By Samantha Smith

Kyle city staff informed city council May 17 that an update to the 2010 Comprehensive Plan would be needed to insure its viability for an additional five years.

City Manager Scott Sellers made a report to council regarding various updates on capital improvement projects, road projects and the comprehensive plan.

According to city documents from the Planning and Zoning Commission, there are several points in Kyle’s comprehensive plan that need updating or revising.

The attachment identified a midterm analysis of the 2010 comprehensive plan indicated that a partial update would be necessary, but a complete revision is not needed at this time.

The report consisted of two sections of possible amendments that were labeled as critical and non-critical. 

Critical changes to the comprehensive plan consist of updating maps for future land use and zoning.

The midterm update on the comprehensive plan will also update the Hays County Master Transportation Plan to the 2016 version that is currently in development.

Other important areas to update make references to the wastewater capacity study, and the new economic development strategic plan to update the tax gap analysis. 

Kyle Planning and Zoning commissioners would also like to review the current location of the employment district and assess the possibilities of alternate locations.

P&Z commissioners wanted to consider adding some new categories to the zoning node, which includes creating a mixed use zoning category and an office/institutional category. 

Other non-critical updates include encouraging development with more quality of life initiatives and the sustainability of future site designs. 

Those include storm water collection for irrigation and implementing dark sky ordinances to curb light pollution. 

One issue with any revision to the city’s comprehensive plan is the cost of working with consultants, Sellers said.

“We may be able to do a little bit of work in-house with some help from outside sources,” Sellers said.

Sellers said it would be less expensive to do a partial revision than a complete one that might cost anywhere from $50,000 to $60,000.

Community Development Director Howard Koontz said a complete revision of the plan, which is conducted once per decade, would cost under six figures. A mid-term revision would cost one-third the price. 

Mayor of Kyle Todd Webster confirmed that the changes to the comprehensive plan were needed, but that whenever consultants are needed, cost is an issue.

Webster said he intended to call a workshop for Planning and Zoning commissioners, city staff, and city council members to discuss the needed changes and possible ways to enact them. 

The report presented to council was based on the recommendations of P&Z commissioners as well as the input from the general public, along with a large group of business stakeholders from August 2015 to March 2016. 

Koontz said citizens were given an opportunity to comment on the revision at a previous P&Z meeting. He said turnout was low. 

Koontz said city council would have to vote and approve any possible changes to the comprehensive plan.

Kyle’s comprehensive plan by the numbers 

2010: The last year Kyle did a full update of its comprehensive plan

$50,000 to $60,000: Potential cost of a partial revision of the comprehensive plan 

28,016: 2010 Kyle population estimate

32,881: 2015 Kyle population estimate

17.4 percent: Increase in population in Kyle from April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014

2: Number of Kyle City Council members on the dais during the 2010 comprehensive plan update (Becky Selbera, Diane Hervol)