Council votes to call public hearing on renaming sections of Cleveland Gibbs Road to aid emergency response

The Northlake Town Council on March 13 voted to call a public hearing at a future meeting to consider renaming sections of Cleveland Gibbs Road, a process staff said is intended to reduce confusion for emergency responders and align road names with recent realignments.

Staff presented maps showing three proposed changes: keep “Gibbs Road” on the west side of I‑35W (preserving the historic Gibbs name there), change much of the east side of the existing route to “Cleveland Road,” and rename a section south of Highway 114 down to Chadwick Parkway to “Dale Earnhardt” so the route is continuous north and south of 114.

Nathan, the presenter, told council that the renaming is prompted in part by a new bridge alignment that will disconnect the current Cleveland Gibbs alignment at I‑35W and by efforts to improve clarity for dispatchers and first responders. Fire representatives said addressing continuity reduces the chance of misdirected responses. Nathan said staff will mail notices to affected property owners (he estimated roughly 30–40 affected addresses) and coordinate with Denton County for county‑owned segments.

Council members discussed whether to proceed without additional procedure; most said the public hearing was appropriate to give affected owners notice and an opportunity to comment. The motion to call the public hearing carried; the hearing will be scheduled for the next council meeting with mailed notices and online posting as required by the proposed process.

Next steps: staff to post notice on the town website, mail to affected property owners and coordinate with Denton County before the public hearing.