Source: Interurban-Richardson.netlify.app.
A developer has a website featuring fancy renderings (above) of what Richardson's Interurban District could look like if all the pieces fall into place. It sounds wonderful: "A walkable district of rooftops, patios, murals, and local shops is being explored on the rail line Richardson was born on. Before anything is decided, we want to hear from the people who live here. Tell us what you would want in it." The website contains a survey that may be little more than a marketing exercise, but it's worth participating anyway.
I know what it feels like to be Charlie Brown running up to a football teed up by Lucy, only to have her pull it away at the last second. But this time, I'm more hopeful than I've ever been that good things could happen here.
In contrast to that rendering above, this is what that same area looks like today.
Source: Google.
Despite a lot of wishful thinking for this aging district to redevelop into "an edgy, mixed-use district", it seems impossible to break free from its history of car repair garages and car dealerships. Could this latest marketing effort be a sign that change is finally happening?
Those flags in the background of the two images are the same Clay Cooley flags, and I have to say they never looked as good as they do in the new rendering. "Shop me First. Shop me Last. Better yet just drive Past to the edgy, mixed-use neighborhood on Interurban."
The rendering isn't the only reason I'm optimistic. On July 27, 2026, the Richardson City Council approved a zoning request, ZF 26-12, by Stephen Graham, Simple Development Partners/Interurban District LLC, for a strip of new commercial buildings just across Interurban Street from what is shown above. On the minus side, this other developer has no intention of marketing to businesses that would bring to life "a walkable district of rooftops, patios, murals, and local shops" as depicted in the first rendering. Instead, this project is being marketed to "landscape suppliers, specialty contractors, tile and stone vendors, appliance distributors, and related design professionals." He plans to offer them lots of outdoor storage (Yawn. Boo. We've seen that before.) But any new construction is at least a sign that developers are beginning to take notice.
What will it take to achieve the vision? First, the district needs developers willing to buy into a common vision. We're not all there yet, but if the ones with the right vision succeed, others will follow. Second, we need community support. That involves members of the public taking the survey, then talking to their friends and neighbors and council members. That leads to the third requirement: support from the City in the form of zoning changes (if needed) and infrastructure enhancements (like closing an alley to allow for patio dining), and parking limits (to stop businesses from using the streets to store their own equipment), and critically, financial support. Redeveloping an aging industrial district can be jump-started if the City incentivizes the kind of development it wants to encourage. If the City responds that its pockets are empty, remind them of the money the City committed to incentivizing the construction of hundreds of new apartments in downtown Richardson. If the City found a way to support that project—something few residents were asking the City to subsidize—it can find a way to support this vision for a vibrant, walkable district. It's likely to be much less for something that's part of our "Envision Richardson" Comprehensive Plan. Remember, Plan the Work. Work the Plan. It's the Richardson Way.
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
"Plans gathered dust long.
One project can change all that.
'Try believing now.'"
—h/t ChatGPT
No comments:
Post a Comment