From horse-drawn wagons to the Telecom Corridor: Richardson celebrates 150th anniversary
Richardson is planning a variety of city events over the first six months of 2023 in honor of its 150-year anniversary. According to city officials, Richardson was chartered on June 26, 1873, as a railroad community.
Learning from its 50th and 100th anniversaries, the city has planned numerous ways of honoring the occasion.
Richardson residents to vote on $46M bond referendum to fund new city hall
Richardson residents will vote on whether to approve funding that would contribute to the construction of a new city hall in the May 6, 2023, general election.
Updating city hall with modern amenities has been a city goal since 2020. A $22.4 million renovation project for city hall was authorized by voters as part of the 2021 bond election to enhance the building. It included restroom renovations and second-floor office improvements.
STAAR test redesign top of mind for Richardson ISD, Plano ISD
Richardson ISD and Plano ISD officials are preparing teachers and students for a major revision to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness ahead of the spring testing window from April 18-May 9, 2023.
STAAR scores are one of several tools used by the Texas Education Agency as a way to measure student success and as a means to evaluate local school districts’ effectiveness.
Richardson's semiconductor industry aiming for growth in 2023
Among the many technology businesses in Richardson, the semiconductor industry is set for continued growth that officials said will benefit the city through national security initiatives and keeping residents’ property tax bills lower.
The industry’s growth has greatly benefited Richardson’s tech-friendly business ecosystem, which has been defined by the rise in semiconductor production, Mayor Paul Voelker said.
Richardson ISD facing $15M budgetary deficit
Richardson ISD officials are working through a budget deficit of around $15 million for fiscal year 2022-23 as they face another deficit for FY 2023-24.
To improve its financial situation, RISD officials are exploring several potential solutions, including increasing student enrollment by allowing more students outside the district to register, advocating for more state funding and trimming costs, both by removing positions and potentially cutting programs throughout the district.
Methodist Richardson continues $46M expansion effort
Richardson and its surrounding cities are growing, and the regional hospital that serves those communities is expanding alongside them.
At the end of June 2023, Methodist Richardson Medical Center will wrap up the first phase of a $46 million expansion effort aimed at increasing the capacity of its emergency department.
Richardson ISD opens student-run bank to boost financial literacy
Area residents can now take care of their personal finances while helping the next generation learn financial literacy at a new bank staffed by Richardson ISD students.
In partnership with Dallas-based Credit Union of Texas, the district opened a fully functioning bank branch on the Lloyd V. Berkner High School and STEM Academy campus Sept. 12. The partnership is designed to bring more financial services to the community and help give students the knowledge and skills they’ll need for success after graduation. It will also add to the campus’s in-house STEM Academy that focuses on science, technology, engineering and math education.
New 36-acre development to bring more housing, amenities to Richardson
Plans are underway for a new 36-acre mixed-use development near The University of Texas at Dallas campus to add more housing and amenities to the area.
Richardson City Council approved a zoning change Sept. 11, allowing the university and real estate development firm Wolverine Interests to begin work on the project ahead of Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s upcoming Silver Line project.
$11.6 million approved for Richardson water pressure zone project
The final phase of a project aimed at increasing water pressure in Richardson to help accommodate future growth in the western portions of the city is set to move forward.
Richardson City Council approved a gross maximum price of around $11.6 million for landscaping, North Texas Municipal Water District waterline modifications and pump station building necessities for its Water Pressure Zone 825 during its Sept. 11 meeting.
New opportunities fuel growth at Collin College
As Collin County’s population has boomed in recent years, Collin College’s enrollment has followed suit.
The school rebounded from an enrollment dip in 2020, and its student body increased 8% heading into the 2023 fall semester. As much of higher education was “hit very hard” by the pandemic, Abe Johnson, Collin College senior vice president of campus operations, said Collin College has expanded over the last three years, opening new campuses, launching programs and expanding dual enrollment opportunities for local high school students.
