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Resident urges educational green belt, botanical garden and preservation as city considers Anne Haslett property
Summary
At the April 20 Anna Parks Advisory Board meeting, resident Betty Sharp urged the board to support an "educational green belt" around Anna ISD property, suggested a botanical garden and other community amenities for the Anne Haslett property, and pressed for preservation of large-lot housing and equestrian heritage.
Betty Sharp, a longtime Anna resident, asked the Parks Advisory Board on April 20 to consider creating an "educational green belt" around Anna Independent School District property on County Road 290 and to prioritize preservation and community-focused uses for the Anne Haslett property being considered for city purchase.
Sharp said the proposed green belt would connect to city trails and increase outdoor learning opportunities for children after the announced closure this year of the Collin County Nature Adventure Camp. "Our children need outdoor learning experiences," she said, adding that she had shared the idea with AISD and spoken with the district's new superintendent, Toby Tucker, who she said was "very open to the idea."
The proposal as described by Sharp would combine walkability, trails and outdoor classrooms and could link to other city amenities. Sharp also urged the board to consider alternative uses for the Anne Haslett property on Highway 5 that is on the city council agenda for possible purchase. "Instead of 500 or 600 apartments and multifamily and unattractive storage units crammed in on Highway 5, we might get a police station there in the future," she said, and suggested a police facility could be paired with walking trails, a K-9 facility and a botanical garden.
Sharp framed her remarks as a defense of both private property rights and "community property rights," saying zoning and community standards matter. "Many citizens do not want 3 and 4 and 5 story apartments staring down into their backyards," she said, and asked board members to remember earlier public opposition to dense multifamily near that site at a May 2024 Planning & Zoning meeting.
Sharp also urged support for preserving large lots and Anna's equestrian heritage, and said she had discussed the botanical garden idea with a congressional staffer and planned to contact U.S. Rep. Keith Self about potential support. She closed by urging the board and volunteers to put ideas forward: "Remember that until you put the idea out there, it can't come true."
