The Plano Chamber of Commerce, The Plano Independent School District, and the City of Plano joined Plano Mayor John Muns to deliver its annual meeting and State of the City address for 2022. During the mayor's State of the City, address, Muns spent considerable space discussing Plano construction.
“In this budget year, we have dedicated $286 million to infrastructure-related projects, along with another $14.9 million in ARPA funds,” said Muns.
(To see the rest of our coverage of the Plano Chamber's State of the City 2022 meeting, click here)
The virtual meeting then shifted over to Director of Public Works, Dan Prendergast, and Director of Engineering, Caleb Thornhill to further discuss the most imminent infrastructure and construction projects.
Kicking off the upcoming Plano construction projects, a roadway expansion is coming to Shiloh Road (from East Park Blvd. to 14th St), installing bike lanes as well as a bridge replacement.
“Shiloh road is the on of the east side of town. We’re widening it from a two lane to a four lane project, or roadway," Thornhill said. "We’ve got a big bridge that’s going to be in there. We’ve got a hike and bike trail. We’ve got bike lanes, of course it’s up near the dog park up there, so it’s one of our larger projects.”
Thornhill brought attention to the improvements and reconstruction of Parker Road from Custer Road to Roundrock Trail coming in the summer of 2022.
One of the most significant projects in Plano is the renovation and replacement of Collin Creek Mall, in the corner of 75 and Bush Turnpike. The developments will include a residential urban village, multiple single and family unit housing, senior living, entertainment, a hotel, retail stores and office space.
“This is definitely a gateway to Plano," Peter Braster, Director of Special Projects, said. "It is a really important corner for the city. It really does kick off the 75 corridor through East Plano and what we really see is the catalyst to develop and re-imagine the whole corridor of 75…. The city was very involved in both the design process and the financing of it. A lot of cities across America have these malls that are dying or dead in them and Plano was one of the few who could successfully get it out of the ground and redeveloped.”
Thornhill also briefly mentioned the building of underground tunnels.
“At Collin Creek, we’re going to be lining those culverts," Thornhill said. "We’ve got just over a mile and a half of tunnels that we’ll be lining and we started that last summer, the summer of ’21. We’ll probably be done with it in the fall or winter of 2022.”
Muns also briefly mentioned the redevelopment of Plano Market Square Mall, which is “guided by the Oak Point Special Use Plan."
According to the Triten Real Estate Partners' website, the former 80’s mall will turn into a new park named, “Assembly Park” which will include a dog park, a stage for entertainment, feature office space, apartments, townhouses, retail stores and restaurants.
The new park will also feature live music, movie screenings, farmers markets, as well as outdoor fitness classes. There will also be new bike paths that connect over to the Oak Point Nature Preserve.
Finally, Muns confirmed that he plans on continuing to work with last year’s Plano Comprehensive Plan of 2021.
The Plano Comprehensive Plan of 2021 includes 5 pillars: built environment, social environment, natural environment, economic environment and regionalism.
“The city is also focused on strategic redevelopment opportunities," Muns said. "After nearly two years of collaborative work by residents and City staff, City Council unanimously adopted a new Comprehensive Plan, (the Plano Comprehensive Plan of 2021). This plan will guide our community as we seek the best opportunities to revitalize aging properties, re-energize neighborhoods and make wise decisions regarding our limited open space."
The plan is available online with a glossary and summary to help citizens understand the plan (according to Christina Day, Director of Planning, City of Plano).
