CTroyMathis
21 March 2004, 09:23 PM
There was also some article online in The News...
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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0 xmlns:msxsl="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:xslt" xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/XSL/Format/1.0" xmlns:user="mynamespace"><TBODY><TR><TD>Major new entertainment district planned
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=center><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 hi="1"><TBODY><TR><TD>http://www.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#396ca5 height=2>http://www.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD>http://www.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>BY JASON HEID , STAFF WRITER </TD><TD align=right>03/21/2004</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 hi="1"><TBODY><TR><TD>http://www.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#396ca5 height=2>http://www.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD>http://www.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11110652&BRD=1426&PAG=461&dept_id=528208&rfi=6
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0 xmlns:msxsl="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:xslt" xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/XSL/Format/1.0" xmlns:user="mynamespace"><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>ALLEN -- A lake, an amphitheater, a park and a host of tree-lined streets painted a pretty picture for the Allen City Council as it looked at a more detailed plan for a proposed entertainment district.
Council members had a chance to discuss the latest plans for the regional destination point along State Highway 121 at Tuesday's council meeting. And, in general, they liked what they saw.
Blue Star Land Co. is asking the council to change zoning on about 529 acres north of Stacy Road and south of SH 121, between the planned extensions of Watters Road and Chelsea Boulevard.
Negotiations have been going on for months, between Blue Star, city staff, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council.
Blue Star wants to put hundreds of single-family homes on the south end of the property, something council members said early on they were reluctant to allow, unless some sort of destination entertainment district was included in the project.
Mike Rubin of MRA International was recently hired by Blue Star to help design the entertainment portion of the project, along SH 121. He told the council that Blue Star is striving to create a unique attraction for Allen, something different than a mall development, such as that around Stonebriar Centre in Frisco.
"There are two goals they've undertaken in this project. The first is to create a regional destination, and the second is to create a gathering place for the citizens of Allen," Rubin said.
To do that, he said, it will be important for the project to create a distinct sense of place, making it an area unlike any other in the Metroplex.
"This is really beyond retail; it's place-making," Rubin said.
The plan for the area along SH 121, which Blue Star is now asking to have zoned as a planned development commercial corridor, features a small lake, amphitheatre, hotel, conference center, a boat house and waterside pavilion, as well as retail stores, a cinema, and restaurants, integrated into a park setting.
The eastern edge of the commercial corridor would feature office complexes, and the tree-lined streets and hike and bike trails would extend south into residential areas. The area east of the homes, adjacent to Allen Premium Outlets, would be zoned for shopping center purposes.
David Hoover, city director of planning, stressed that these ideas are concept plans, and that Blue Star will be unable to secure users for the commercial area until the zoning has been changed.
Rubin said there are relatively few projects in the country like the one Blue Star is proposing. He told the council that, of about 30 similar projects, all involved partnerships between the private and public sectors.
Many of the park amenities in the project could be owned by or supported by city money. Hoover said this possibility has been discussed, but not in detail about for what the city might foot the bill.
"There could be some very attractive amenities that could go in there that could be very attractive from the city standpoint," he said.
But before any of those specifics can be discussed, Blue Star will have to have a better idea of what will develop there.
Many questions posed by council members after Blue Star's presentation centered on the probability of the area developing as the concept plan describes.
"I don't know if there's a market here for this yet," Councilman Mark Pacheco said.
Jud Heflin, one of Blue Star's representatives, said the company will only be able to find out what it can put on the land after it has the zoning in place to begin marketing the project.
"The timing is now to market the corridor to see if we can bring to fruition what we think we can bring to fruition," he said.
Heflin said Blue Star sees great potential along SH 121.
"I've been watching the 121 corridor for a lot of years, and it's growing by leaps and bounds," he said.
Several council members expressed their approval of the plans, but continued to look for assurances that the commercial corridor is a viable project. The council doesn't want to allow the change to residential zoning in the southern portion of the parcel without the regional destination to the north.
"If you open up a residential can of worms, there may be other entities come in wanting to do the same thing," Councilman Jeff McGregor said.
Council members directed the city staff to clarify what the future plans are for undeveloped areas surrounding the 529 acres. Blue Star is asking for the northeastern portion of the property to remain agricultural zoning, with an eye towards later development offices or a hotel and conference center there.
The council also wants the Allen Independent School District involved in the discussion. Since the change in zoning could add hundreds of homes to the city's long-term plans, council members said they want a letter from AISD officials addressing the anticipated impact on the schools.
Tuesday's meeting was designed to gather council input before the zoning request is considered in a public hearing by the P&Z next Tuesday. If the P&Z and the council approve the changes, Blue Star will be required to report back to the city with more detailed site plans in six months.
