Wow! Three years already! Doesn’t seem like it. Time has indeed gone quickly, in some ways anyway. In the world of city government however, not much happens quickly. In fact, many things remain unchanged three years later. However, my platform of 2008, based on SMART GROWTH, remains as viable now as it did then. I didn’t promise quick fixes or solutions then and I’m not promising that now. The truth is, this is a long process, and three years doesn’t mean much in regard to visible progress. However, the foundation we are laying now means everything, because without a good plan, the right plan, this council and subsequent councils will be left to make decisions on an ad hoc basis. Without a good plan, we would likely repeat the predictable boom and bust cycles of a typical ring city – just what we don’t want to do.
I stated then that the process of obtaining the kind of quality development we needed to become a sustainable community for the long term would be a slow process. I predicted 10-12 years before we would begin to realize the economic benefits of the turnpike and DART light rail. And that prediction was before the economic downturn in late 2008. Three years later, I believe those benefits are still 10-12 years away, maybe a bit more.
The important thing though, is that it’s what we do now that will dictate how successful we are for the long term. We only have one chance to get it right and to do that we need a vision, a plan. The vision for the City is contained in the Comprehensive Plan. It’s that plan that drives the zoning regulations. To be effective, those have to be kept up to date.
I’m pleased to say that we’re finally on our way to doing just that. We have begun the process, called RealizeRowlett 2020, of preparing a plan for the future so that we can maximize economic development and the likely build-out in the years after the turnpike and light rail are in place. This plan will be a blueprint for future councils to follow. Importantly, it provides the basis and the ability for future councils to say “no” when “no” is the right answer. Getting to where we need to go will necessarily take a few years – and to get there, there must be a plan, a good plan, the right plan, and it must be followed. This is the singularly most important thing we are doing in the City right now, laying the foundation for what’s to come.
I’m excited about RealizeRowlett 2020 for another reason. It is one of the most unique approaches to preparing a comprehensive plan ever undertaken in the area because it is so citizen-centric. The vision for Rowlett will be determined by the citizens of Rowlett, not by the Council, not by developers, landowners and other special interest groups, nor by the usual suspects who are actively involved in the City. And it is only right that it should be this way, after all, the citizens are the community.
It’s a slow process. It will be a hard process. Expectations, driven in part by campaign promises, are probably unrealistic. Regardless, with the right foundation in place, we will get there. We are doing it right and it will all be worth it in the end. This is the SMART GROWTH I was talking about in 2008.
