PHASE 1PZ revisions Nov. 5- 2003
PHASE 1 -
VISION, GOALS, & OBJECTIVES
Draft Recommendations of the
Southlake 2025 Plan Steering Committee
October 2003
Southlake 2025 Plan Vision, Goals, & Objectives
Last edited November 6, 2003 Draft Recommendations
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I. OVERVIEW
The following is the Southlake 2025 Steering Committee’s recommended vision statement,
goals, and objectives. A community’s vision is a desired end result as articulated by the
residents after an appraisal of their community1. The vision represents a future which can be
achieved through the community’s proactive policies and strategies.
The community’s goals and objectives help clarify the vision further. The goals are beginning
points for policies toward which effort will be directed – they shall form the “framework” for the
future of the city. The goals are general in nature to allow some flexibility in ways to achieve
them. Together, the goals and objectives will serve as the structure for updating the city’s
comprehensive plan (land use plan, master thoroughfare plan, etc.).
Steering Committee members at work during a planning workshop in May 2003.
The Southlake 2025 Plan Steering Committee’s recommendations are prefaced by their findings
after an intensive nine (9) month review and analysis of relevant background information about
the city. The findings represent a broad range of interrelated factors affecting growth and
development in the city as well as in the Metroplex.
1 Planning for the Future: A Handbook on Community Visioning, Second Edition, Center for Rural Pennsylvania. Deleted: October 2
Southlake 2025 Plan Vision, Goals, & Objectives
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II. SOUTHLAKE 2025 PLAN VISION STATEMENT
“Southlake will continue to enhance its status as a desirable,
attractive, safe, healthy, fiscally sound community with quality
neighborhoods, while maintaining a high standard of living, learning,
shopping, working, recreation, and open spaces. Southlake will
continue to be a vibrant community that epitomizes both economic and
environmental sustainability.”
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III. SOUTHLAKE 2025 PLAN GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Goal 1: Promote quality neighborhoods that contribute to an overall sense of place and
community. Quality neighborhoods are the cornerstone of our community.
Quality neighborhoods are well designed and maintained, attractive, pedestrian
friendly and safe.
Objective 1.1 Encourage the maintenance of existing neighborhoods in order to
preserve property values and a sense of place.
Objective 1.2 Promote the creation/preservation of attractive, pedestrian friendly
streets with pleasing vistas that limit the visual impact of the
automobile.
Objective 1.3 Encourage neighborhood design that compliments existing
development patterns while creating unique places. To this end,
promote the creation of well-designed, appropriately-scaled residential
neighborhoods.
Objective 1.4 Encourage creativity in neighborhood design with special emphasis on
environmental stewardship that conserves the city’s natural assets.
Goal 2: Foster attractive and well designed residential developments to meet the needs
of a diverse and vibrant community.
Objective 2.1 Facilitate market-driven housing products that are consistent with
Southlake’s vision for quality neighborhoods which emphasize design
details for homes, streets, open spaces, recreational amenities, etc.
Objective 2.2 Ensure that new growth is in accordance and in harmony with the
Land Use Plan and population build-out numbers.
Objective 2.3 Provide for the incorporation of high quality smaller-scaled single-
family residential uses as a part of a planned development at
appropriate transitional locations. Transitional areas are undeveloped
or under-developed properties that are adjacent to established and/or
future residential neighborhoods when such areas are adjacent to
commercial development, and/or major roadways.
Goal 3: Maintain a balanced approach to growth and development in order to preserve
the city’s assets (schools, public safety, and competitive edge in the region) and
its fiscal health.
Objective 3.1 Promote the development of commercial and mixed-use development
with an emphasis on design detail and performance standards to keep
up with changes in market conditions.
Objective 3.2 Encourage a range of uses, including retail, office, hospitality,
entertainment, industrial and residential, that is both responsive to
changing market conditions and sustains growth in property values for
the future.
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community.
