City Of Richardson September City Council Minutes
MAIN STREET PROJECT UPDATE – Don Magner, Deputy City Manager
• The Main Street Infrastructure Project is a major component which serves as a catalyst for potential new public and private development
• Both Polk Street and McKinney Street have the potential to be considered for future bond programs to continue the reinvestment of the area
• Interurban and Greer will be improved along with the private development with the CORE at Gateway project. These improvements will complement the other improvements completed with the Main Street Infrastructure Project
• The ultimate goal is to have Main Street be a boulevard type area with unique tree canopies which will be different than traditional square-type downtown areas
• The new McKinney Street will serve as the predominate north / south pedestrian crossing. Future projects could include an open space plaza area between Texas Street and Interurban Street
• There are three major segments which encompass the Main Street Infrastructure Project: o The first segment is the area between Main Street to US Highway 75 § This south side of Main Street in this area will include special amenity zones which will be completed by the CORE developer
•Main Street and Interurban Street have a new dedicated left lane turn along with two through lanes which makes the traffic flow more efficiently
• A paint strategy will be utilized to dedicate a left turn lane along eastbound Main Street at Texas Street. Property owners in the downtown area felt this was an important element to allow customers easy access to public parking on the north side of Main Street
• There is a newly constructed 60-inch culvert on the north side of Main Street just immediately west of Texas Street. The culvert travels south through Main Street and changes size several times as it moves south. This culvert finishes all drainage infrastructure for the entire project area
• The second segment of the project is Texas Street to Greenville Avenue along Main Street: § This is the largest section of the project
• The intersection at Main Street and Greenville Avenue was moved 18 feet to the north to address previous alignment issues. The intersection will now include dedicated left and right turn lanes along with two through lanes
• The new construction will make it easier for pedestrians to traverse the area
• The reconstruction of the alley between the two Jasmine Café’s provides a unique space that can potentially be utilized for special events in the future
• The area includes planting channels for future trees. The channels are three feet deep and six feet wide and are designed so that the root systems of trees will grow east and west rather than north and south
• The trees in this area will be Autumn Blaze Maples which have been growing for two years at a tree farm outside of Fort Worth. The trees have been groomed so that they are currently growing upwards. The trees are planted in the order and direction that they will be installed along Main Street to minimize the stress when planted
• The trees in the medians along Main Street will be Mexican Sycamores which are also currently being groomed to provide a high canopy to compliment the maples. There are 8-10 different types of trees that will be used in the Main Street Project
• The intersection at Main Street and McKinney Street has been constructed to meet all needed ADA and pedestrian improvements. This area will be a perfect opportunity for future phases of improvements
• The last segment of the project is along Main Street from Greenville Avenue to Abrams Road § Complete reconstruction of the Greenville Avenue intersection will include dedicated right turn lanes.
• A new traffic signal will be added at Main Street and Abrams to allow for safe passage in and out of the Public Safety Campus
•The northeast corner of Main Street and Greenville Avenue will include the new art piece, Rising Star. The piece will be complemented by a canopy of trees as a backdrop and the Public Safety Campus will continue to be visible
• The northwest corner of Main Street and Greenville Avenue will include 12 large trees, four benches, and a water sculpture which will work together to create a place to encourage people to gather
• The Public Safety Campus should be complete in October
• Traffic along Main Street will switch again in November to allow for work to continue at the Greenville Avenue and Main Street intersection
• The goal is to have the project mostly completed by March of 2021 and the contractor fully demobilized by May of 2021
• You can obtain more information and sign up to receive updates about the Main Street Infrastructure project at www.cor.net/mainstreet. You can also find up-to-date information on Facebook @richardsonredevelopment
MATCHING FUND BEAUTIFICATION PROGRAM – Shohn Rogers, Parks Superintendent
• Matching Fund Beautification was created in 1972. Since the inception over 400 medians and parkways have been professionally landscaped
• The program is open to citizens, businesses, homeowner and neighborhood associations, and civic groups which may be interested in beautifying public lands
• The program splits construction costs 50/50 between the City of Richardson and the partnering organization
• Applications for the program are available on the City’s website and are due by March 1st of every year so that they may be considered during the budgeting process. Approved projects begin on October 1 of the same year of application
• Professional City staff members work closely with partnering organizations on projects and the staff oversees the project throughout construction
• Partnering organizations are invoiced for projects upon completion
• Types of improvements include beautification of medians, parkways, and parks. In the past several years a number of butterfly gardens have been installed
• More information about the program can be obtained by contacting Shohn Rodgers at shohn.rodgers@cor.gov or 972-744-4306
CITY MANAGER UPDATE – Dan Johnson, City Manager
• The City Council approved the fiscal year 2020-2021 budget on August 24. The budget’s development was heavily influenced by COVID-19. It includes no change to the tax rate, a decrease of 0.6% from the previous years estimated expenditures, and maintains the senior tax exemption at $100,000
• North Texas has provided shelter for more than 6,000 evacuees from Louisiana and East Texas in response to Hurricane Laura o 1,000 evacuees were sheltered in Richardson shortly after the storm and over 400 are still sheltered in the area
• City staff from many departments have put in hours to address housing, transportation, medical, accessibility, and other needs
• Costs of services provided are covered by the state emergency management funds
• September is the “Spread the Hope” peanut butter drive. The goal is to collect 220,000 pounds of peanut butter to benefit local food banks o The Network of Community Ministries is a recipient of peanut butter donations which can be made at www.amazon.com/pbdrive or delivered to 741 S. Sherman Street during normal business hours
• North Texas Giving Day is September 17th and is sponsored by the Communities Foundation of Texas; several Richardson non-profits participate in this fundraising event
• National Night Out is scheduled for October 6 but will be formatted differently in response to COVID-19 o The Richardson Police Department is encouraging residents to hold personal picnics outside their homes, decorate their yards in patriotic themes, and turn on their porch lights in support of the Police
• The Richardson Police Department’s “Can Do” food drive benefits the Network of Community Ministries and will be held on September 19 and a pre-National Night Out event. o Canned goods can be dropped off from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM int eh south parking lot of City Hall
• The Fall Neighborhood Leadership Workshop will be held on October 20 beginning at 6:30 via Webex. Programming will focus on helping homeowner and neighborhood associations to remain relevant and engaged during COVID-19
• The next regularly scheduled Council – Presidents meeting will be Tuesday, November 17 at 8:00 AM via WebEx