The Ledger: Comprehensive Plan - Public Open House - November 18, 2020
THE LEDGER
Meeting Entity: City of Fate
Meeting Type: Public Open House
Date: November 18, 2020
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Fate City Hall
Source: Archived video — Nov 18, 2020 Public Open House – Fate, TX
Attendance
Members Present: N/A
Members Absent: N/A
Staff Present:
- Justin Weiss, Assistant City Manager
Consultants / Presenters:
- Brennan Kane, Half & Associates
- Joe Minicozzi, Urban3
Agenda Items Addressed
No formal agenda items were listed for the public open house.
Summary of Proceedings
The meeting served as an introductory public open house for the City of Fate Comprehensive Plan update.
Assistant City Manager Justin Weiss opened the meeting, welcoming in-person and online attendees. He referenced the website forwardfate.com as a public resource for information related to the Comprehensive Plan process. Weiss stated that the Comprehensive Plan would be developed over approximately one year and involve multiple public meetings. He noted the City’s population growth from approximately 600 residents in 2000 to approximately 19,000 residents in 2020. Weiss stated that, once adopted, the Comprehensive Plan would serve as a guiding policy document for decisions made by City Council, boards, commissions, and staff.
Weiss introduced Brennan Kane of Half & Associates, the consulting firm retained by the City to prepare the Comprehensive Plan.
Brennan Kane outlined the scope and process of the Comprehensive Plan. He described the plan as a policy document intended to guide the City’s strategic growth and noted that comprehensive plans are typically updated every five to ten years. Kane stated that the plan would be developed with public input and, once adopted, could lead to updates to zoning and development ordinances as well as alignment of capital improvement planning and budgeting.
Kane identified key components of the Comprehensive Plan to be addressed, including land use, community facilities, transportation, natural resources, economic development, housing diversity, and fiscal responsibility. Fiscal responsibility was described as including managed incremental growth, long-term affordability of infrastructure, avoidance of debt for maintaining existing infrastructure, economic diversity, and community resiliency.
Kane stated that Half & Associates would be supported by additional consultants, including Urban3, to provide fiscal analysis and modeling related to land use and development patterns. He also stated that Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns would serve as a strategic advisor and assist in developing a fiscal checklist to evaluate planning decisions.
Kane outlined a phased process for the Comprehensive Plan, beginning with project initiation and public engagement, followed by vision development and fiscal analysis. He identified focus areas to be examined during the planning process, including downtown Fate, the FM 551 and Interstate 30 interchange, the Interstate 30 corridor, and the development of the City’s overall character and identity. Kane also stated that a Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee had been created by City Council, consisting of approximately sixteen members, including business leaders, council members, and residents.
Joe Minicozzi of Urban3 delivered a brief presentation on fiscal modeling and land use analysis. He described the use of three-dimensional fiscal modeling to evaluate the economic productivity of land uses on a per-acre basis. Examples from multiple cities were referenced to illustrate how different development patterns affect municipal revenue and long-term fiscal sustainability. Minicozzi stated that the purpose of the modeling was to assess the financial impact of land use decisions in order to inform policy choices.
Following the presentations, Kane introduced Kendall Howard, who explained that multiple stations were available for attendees to review materials and provide input. The stations addressed topics including existing conditions, community character, transportation, housing and neighborhoods, economic development, parks and natural environment, fiscal responsibility, and plan goals and guiding principles. Attendees were encouraged to participate at the stations and to complete surveys available through the forwardfate.com website.
The video concluded with attendees breaking into stations to review materials and provide input.
Actions Taken
No formal action was taken.
Public Comment
No public comment was offered.
Documents & Materials Referenced
- ForwardFate.com website
- Comprehensive Plan presentation materials
- Fiscal modeling examples presented by Urban3
Record Note
This Ledger entry records the publicly observable proceedings of the meeting listed above. It does not offer analysis or commentary.