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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0 xmlns:msxsl="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:xslt" xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/XSL/Format/1.0" xmlns:user="mynamespace"><TBODY><TR><TD>Major new entertainment district planned
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=center><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 hi="1"><TBODY><TR><TD>http://www.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#396ca5 height=2>http://www.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD>http://www.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>BY JASON HEID , STAFF WRITER </TD><TD align=right>03/21/2004</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 hi="1"><TBODY><TR><TD>http://www.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#396ca5 height=2>http://www.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD>http://www.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11110652&BRD=1426&PAG=461&dept_id=528208&rfi=6
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0 xmlns:msxsl="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:xslt" xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/XSL/Format/1.0" xmlns:user="mynamespace"><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>ALLEN -- A lake, an amphitheater, a park and a host of tree-lined streets painted a pretty picture for the Allen City Council as it looked at a more detailed plan for a proposed entertainment district.
Council members had a chance to discuss the latest plans for the regional destination point along State Highway 121 at Tuesday's council meeting. And, in general, they liked what they saw.
Blue Star Land Co. is asking the council to change zoning on about 529 acres north of Stacy Road and south of SH 121, between the planned extensions of Watters Road and Chelsea Boulevard.
Negotiations have been going on for months, between Blue Star, city staff, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council.
Blue Star wants to put hundreds of single-family homes on the south end of the property, something council members said early on they were reluctant to allow, unless some sort of destination entertainment district was included in the project.
Mike Rubin of MRA International was recently hired by Blue Star to help design the entertainment portion of the project, along SH 121. He told the council that Blue Star is striving to create a unique attraction for Allen, something different than a mall development, such as that around Stonebriar Centre in Frisco.
"There are two goals they've undertaken in this project. The first is to create a regional destination, and the second is to create a gathering place for the citizens of Allen," Rubin said.
To do that, he said, it will be important for the project to create a distinct sense of place, making it an area unlike any other in the Metroplex.
"This is really beyond retail; it's place-making," Rubin said.
The plan for the area along SH 121, which Blue Star is now asking to have zoned as a planned development commercial corridor, features a small lake, amphitheatre, hotel, conference center, a boat house and waterside pavilion, as well as retail stores, a cinema, and restaurants, integrated into a park setting.
The eastern edge of the commercial corridor would feature office complexes, and the tree-lined streets and hike and bike trails would extend south into residential areas. The area east of the homes, adjacent to Allen Premium Outlets, would be zoned for shopping center purposes.
David Hoover, city director of planning, stressed that these ideas are concept plans, and that Blue Star will be unable to secure users for the commercial area until the zoning has been changed.
Rubin said there are relatively few projects in the country like the one Blue Star is proposing. He told the council that, of about 30 similar projects, all involved partnerships between the private and public sectors.
Many of the park amenities in the project could be owned by or supported by city money. Hoover said this possibility has been discussed, but not in detail about for what the city might foot the bill.
"There could be some very attractive amenities that could go in there that could be very attractive from the city standpoint," he said.
But before any of those specifics can be discussed, Blue Star will have to have a better idea of what will develop there.
Many questions posed by council members after Blue Star's presentation centered on the probability of the area developing as the concept plan describes.
"I don't know if there's a market here for this yet," Councilman Mark Pacheco said.
Jud Heflin, one of Blue Star's representatives, said the company will only be able to find out what it can put on the land after it has the zoning in place to begin marketing the project.
"The timing is now to market the corridor to see if we can bring to fruition what we think we can bring to fruition," he said.
Heflin said Blue Star sees great potential along SH 121.
"I've been watching the 121 corridor for a lot of years, and it's growing by leaps and bounds," he said.
Several council members expressed their approval of the plans, but continued to look for assurances that the commercial corridor is a viable project. The council doesn't want to allow the change to residential zoning in the southern portion of the parcel without the regional destination to the north.
"If you open up a residential can of worms, there may be other entities come in wanting to do the same thing," Councilman Jeff McGregor said.
Council members directed the city staff to clarify what the future plans are for undeveloped areas surrounding the 529 acres. Blue Star is asking for the northeastern portion of the property to remain agricultural zoning, with an eye towards later development offices or a hotel and conference center there.
The council also wants the Allen Independent School District involved in the discussion. Since the change in zoning could add hundreds of homes to the city's long-term plans, council members said they want a letter from AISD officials addressing the anticipated impact on the schools.
Tuesday's meeting was designed to gather council input before the zoning request is considered in a public hearing by the P&Z next Tuesday. If the P&Z and the council approve the changes, Blue Star will be required to report back to the city with more detailed site plans in six months.
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