Government
BY ADAM DOE & ALEX REECE
Plano to permanently close Water Street A portion of Water Street inside Plano’s Legacy West will close as part of a push for pedestri- an-friendly spaces in the mixed-use development. “With competition coming around us, it’s so imperative and important that we update and upgrade our facilities to match future demand,” said Rupesh Bhakta, chief operating officer for Prism Places, an operating partner for Legacy West Investors. Breaking it down Plano City Council members unanimously amended a portion of Legacy West’s development agreement and discussed the changes coming to the area, including the street closure, during an April 14 meeting. The amendments change allows for the closure of Water Street, a small side street between Win- drose Avenue and Communications Parkway, in order to build a platform stage, incorporate more pedestrian spaces, add signage and more. It also changes the open space requirements and signage development standards for a little over 275 acres. “Really our focus here is to drive people to stay
City to purchase more than $5.5M in vehicles Plano City Council approved the purchase of $5.6 million in new tractor trucks, ambu- lances and a pothole repair truck in April. Digging deeper Three of the five new tractor trucks are scheduled replacements, and the remaining two are preorders for the 2025-26 fiscal year. City Works uses the trucks to transport tree trimmings and yard debris to the 21 Regional Composting Facility, according to city documents. Council also approved roughly $4.4 million in new six ambulance chassis and 11 new ambulance bodies. The new pothole patcher truck is also a scheduled replacement.
Road closure
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longer,” said Jessica Clements, a principal and partner with the architectural firm Studio Outside. A total of 13 parking spaces will also be lost as part of bringing in the people spaces, Clements said. Turning Water Street into a pedestrian park is a part of a larger plan for the area similar to the plans for the former JCPenney site, Clements said. “To create a green spine where Water Street currently is we think will really amplify the area,” she said. “There are plenty of places for the car but there really are not plenty of places for the pedestrian.” The city received more than 20 comment letters related to the project , a majority of which were in opposition of the changes. No residents chose to speak during the public hearing for the item. Council to consider Chick- fil-A lot expansion A preliminary site plan for a Chick-fil-A parking lot expansion on the east side of Coit Road will head to Plano City Council following approval from an April 21 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. The gist The lot expansion is designed to improve the restaurant’s drive-thru service, according to Benjamin Garza, a civil engineer for Chick-fil-A. “We’re trying to improve Chick-fil-A’s customer service quality through the drive-thru lane and provide sufficient parking for tenants who come to visit the restaurant,” Garza said. Zooming in The expansion would net Chick-fil-A an additional 50 parking spaces, and create 17 more spaces for the shopping center at Coit Road and Spring Creek Parkway, bringing total parking in
Vehicle purchases
$900K
Ambulance bodies Tractor trucks Ambulance chassis Pothole repair truck
$5.6M total budget
$310K $350K
$4.1M
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Longhorn Park to see $2M renovation Longhorn Park on Robin Road will receive a new playground and improved amenities as part of a $2 million renovation approved by Plano City Council during its April 28 meeting. Other park improvements include a new irrigation system, improved lighting, new exercise equipment and updates for full Americans with Disabilities Act compli- ance. The city expects to begin construc- tion in late spring 2025 and complete in late summer 2026, according to a City Works representative.
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the area up to 327 parking spots, according to a presentation to the commission. The commission unanimously voted to approve
the expansion. Quote of note
“I have been in other municipalities, like Santa Barbara where they shut down the Chick-fil-A because it was causing too much traffic,” Commis- sioner Doug Bender said in the meeting. “I think it will improve the traffic flow.”
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