Consultants present three land‑use concepts; commission and residents workshop maps for Converse 2050

Freese and Nichols consultants presented three draft land‑use concepts to the Converse Planning and Zoning Commission and led a workshop where commissioners and residents sketched preferred uses on large maps. The presentation and follow‑up table exercise drew on multiple public engagements and was framed as part of the city’s Converse 2050 comprehensive‑plan process.

The consultant, identified in the meeting as Caitlin of Freese and Nichols, said the project is in the land‑use and development phase and remains on track for a final plan by the end of the year. She summarized public outreach to date: three CPAC meetings, three public events, two Walmart intercept survey sessions that engaged about 66 people, a land‑use workshop with roughly 30 participants divided into eight teams, and an online survey that generated about 81 written comments plus 94 pin‑map comments. The consultant said staff and the consultant team used that input to assemble three alternative land‑use concepts for discussion.

The three concepts emphasized different tradeoffs: one that concentrates higher‑intensity uses along Interstate 1604 and a second corridor with a stronger regional retail component; a second that favors larger mixed‑use projects and a more concentrated, pedestrian‑oriented node; and a third that spreads mixed‑use and retail nodes across several locations while preserving substantial low‑density residential areas. All concepts preserve existing low‑density neighborhoods and identify potential green space in the southern floodplain area.

The consultant said the scenarios reflect community feedback that prioritized more retail and local services, additional parks and trails, and a range of housing types including “missing middle” options such as townhomes and multiplexes. She cited a population projection referenced in the presentation of about 9,500 additional residents in Converse by 2050 as a planning input for the scenarios.

During the public‑comment period on the plan, resident Terry Borland told the commission that Anton Schumann Park and a corridor along FM 78 west toward the Walmart were omitted from the conceptual maps and urged that they be recognized. Another resident, Eleron Rosen, said he supports the land‑use approach and the three concepts presented.

Commissioners and members of the public used a table‑workshop format to mark preferences on printed maps. Participants repeatedly identified 1604 as a focus for higher‑intensity uses, suggested pedestrianized segments near civic facilities, and proposed a green‑space node in the southern floodplain flanked by higher‑density mixed‑use development. Commissioners asked for trails to be shown across concepts and suggested mixing elements from different concepts (for example, locating mixed use near the college and preserving transitional buffers between corridors and adjacent neighborhoods).

Freese and Nichols and staff said the next public engagement events include an April 12 appearance at the Green Day celebration and an April briefing to the City Council. The consultant also noted the project website and an active pin map at converse2050.com where draft materials and survey results remain posted.

The commission then moved into a hands‑on workshop to mark preferred uses on the maps; the formal meeting adjourned after that workshop.