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Deleted: Objective 2.2 Ensure that
new housing occurs in a manner which
results in continued growth of school
aged children, but at a rate that will not
overburden any particular attendance
zone, requiring a new school facility to be
constructed. ¶
Objective 2.3 Allow for the
development of smaller-scaled, low-
maintenance, high quality single-family
housing options at appropriate locations. ¶
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Deleted: n overall mixed use concept
Deleted: Objective 2.5 Create a
partnership between the citizens, the city
and our school districts to address issues
(i.e. revenue enhancement, education,
facilities management) facing the
community. ¶
¶
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Objective 3.3 Evaluate and then incorporate approved methods that will help retain
and enhance Southlake’s existing economic base.
Objective 3.4 Support appropriate public-private financial partnerships.
Objective 3.5 Continue active partnership that exists between the City and its school
districts through joint use committees and use of city money to build
roads and infrastructure to accommodate school facilities; making sure
that such partnership is mutually beneficial to both parties and thus to
Southlake Citizens.
Goal 4: Develop a transportation system that minimizes traffic congestion, provides
alternatives to the automobile, promotes energy efficiency, and allows expanded
opportunities for its citizens to meet some routine needs by walking or bicycling.
The design of the transportation system should act as framework that gives the
city “character and functionality”.
Objective 4.1 The Thoroughfare Plan --a component of the Southlake 2025 Plan—
should address safety, design, and aesthetics elements such as landscaping,
street design, lighting, sidewalk design, traffic calming, signage etc. in
order to provide a distinct image for the City.
Objective 4.2 Provide a street network that allows residents/workers to travel effectively
to shopping areas, schools and places of employment without having to
travel on the city’s major arterials (FM 1709, FM 1938, or SH 114), while
minimizing cut-through traffic in residential neighborhoods.
Objective 4.3 Promote contiguous bicycle/pedestrian/trail facilities which are user
friendly, efficient, safe, economical, and connect parks, shopping, schools,
work and residential areas.
Objective 4.4 Investigate opportunities to link existing neighborhoods, shopping areas
and employment centers to the existing/future trail system, as detailed in
the Master Pathways Plan.
Objective 4.5 Ensure that an adequate and efficient transportation system both internally
and externally to the site is provided or planned prior to the approval of
any land uses that create significant traffic demand.
Objective 4.6 Mixed-use developments should encourage a pedestrian-friendly
environment and minimize the need of the automobile for convenience
shopping, work, or leisure trips.
Objective 4.7 Encourage pedestrian and bicycle mobility when redesigning existing
roadways or designing new roadways.
Objective 4.8 Partner with adjoining communities and the North Central Texas Council
of Governments (NCTCOG) to study the impact of the future
light/commuter rail corridor proposed along the Cottonbelt rail line,
adjacent to SH-26. Evaluate and determine appropriate land use
designations along the rail corridor.
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Goal 5: Support a comprehensive integrated open space and recreation system that
creates value and preserves natural assets of the city. Open spaces may include
a combination of natural areas, parks, trails, greens, squares, educational, or
civic uses.
Objective 5.1 Encourage developers to provide useable and functional open space that is
integrated with new development. Access to such areas should be
maximized through pedestrian/bicycle improvements and connections.
Objective 5.2 Park and open space areas should conserve a property’s environmental
features while maximizing accessibility and value to the development.
Objective 5.3 Water conservation and reuse should be a priority in the design of parks
and open spaces.
Objective 5.4 Develop and utilize the city’s Storm Water Management Plan to protect
against inundation from storm water runoff. Open space easements and
corridors for preservation should be identified and integrated to this plan.
Objective 5.5 The city should continue to work with the various school districts to
explore opportunities to provide open space and recreation amenities in
conjunction with city facilities.
Objective 5.6 The city should continue to investigate public-private partnerships to
create open space and recreation facilities with other types of
developments including residential, retail, and employment.
Objective 5.7 Protect open lands, natural land forms, agricultural landscapes and scenic
vistas that create and define Southlake’s unique community character and
quality of life.
Objective 5.8 Ensure that development is respective of and appropriately integrated with
the natural physical geography of the land in Southlake by requiring
environmentally sensitive development to eliminate “scrape and build”
development.
