expects to hire urban planner John Fregonese to help implement resident and government proposals for improving Dallas' infrastructure, air quality and balance among industrial, commercial and residential interests.
"It starts at the neighborhoods and works up to a larger scale," Mr. Fregonese said of the plan. "You don't have to have a single future to stake your life on. This plan recognizes that the future is uncertain. You adjust your strategies based on what's working and what's not."
The plan also takes a business approach to issues such as land use, said Director of Development Services Theresa O'Donnell.
By simplifying Dallas' more than 700 zoning classifications and focusing on a return on the city's investment in land development, businesses and people with thrive, she said.
In coming weeks, city officials will negotiate a final contract with Mr. Fregonese's firm, Fregonese Calthorpe Associates, based in Portland, Oregon. The council must approve the contract.
An official release of the plan is slated for August, coucil members said.
Reprinted with permission of The Dallas Morning News.
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