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Lewisville staff outline Old Town master plan update; residents prioritize pedestrian connections, groceries and small businesses
Summary
City planners presented an update to the Old Town master plan, summarizing outreach and data findings including a 2020 census‑based demographic snapshot, parking analysis and resident survey results that emphasized pedestrian/bike infrastructure, grocery access and preserving neighborhood character.
City planning staff told the Lewisville City Council they are updating the Old Town master plan for the first time since 2003 and plan additional public outreach before returning a draft plan for adoption.
Planning manager Michelle Berry said the update will incorporate previous transit‑oriented development goals and a fresh demographic and parking analysis. "We think that it is high time to do this because it has been over 20 years since the original Old Town master plan in 02/2003," Berry said.
Planners described outreach conducted in two phases last year that included festival tabling, a mailed and online survey, and interdepartmental SWOT work. The survey received responses from Old Town residents and the broader study area; staff reported that "over 82% of Old Town residents that responded said they were excited" about Old Town development. The outreach showed consistent priorities: improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, better access to grocery stores, incentives for small businesses and preserving neighborhood character.
On parking, staff presented a recent occupancy study of public and off‑street spaces and found peak public occupancy of about 33% overall (rising to about 44% when the DCTA station area was excluded). Planners noted higher occupancy near newer multifamily complexes and said that as more multifamily is occupied, demand near those developments could increase.
Planners also presented housing preference findings: respondents most preferred traditional single‑family housing and townhomes; there was notable interest in "cottage court" or missing‑middle housing types, which are not broadly allowed under current city code except through planned development requests.
Draft goals proposed for the master plan update include strengthening physical and visual connectivity between Old Town and the transit station, improving public infrastructure (sidewalks, lighting), updating regulations to reduce conflicts between new and older structures, protecting nearby single‑family neighborhoods, expanding green space and incentivizing small businesses.
Staff said next steps are to draft the plan document, route it through internal departmental review, continue outreach at city events this fall and then present a final document to council for approval and implementation. Council members emphasized balancing new development with protections against displacement and urged staff to use the city’s property enhancement and enforcement programs to preserve neighborhood integrity.
