Local · Trusted · Free
The Morning Impact — your neighborhood's most important stories, delivered every morning.
Allen officials are planning to dive deeper into the 2045 Comprehensive Plan as they review the city’s land development code.
Community Development Director Haley Angel gave a presentation to council on the role of a comprehensive plan and the process for updating the Allen Land Development Code, or ALDC, during a special called July 23 workshop.
The big picture
The Allen 2045 Comprehensive Plan was adopted in April 2025 and serves as a guide for the city’s long-term growth, Angel said.
There are five categories covered in the city’s comprehensive plan including:
The ALDC, which regulates building construction, zoning, floodplains, parkland dedication, development standards and more, was most recently updated in 2000, according to Angel’s presentation.
“Back in 2000, we were a population of 43,000, and only 43% of our land was developed,” Angel said.
As Allen’s population growth starts to slow down and the city approaches build-out, it's time to reevaluate the city’s codes and how they serve the community, Angel said.
Diving deeper
Allen’s 2045 Comprehensive Plan contains 141 action items, and 16 of those could be addressed by an amendment to the ALDC, Angel said.
For example, the economic development section of the comprehensive plan states that one of the city’s goals is to to “reduce regulatory burden on small businesses and provide outreach to navigate the zoning and permitting processes,” according to Angel’s presentation.
One way of achieving this goal would be to update the ALDC, making it more user-friendly by adding graphics that clearly explain what requirements applicants need to meet for their zoning request to be recommended for approval. A code update process is highly technical and can take 18-24 months, according to Angel’s presentation.
Looking ahead
Angel said she will give another presentation and staff will continue this conversation at the city’s annual budget workshop this August.
