On Jan. 22, Director of Planning Richard Luedke and Planning Manager Michele Berry provided an update on the plan's progress during a work session prior to the City Council meeting.
The study that started in July looked at the 8.4-mile roadway that is owned and managed by the Texas Department of Transportation.
“This is a very important corridor for Lewisville, and it really traverses the heart of Lewisville, and it connects many residents and businesses within Lewisville and beyond,” Luedke said. “It also is a very important gateway. It's an eastern gateway, and it's also our southwestern gateway where the connections are made to Sam Rayburn Tollway. So it's really an opportunity for a first impression as visitors are entering Lewisville.”
A closer look
The project in Phase 1 looked at the corridor and identified issues seen by residents and business owners. Along the Business 121 corridor, the city had a half-mile buffer area on the roadway officials reviewed, which represents where people could get in a 10-minute walk.
Items identified during Phase 2—the listening period—were safety, beautification and economic development, Luedke said.
The next step would be working on phases three and four this spring and summer, presenting a plan to council in the spring with an eye toward implementing a plan in the fall.
Explained
Berry said the area is dominated by cars, and some of the areas reviewed included lane widths, number of lanes, median, setbacks and driveways. She noted ideally there would be 250 feet between driveways, but there are many areas where there is less space, which leads to traffic congestion and wrecks.
The study showed the roadway features multifamily residential housing, office space, retail and industrial warehouses.
Berry said the study showed the hotspot for wrecks at the Business 121 intersections are:
- Bellaire Boulevard
- Corporate Drive
- Mill Street
- Southwest Parkway
- Valley Ridge Boulevard
Also of note
The listening tour resulted in seven main topics that were gathered from business owners, residents and those in private and nonprofit sectors.
The four main takeaways were:
- Improving the appearance of the buildings along the corridor
- Making it easier and safer to walk
- Supporting businesses and economic growth
- Making it faster and safer to drive a vehicle
“We find that Business 121 is a gateway into Lewisville, but it doesn’t necessarily feel like it,” Berry said. “This is the only impression that they have of Lewisville is driving this corridor. It’s the first impression, and it doesn’t really tell our full story as a community. The connections to Old Town [Lewisville] is hidden away, and nobody knows that when they drive Business 121 that they are just a hop and skip from Old Town, and that’s a really cool place to be. ... You have no idea that’s back there on the corridor.”
