Farmers Branch consultants outline draft comprehensive plan, ask council and P&Z for feedback

Stantec consultants presented a draft Farmers Branch citywide comprehensive plan at a joint Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council work session on June 12 and asked elected officials and commissioners for feedback before public hearings and a planned council review this summer.

The presentation, led by Jason of Stantec with subject specialists Tom Layton (economic development and housing) and Joel Mann (mobility), laid out a draft 20-year vision, five prioritized strategies for each plan element (housing, economic development, mobility, land use and design) and an implementation framework. Jason read the draft vision aloud: "In 20 years, Farmers Branch will be a welcoming, diverse, and evolving city that has everything our residents need." The consultants said the plan is based on three major engagement pushes (August and December of the prior year and May of the current year), six pop-up events, technical and strategic advisory committees, and a year of consultant work.

The plan updates the city’s 1989 comprehensive plan and aims to unify previous area-specific plans. Consultants noted the 2022 strategic plan and the 2021 I-35 Corridor Vision Study as existing policy documents the draft will work alongside. They emphasized that the draft is a policy document to guide future zoning and capital improvement work, not a regulatory change on its own.

Why it matters

Consultants told the council and commission the draft is intended to guide decisions on land use, capital projects and regulatory updates. It identifies specific "catalyst" areas for targeted investment — the east side near the DART station, the 4 Corners area, a Valwood/Josie Lane node, and the Mustang Station area west of I‑35 — and recommends tightening guidance so multifamily and mixed-use growth is focused where the city wants it, while…