Silver Line Community Design Plan Consultant Contract Increased

Major items approved during the Nov. 7 City Council Meeting were:

Cotton Belt Regional Trail

The City of Plano and the North Central Texas Council of Governments have entered into an interlocal agreement for the Cotton Belt Regional Trail. This trail is parallel with Dallas Area Rapid Transit's Silver Line, a 26-mile commuter rail line. The trail improvements will be from the President George Bush Turnpike to Shiloh Road and include at-grade trail segments, signals, crossings and bicycle/pedestrian bridges at Plano Parkway and Jupiter Road. The City of Plano is required to provide a local match of $1.7 million and will receive $23,935,329 in constructed Cotton Belt Regional Trail improvements through the grant programs administered by the NCTCOG.

Silver Line Station Area Plan and the Community Design Plan

The $90,000 design consulting services contract was approved to almost double the amount of the contract for this community-supported design plan. To create the best plan, we need residents to participate in the process. This extra investment focuses on community outreach efforts that include small group meetings, larger public meetings and visioning sessions. Residents and property owners will be invited to provide input to develop a community consensus for community-supported design standards, development of illustrations and design concepts for the plan.

Public Works Facility Master Plan

This $542,000 plan focuses on the Public Works Service Complex that includes construction yard, storage areas, the Gerald P. Cosgrove Operations Building, the Fleet Services Building, Warehouse, Parkway Parks Maintenance Facility and the Environmental Education Center. The Gerald P. Cosgrove Operations Building has not had any major renovations since it was originally constructed in 1992.

Part of the approved 2021 Bond Referendum included minor renovations to Operations and Fleet buildings. Before those projects happen, we are performing a needs-based evaluation of the existing facilities to determine the proper amount of yard space, office space, bay space and workshop space needed for the future. The evaluation considers other potential elements such as areas dedicated to: landscape/yard debris operations, training space and the potential for additional in-house work. The proposed master plan includes a full analysis of the existing buildings to identify the most cost-effective implementation of improvements. The plan may show a need to acquire additional property if the existing property cannot adequately support the long-term functions of the City. The master plan is anticipated to develop a phased approach to consider the best use of funds.

Residential Concrete Pavement Repair Zone L8 North

Bound by Hedgcoxe Road, Alma Drive, Prescott Drive and Mullins Drive to Baxter Drive, this is a $4.4 million project. Neighbors will see repairs to 23,500 square yards of residential concrete street and alley, 138,000 square feet of sidewalk and 183 barrier free ramps.

The next regular City Council meeting is Monday, Nov. 27 at 7 pm. The agenda becomes available after 5 pm on the Wednesday leading up to the meeting. Watch the meeting live on Facebook, YouTube or PlanoTV.org. 

Find City Council agendas online at Plano.gov/Agenda. 

Original source can be found here.