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Economic Development plan gets P&Z update
By Mandi Wallis, Staff Writer
An update to the city's plan for the future of Plano will reflect current economic conditions and trends such as diversity, land use and competition.
The Plano Planning and Zoning Commission has approved the city's direction and key issues for an economic development update to the comprehensive plan. The last update was done in 2001.
The proposed update will look at land use demands. There is a large demand for housing in Plano and people want to rezone their non-residential property to residential, said Steve Sims, senior planner of Plano's long range planning department.
Zimmerman said a majority of land zoned non-residential is located along the major freeways and the city is faced with a "trade-off" decision when deciding which land to rezone; whether to fulfill short-term goals, provide more property for housing and "forego potential commercial development," or "save non-residential" property for future investments which could benefit the city's taxes and therefore the economy.
"That's a particular concern for us, particularly along our major transportation corridors as we try to preserve land in the future for economic developments," Sims said.
The city will research ways to measure economic diversity by looking at procedures used by other cities and counties to help prepare for any future recession.
Plano is becoming more diverse and the population is aging Sims said. People are staying in Plano and the baby boomers are getting older. He said growth is slowing and through research, they will look at what issues could arise.
Sims said economic opportunities are another way to provide for the community's health, safety and welfare. He said a market of services may exist to assist the population and the update will help discover what Plano already has and what it needs.
After retirement, people may want to continue working, and possibly from home. The number of part-time or home-based businesses may increase.
The city will also look at the development of major medical facilities.
"We have seen a tremendous growth in medical services," Sims said.
Medical Center of Plano and Presbyterian Hospital of Plano both expanded their facilities and Baylor Hospital recently opened. Sims said the Children's Medical Center is now under review. And there are numerous plans for new offices to house physicians and dentists.
In addition to senior services such as long-tern care and assisted living, the planning department will examine other services residents might need.
"What we are talking about is something beyond what we already have," Sims said. "Looking at services that might come about to try and help people to age in place and remain in their homes."
This could include personal shoppers and assistants, home repair and transportation.
Another trend in addition to the population change is a new focus in the field of technology. In the past, businesses in Plano created programs and software to help other businesses such as banks and mortgage companies. Since Sept. 11, more technology services are focused on homeland security for the U. S. Government and digital media, particularly entertainment and video games.
With time, there has been "a shift to other end users," Zimmerman said.
More than 125,000 people work in the city of Plano.
"We are an employment center," Sims said.
Attracting new business to the city may affect land use and transportation, he said. He said when new businesses come to Plano, it affects the current land use plan. And the update will look at how to accommodate these new ventures.
Several key factors make Plano a desirable location for business. Accessibility "is a major attribute for the city of Plano," Sims said.
Plano is close to DFW International Airport, Addison Airport and Collin County Regional Airport at McKinney. And the city is centrally located among several expressways for travel. And mass transit and bike trails provide transportation alternatives.
When competing with other cities for business and jobs or when trying to grow and keep existing businesses, Plano is at a disadvantage, Sims said. He said Plano gives one percent of sales tax to Dallas Area Rapid Transit, but Frisco, McKinney and Allen don't. He said those cities can use that money for economic development.
Another key issue in the update is business demand and workforce compatibility.
With the changing population, people are staying in the workforce longer, Sims said. But when they retire, their positions are filled with a new generation of people with different attitudes about employment and expectations for employers, he said.
Planning will look at the needs of major employers and try to meet them.
“There are more choices now,” Sims said.
The update includes determining if housing is affordable to those who work in Plano. Some people may live outside of Plano and drive and hour to and from work, taking time away from production and employers.
Sims said small businesses are the future for job growth and income growth in America.
"And looking at the role of small businesses in Plano, they will probably be fulfilling that," he said.
The update will look at what Plano has and what it needs to assistance small businesses, Sims said. For example, creating a flexible work space at home and providing the latest innovations in technology.
"It looks like a home run" said Commission Chair Carolyn Kalchthaler after the presentation.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
The start of the decline wrote on Jul 2, 2007 9:10 AM:
" What this means is they are going to jack up the number of apartments and townhouses to the detriment of the current residents. Expect a lot more traffic and congestion. Expect more crowds at your grocery store and fewer parking places. And we pay $57 million per year for DART while Frisco, McKinney, and Allen do not. For that $57 million, we have less than 1% of the population taking a light rail train instead of a bus. On top of that, everyone is shopping in Frisco and soon Fairview/Allen on the east side, so those communities are getting a ton of sales tax revenue from Plano residents. But I'm sure everyone will start shopping at downtown Plano once they all find out it's there. If this city wants more businesses to locate in Plano, the city needs to make Plano a place where EXECUTIVES want to live. That means EXECUTIVE housing, EXECUTIVE entertainment, EXECUTIVE amenities. Do executives want to live in a gated community with a golf course and have a large lot for their house? Or do they want to live in a townhouse with no backyard next to several hundred apartment units? "
Bogus Article wrote on Jul 3, 2007 8:23 AM:
" The article states, "Some people may live outside of Plano and drive and hour to and from work, taking time away from production and employers." Huh? What is Mandi talking about? You can get a house near Custer and 15th, a nice neighborhood, for $140-150K, easily. There are older apartments with lower rents in the southern part of Plano too. There is affordable housing in Frisco, Allen, McKinney. Where is Mandi talking about that is an hour away?
"
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