Objective 5.9 Ensure that the character and quality of Southlake’s built environment,
relative to commercial development, contribute to desired community
character objectives and foster a positive relationship between the taxable
value of real property and the corresponding cost of municipal services.
Goal 6: Preserve effective and efficient professional police, fire and communication
services.
Objective 6.1 Support the provision of facilities, equipment and roadways to achieve
desired emergency response times throughout the city.
Objective 6.2 Support the location of substations in areas of greatest need.
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IV. STEERING COMMITTEE FINDINGS
Neighborhoods & Housing
• Southlake has a range of attractive and valuable residential and commercial
developments which make it a desirable place to live, work, and play.
• Residential development is occurring at a decreasing rate.
• Southlake’s housing stock is 99% single family homes. The average home size is
approximately 3,700 square feet.
• Southlake provides limited choices in smaller scaled quality detached single family
homes.
• The Southlake area, including surrounding municipalities (Keller, Trophy Club,
Grapevine, Colleyville and Westlake) that fall within a 5 mile radius of its boundaries,
provides diverse housing opportunities with diverse home prices.
Demographic Trends
• Southlake’s population is primarily composed of children (38%) and adults between the
ages of 35 and 54 (48%). The percentage of persons over 55 is 9%.
• Under the 1998 Land Use Plan scenario, current population build-out projection is
approximately 30,000 persons.
• Under current city policies that are based on the 1998 Land Use Assumptions report
(Impact Fee Ordinance), infrastructure is being designed to meet a build-out population
of 35,841 persons.
School District
• The Carroll Independent School District (CISD) is one of the city’s most important assets
in attracting quality development.
• In order to maintain a fiscally sound school district, CISD requires sustained student
enrollment and property values.
Growth & Fiscal Health
• Southlake is 23 square miles in area and cannot expand its municipal boundaries.
• Twenty (20) percent of Southlake’s land has the potential for development (2,900 acres).
The largest concentration is located predominantly along S.H 114 (1,120 acres).
• Southlake presently has 6.3% (900 acres) of its land with potential for redevelopment
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• A number of undeveloped parcels in the city face development challenges due to 1)
incompatible adjacent uses, 2) environmental limitations, or 3) airport noise contour (75
L.D.N.).
• Certain types of office development (campus/corporate) are stagnant due to market
conditions.
• Southlake faces regional competition for new retail/office development (Circle T Mall,
Las Colinas, etc.).
5. Location, Access, & Mobility
• Southlake’s geographic location between DFW and Alliance airports gives it an unique
economic advantage over other cities in the Metroplex.
• Southlake is flanked by the burgeoning communities of Grapevine (current pop. 42,700)
to the east, Colleyville (current pop. 20,000) to south, Keller (current pop. 29,900) on the
west, as well as Westlake and Trophy Club to the northwest (current pop. 300 and 6,850
respectively).
• Traffic volumes (vehicle trips per day) on the City’s streets are increasing annually and
are projected to continue to increase in the future, specifically with the completion of SH
114 and the construction of the FM 1938 extension.
• Commuting times to employment centers (Las Colinas, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Arlington, etc)
will continue to increase (Mean travel time to work 30.8 minutes – Census 2000 data).
6. Recreational & Natural Amenities
• Natural amenities, parks, and open spaces are important assets that attract people to
Southlake.
• The U.S. Army Core of Engineer (COE) property (700 acres) provides the largest
contiguous open space in the city. The city currently leases 218 acres for passive
recreational use.
• The city currently provides 17 acres of open space per 1,000 persons (not including the
leased COE property) with a future goal of providing 21 acres per 1,000 persons under
build-out projection of 35,841 persons.
7. Public Safety
• Southlake’s excellent public safety record makes it a safe and desirable community in
which to live and conduct business.
• Public safety requires three (3) DPS facilities in order to meet desired emergency
response times and to provide service for future growth.
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Insert Signature Affirmation Pages at the end of the document.
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