City staff reviews Farmers Branch 2045 and I‑35E corridor plan; commission discusses rezoning timing and outreach

Sarah Bergman, deputy director of planning, told the joint meeting that the Farmers Branch comprehensive plan (adopted in August 2023) and the I‑35E corridor study (adopted in February 2021) are guiding, long‑range documents intended to shape redevelopment over a 20‑year horizon.

"These are long term 20‑year vision documents," Bergman said, adding that the comp plan is a framework — not binding zoning — intended to inform future decisions and implementation actions.

Bergman said the comprehensive plan emphasizes parks, connectivity, housing variety, economic development and retaining a "small‑town feel" while identifying five catalyst areas for investment: the East Side, Josie and Bellewood area, the Beltline Corridor, the station area, and the Four Corners area. The plan categorizes recommended projects as short, medium and long term and links actions to departments and potential funding sources.

On the I‑35E corridor study, Bergman said the study area covers roughly 463 acres and recommended goals including creating an attractive gateway, extending the station area as a downtown district and adding landscaping and creative uses along the corridor. The staff presentation called attention to four target areas; the city has already rezoned or expanded the form‑based station area west of I‑35 (PD‑86) and staff recommended study and potential rezoning for target areas 2 and 4 along the service road.

"The rezoning here would be focused mostly on land use and on appearance," Bergman said, noting constraints such as parcel fragmentation, a transmission line along Denton Drive and the one‑way service road that limit immediate redevelopment in some blocks.

Commissioners and council members asked whether the city is "in a hurry" to rezone, how rezoning would affect property owners and whether the city would actively pursue grants or incentives to encourage redevelopment. Bergman said rezoning is intended to "lay the groundwork" for future development and would not remove or force out existing uses; existing legally conforming uses could continue until voluntarily discontinued or redeveloped. She also said rezoning can make it easier for new retail, restaurant or entertainment uses to locate in areas now dominated by industrial uses, but that market forces largely drive actual redevelopment.

Staff identified implementation steps already under way: the Valley View and Bellewood betterments, the creation of Tax Increment Financing district TIF‑4 as a funding mechanism, the PD‑86 form‑based expansion in April 2023, and the approved active transportation and other programs. Bergman said staff can bring a study session to City Council in the next couple of months to get direction on whether to proceed with rezonings and to design notification and outreach.

Commissioners urged a robust outreach strategy beyond mailed notices, recommending one‑on‑one meetings with property owners, economic‑development participation to identify property decision‑makers, and a public information plan tied to study‑session materials. A city staff member told the group that TxDOT’s construction schedule for a corridor phase has shifted; a completion estimate that had been December 2025 is now likely June–July 2026, which staff said would not prevent pursuing zoning updates while construction continues.

No formal rezoning actions or votes were taken during the meeting; staff requested direction from Council on next steps and outreach strategy before initiating any formal public‑hearing process.

Ending: Bergman asked commissioners to review the plan documents and said staff will be available to answer questions as the council and commission consider next steps for the I‑35 corridor and station area implementation.