Frank Turner has been a proponent of downtown revitalization for years.[/caption]

Deputy City Manager Frank Turner began his civic career in Memphis, Tennessee, and was hired as Plano’s planning director in the mid-1980s. He became the deputy city manager 14 years later. Turner retires from the city Feb. 29 after 32 years with Plano.

Although his bachelor’s and master’s degrees are in sociology, Turner said his academic background complemented his role as a city planner. Most people think of city planners as people who do physical design work, but Turner said his love for human studies supported his study of urban economics and how cities grow. The planning profession primarily grew from people with backgrounds in landscape architecture, geography and sociology, he said.

Turner said he has seen Historic Downtown Plano grow during the past three decades, said he plans to continue advocating for the area as it settles into its new role as the city’s arts district.

How did your education in sociology help you as a city planner?

Today the vast majority of people who come to work in city planning have attended a university and have done graduate study in city planning. But the city-planning profession is really not that old of a profession. Lots of people came out of landscape architecture, geography [and] sociology fields. These disciplines produced the early city planners in America.

What was Plano like when you first came here as the city’s planning director?

There is some similarity between the time period of then and today. In the mid-80s this part of Texas was just booming, and residential growth was happening at a fast rate. Business development was coming into the area. Plano has always been the city that has looked ahead and it wanted to be a larger city and have a stronger urban presence and economic force in the region. It was a very pro-growth atmosphere. [But] there was a real concern that it was getting out of control. The [City] Council wasn’t sure they were on the right path and felt things were happening too fast, so [it] declared a moratorium on zoning in over half of the city and then extended [that] to the entire city. 

What did you take from that experience?

The thing that was really encouraging here was that, while it wasn’t without heated moments and different viewpoints, the community remained very progressive and future-oriented. The question was, ‘How do we make the community better and stronger?’

How important is it for Plano to stay ahead of future growth?

It’s of critical importance. I think communities that do not continue to evolve and grow, die. There is no simple way to just maintain the status quo. You have to be looking ahead because things change in the world around you, and you have to adapt, not only to that change but help lead the change in a way that will be beneficial to your community.

What noticeable changes have taken place in Plano as a result?

Our economy is a global economy and Plano is very much a global business center. It’s not just about selling groceries and clothes. That’s something that has certainly changed since I have been here. One of the beauties of [having] big companies [here] is that they have very energetic, well-trained workforces who have their own ideas. It’s a rich, intellectual environment that promotes an entrepreneurial class. I think that holds great promise for the future of Plano.

What is one of Plano’s greatest strengths?

The diversity of this region is really amazing. When I came to Plano it was about 90 percent Caucasian. The largest minority was African-American, and it was maybe 5 or 6 percent. Today the Caucasian population is less than 60 percent, and the largest minority is Asian. It is very inviting to people who come to here from outside of the country. They find it a very accepting place where they are likely find people who share values and customs that they bring with them.

What can residents do to make Plano what they want it to be?

Civic engagement. It is everybody’s responsibility for creating this vision of taking [Plano] forward. It’s not the City Council or the school board; it’s the whole community. Education, quality of life, the cost of living—all of these things are [also] very important for being able to attract and retain employees. Not just young employees but everyone going up in their career path. You have to work continuously to reinforce those opportunities and build a strong community.

What has been the most rewarding aspect as deputy city manager?

One of the fun things I’ve gotten to do ... is to work on the revitalization of downtown. I think it is really important to treasure the roots of the community and give it a new expression. People enjoy coming downtown, they identify with it and it gives [the city] a stronger sense of identity. It’s a bright day downtown; people are looking around all the time wondering, ‘What new can I do?’ It’s the fine-grain things. You see something new every time you are downtown.