Cedar Hill adopts ‘Heart of the Hill’ downtown plan to spur redevelopment

The Cedar Hill City Council on Feb. 10 unanimously adopted the Heart of the Hill Downtown Action Plan (Ordinance No. 2026-870), a strategic, action-oriented blueprint intended to guide redevelopment and investment in the city’s downtown core.

The plan, presented by Chastity Vincent and consultant Zach Lachram of Men’s Collaborative, lays out a vision that emphasizes downtown’s historic character and a strong connection to green spaces. Lachram told the council the team studied market conditions and community input and organized recommendations into seven priorities: parks and trails; complete streets; development strategies; wayfinding and signage; leveraging city-owned land as catalysts; infill development; and public art and landmarks.

“We want a downtown that’s rooted in history and small-town feeling,” Lachram said, summarizing the community vision the plan reflects. He highlighted proposals such as expanded green streets and pocket parks, stronger trail connections, pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly street design, and regulatory changes to encourage smaller-scale residential and mixed-use infill.

Vincent, who introduced the presentation, said the plan was intended to be actionable and to move forward quickly on implementation steps. She told the council that consultant work and staff analysis showed the Phillips property structures were not viable for reuse; council direction previously called for demolition funded by the Economic Development Corporation to ready the site for private development and interim uses.

Councilmembers asked whether the one-on-one developer interviews would be open to additional firms and whether market research would return to council. Vincent said the interviews are targeted but open to including additional qualified developers and that any development agreements or public-private partnerships would return to council for approval.

Councilmember Miranda Aziz praised the communication and phasing approach in the plan, calling it an investment strategy for downtown’s future. Alan Sims, who helped present recognitions earlier in the meeting, and other council members thanked staff and the consultant team for the year-long engagement process.

The ordinance as read for the record directs staff to consider amendments to the Complete Streets master plan as applicable, integrate policy updates into future Capital Improvement Program proposals, and prepare an incentive framework for city-owned properties. The council voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance.

Next steps outlined by staff include conducting targeted developer outreach, preparing incentive frameworks for city-owned parcels, incorporating complete-streets improvements into the CIP process and returning to the council with specific proposals and any required development agreements.