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Farmers
Branch is Getting Smart
Trans Texas Alliance is a grassroots
network of individuals and organizations concerned with
transportation and its impact on urban, rural and
suburban communities. Their goal is to help Texans
envision and create a transportation system that
strengthens our communities and enhances our quality of
life. The following is what the Alliance said when
presenting the Growing Smart award to Farmers
Branch:
Smart Growth efforts at
the community level are often Characterized by where and
how to build rather than how the protect what is already
there. One small community in North Texas, The Dallas
suburb of Farmers Branch, is the exception.
When the City of Farmers
Branch announced a neighborhood renaissance program, it
focused on rebuilding infrastructure but also transforming
the built environment to reflect a new type of community
– one linked to transit where pedestrian activity would
play an important role. The renaissance program seeks to
revitalize an older neighborhood by encouraging
reinvestment by residents, lenders, developers and the
City. The renaissance program includes street, sidewalk,
water and sewer repairs by the City, low interest loans
provided by local banks, construction of seven new homes,
a tree planting program, and an opportunity to plan and
implement a variety of traffic calming measures.
Enter the City Traffic
Engineer… He relishes the challenge of transforming
Farmers Branch’s streets so that all road users feel
comfortable. He is actively working to minimize traffic
penetrating neighborhoods by using technology to maintain
smooth traffic flow on thoroughfares. Over the last two
years he completed the first phase of a traffic management
program involving state-of-the-art traffic control
systems, video surveillance, and freeway monitoring to
detect traffic diverting onto city streets because of
highway incidents.
Historic preservation
has also been part of the mix. The city’s original train
depot, built in 1877 on a rail line that linked Farmers
Branch to Dallas, has been restored and moved to the
city’s nearby Historic Park. The site of the original
depot will serve as the transit center for the DART light
rail line… The City has also been busy with the
development of a detailed station plan and purchase by the
City of land around the planned station. These activities
are designed to ensure that the light rail station is the
activity center of a mixed-use, transit-compatible
development that will encourage high ridership.
What distinguishes this
community’s approach to smart growth is its integrated
strategy to manage growth. Professionals are encouraged to
think “outside the box,” beyond the narrow range of
their professional training, and focus on the big picture
of liveability.
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