Consultant urges Lewisville to pursue placemaking, mixed‑use redevelopment to attract talent and reuse underused malls

Paris, principal of Catalyst Urban Development, told an audience at a Lewisville city planning forum that the city should prioritize placemaking and mixed‑use redevelopment to attract and retain talent and grow the tax base. "In this economy, competitive advantage has shifted to those cities and regions that can generate, retain, and attract the best talent," Paris said, arguing that strong public spaces, a mix of uses and walkable neighborhood centers increase property values and population retention.

Why it matters: Paris framed placemaking as an economic strategy, not only urban design. He said projects that emphasize design and public life can be "about 10 to 30% more in value" and can retain residents "up to, like, 60, sometimes 80% more than its competitors." Lewisville officials and residents at the forum raised redevelopment of large underused properties — including the Vista Ridge Mall site — transit access, concerns about displacement and how artificial intelligence will change local jobs.

Paris outlined three linked objectives: attract and keep workers, improve the physical public realm so people want to stay, and orient development to generate tax revenue. He recommended creating multiple walkable neighborhood "villages" with a mixture of housing, small business, offices and open space; prioritizing reuse of under‑utilized properties for mixed uses rather than large single‑use retail; and leveraging the city’s rail stations and planned transit to focus denser development in compact areas.

On reuse of large retail sites, Paris described aging malls and office buildings as assets that have often outlived their original purpose and said owners must be engaged to change use or redevelop. "It's a building that's outlived its purpose," he said. He suggested a redeveloped mall site would become a new mixed‑use neighborhood with housing, offices, restaurants, hotels, education or cultural uses and public spaces, and that such sites fit the "10‑minute walking circle" model he recommended.

Transit and last‑mile connections were major points in the presentation. Paris showed a compiled map of DFW rail stations and said the half‑mile areas around stations amount to less than 2% of the metroplex’s land area, making those nodes strategically important for denser, transit‑supported development. He urged addressing the "last‑mile" inconvenience with better connections and technology such as on‑demand rideshare when people get off transit.

During a Q&A, residents asked how to spur redevelopment of vacant or underused buildings, how to limit displacement and gentrification, how artificial intelligence could affect local jobs, and how to connect neighborhoods separated by Interstate 35.

On gentrification, Paris said the term is politically charged and urged focusing on policies that enable existing residents to remain. "How do you create opportunities for those that exist here to continue to be here," he said, rather than adopting exclusionary goals that price people out. On AI, he acknowledged job changes but said the net effect is uncertain and stressed that creating attractive, connected places will help the city capture new opportunities.

Paris emphasized that the city controls the physical landscape and regulations and can encourage more walkable nodes, varied housing types and incentives for small business in targeted zones. He recommended partnering with nearby universities and creating clear neighborhood centers so Lewisville is distinct within the larger DFW footprint.

No formal actions or votes were taken at the event; the session was a briefing and public Q&A to inform planning work. City Manager Claire Powell introduced Paris and described the presentation as part of Lewisville’s planning process.