The Allen Group releases statement regarding NCTCOG Southern Dallas Development Plan
The North Central Texas Council of Governments Transportation Department has released a Master Plan Initiative regarding development in Southern Dallas County. This is not the same thing as the Master Plan that Dallas County Commissioners were attempting to institute some months back. Below is a statement by The Allen Group, one of the main developers in Southern Dallas’ Inland Port.
The Allen Group has been asked to provide its position statement concerning the NCTCOG’S CONCEPT of a new S. Dallas County Master Planning Initiative as set forth in the NCTCOG’s PowerPoint Presentation below.
North Central Texas Council of Governments PowerPoint Presentation.
The Allen Group SUPPORTS THE NCTCOG’S CONCEPT of the new S. Dallas County Master Planning Initiative as follows:
Consistent with the NCTCOG’s PowerPoint Presentation below, TAG’s position is that the Planning Initiative should:
focus solely upon roads, water, sewer, and storm water;
be coordinated and directed by representatives of ALL of the entities with land use development authority, and who have land impacted by the Plan, on all oversight committees or similar bodies that will make decisions that will impact the cities and/or land within their jurisdictions;
include, without change, previously adopted comprehensive plans whether initiated by Cities or landowners, developers, business owners, etc. (including Master Water Plans, Master Wastewater Plans, Master Thoroughfare Plans, Master Storm Water Drainage Plans, and Future Land Use Plans) and zoning of all of the cities;
exclude model codes and zoning and development standards, which are or become, pre-qualifiers or conditions to receiving funding for infrastructure improvements from the NCTCOG or any other committee/body which might otherwise be created as a result of this initiative;
The Initiative should also:
include the entire 234,000 acre ULI study area, including ALL of the cities south of I-20 to the East, West, and S. Dallas County line and include representatives of ALL of these cities in the coordination and direction referenced in Item 2 in the preceding paragraph;
be adopted through the standard NCTCOG process, (i.e., it comes before the STTC and the RTC, and then the Interlocal agreements are sent to the city councils allowing each city with land in the jurisdiction of the Plan to be a party to the process so that the process is open and transparent); and
be adopted under circumstances where there are several town hall meetings PRIOR to final consideration of the Planning Initiative by the RTC so that the public has continuous input.
Any committee created should solely function in an advisory capacity, and should have no power or authority over any of the participants’ jurisdictions.
This position is compatible with the North Central Texas Council of Governments S. Dallas County Master Plan proposal which was presented to the S. Dallas County cities on June 16, 2009 at a meeting hosted by the City of Lancaster (please see below), and TAG supports the concept of the proposal presented by the NCTCOG to the cities consistent with the bullet points above.
