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 DIGGING
IN
Members of the Farmers Branch City Council and City Staff turn
dirt to open work on the Farmers Branch Station for the DART Rail
Green Line.
(From
left) DART Board Chairman Mark Enoch, DART President and Executive
Director Gary Thomas, Farmers Branch City Manager Gary Greer,
Mayor Bob Phelps,
Councilman David Koch, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Ben Robinson, Mayor
Pro Tem Tim O'Hare, Councilman Tim Scott, Councilman Jim Smith,
Assistant City Manager Mary Jane Stevenson, Assistant City Manager
Greg Vick (City staff photo by John Campbell)
Groundbreaking puts FB
Station on track
Years of careful consideration, study and
deliberate planning came to fruition as officials of the City
of Farmers Branch and Dallas Area Rapid Transit dug shovels into
soft earth to celebrate the beginning of work on the Farmers
Branch Station that will see DART Light Rail on the Green Line by
2010.
In his comments, Farmers Branch Mayor Bob
Phelps said that this "great day for Farmers Branch" was
due to the hard work, careful planning and extreme diligence of
scores of people dating back more than 20 years.
"Having been a community founded on the
railroads of the 19th century," he said, "it is ironic
that we once again look to the railways as the catalyst for growth
and development in this area that will further solidify Farmers
Branch as a powerful economic, employment and transportation
center for North Texas."
The event also featured remarks by DART Board
Chairman Mark Enoch and DART President and Executive Director Gary
Thomas, as well as a video presentation produced by Farmers Branch
Television, envisioning what the future Farmers Branch station
could look like. That video, "The Dream is Coming," is
currently playing on FBTV, Farmers Branch Television (cable
channel 16 in Farmers Branch) and or by clicking
here.
A NEW DOWNTOWN
Farmers Branch is creating a new downtown
a special place that will be unique a place that will be a
highly desirable neighborhood in which to live, work and play.
This new heart of the City will embrace a community vision to
create attractive parks, plazas and City streets in a vital and
vibrant transit-oriented neighborhood.
The Farmers Branch Station vision of a robust town center includes
a healthy mix of civic, recreational, commercial and residential
activities; urban apartments and townhouses, upper-story office
and ground floor retail shops, restaurants and services all
within convenient walking distance of the DART Light Rail Station.
Other key features of the vision involve the
transformation of Valley View Lane into an iconic main street,
accommodating on-street parking, framed by pedestrian colonnades;
a public plaza situate adjacent to the DART Light Rail Station and
near City Hall; and enhanced access to the expansive greenbelt
park system that links the community.
With the arrival of DART Light Rail service
in December of 2010, the new downtown Farmers Branch will become a
distinctive destination along the DART Green Line.
PLANNING
Having embraced the exciting vision for the
new downtown around the DART Light Rail Station, the City of
Farmers Branch is committed to seeing that vision become a
reality:
- Public
Improvements The City has invested more than $20
million in public improvements in the area, including City
Hall, the Dr Pepper StarCenter and Conference Center,
extensive parks, trail systems and recreational amenities,
along with major utility upgrades.
- Funding
A Tax Increment Financing District has been
established for the Farmers Branch station neighborhood. Up to
$1.5 million is now available for additional public
improvements.
- Land
The City has acquired more than 15 acres of land, in
proximity to the DART Light Rail Station site, that are now
available for development.
- Policies
A special urban development or form-based code
is already in place to facilitate the development process.
- Incentives
Depending upon the type and scale of projects
developed, there are other economic development incentives
potentially available.
COMMUNITY
Historical, yet progressive, Farmers Branch
is a community that prides itself on its deep Texas roots, while keeping
its gaze determinedly fixed on the future. The Citys central
Metroplex location, on Dallas northwestern border, makes it
easily accessible from anywhere in the region.
Farmers Branch is less than 15 minutes away
from three vital airports and is served by Interstate highways 35E
and 635, the Dallas North Tollway and the President George Bush
Turnpike. Hundreds of points of interest are an easy jump from
Farmers Branch, including major league sporting venues, theaters,
museums, restaurants, world-class shopping and amusement parks.
Today, Farmers Branch is home to
approximately 28,500 residents and a daytime population of more
than 91,000 business professionals and students. With a
diversified economic base, Farmers Branch plays a major role in
the dynamic commercial, high-tech and financial center of north
Dallas. Farmers Branch is a key component of the area economy as
it is home to more than three world headquarters, 65 corporate
headquarters, 24 Fortune 500 corporations and 2,500 small and
mid-size firms.
The coming of DART Light Rail to the new
Farmers Branch station area will further the reputation of Farmers
Branch as the premier location in north Texas to live, work and
play.
>
WATCH FBTV'S
PRODUCTION OF "THE DREAM IS COMING"
>
FBSTATION.COM
>
DART
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