by SEAN KIMMONS
Kyle residents offer input into the city’s comprehensive plan, which will guide future growth. (Photo by Sean Kimmons)
Transforming Kyle’s Center Street railroad crossing from an eyesore to a rail plaza adorned with a gateway monument, constructing a circular loop road system around the city and making the shopping areas along Kyle Parkway into a super regional node of commercial activity could be in store for the city’s long-term future – at a price.
These were a few things discussed March 25 in the city’s final comprehensive plan meeting at Lehman High School. Since September, Kyle residents have been able to give input into managing the city’s growth in three workshops.
By the summer, the planning firm MESA Design Group, tasked with the comprehensive plan, is expected to complete the document. Then, city staff along with the planning and zoning commission and city council will review the plan before formally adopting it.
At the recent meeting, MESA consultants introduced six plan elements to roughly 50 concerned residents. Elements included plans for land use, transportation, facilities, open space, urban design and downtown revitalization.
Under the land use plan, the tax gap analysis showed that by 2040, with an estimated population of more than 90,000 residents, more than triple the current population, the general fund requirement would be at $54.2 million. About $20.6 million of general fund resources would be tax contributions from residences.
Non-residential building square footage would need to grow to almost 56 million, with 4,280 acres set aside for non-residential uses to cover commercial tax bases.
“It’s a critical part of our comprehensive plan,” said Carissa Cox, a MESA consultant. She added that the land use plan would drastically affect new development and determine what type of land transition could occur within the city.
The transportation plan would help tackle traffic “hotspots” and balance traffic flows through a series of loops and connections. Consultants recommended a “hub and spoke” tactic, or a double circular loop system around the city to alleviate congestion along IH-35.
In the facilities plan, more than six fire stations would be required to serve a population of more than 90,000. The city currently has three stations.
The police force would then need to expand to 235 full-time staff and increase its annual budget to $17.7 million, according to the plan.
The open space plan addressed the necessity for public parkland. By 2040, the city would require 90 acres of block parks, 271 acres of neighborhood parks and 452 acres of community parks. In contrast, the city’s existing park acreage is 16 acres for block parks, zero acres for neighborhood parks and 165 acres for community parks.
“It’s very important to designate these areas before you grow into them,” Cox said.
An emphasis on pedestrian connections came under the urban design plan.
“One way to deal with traffic is to have more pedestrian movement,” said Robin McCaffey, a MESA consultant.
The downtown revitalization plan envisioned a rail plaza, with a picturesque gateway monument, to draw people into the area. The plaza could be accessible to pedestrians, invite commercial development and become a future stop for a commuter rail service linking Austin to San Antonio.
“All that space around the railroad tracks should be developed instead of being no-man’s land,” McCaffey said.
