Study Background

In January 2009, the City Council adopted a new Comprehensive Plan, which identified six “Enhancement/Redevelopment” zones. The feeling of City officials was that the true redevelopment potential of these areas could not be determined without specific, detailed study. The Main Street area and the Central Expressway Corridor are two of the target redevelopment zones.

Both reflect many of the challenges facing first-tier suburbs: aging development and infrastructure; properties that are underperforming due to changes in market conditions, technology and building format; and evolving demographics. The Main Street area includes the historical downtown of Richardson. Central Expressway is a freeway-oriented commercial corridor with a variety of uses. In an effort to achieve the City Council’s goal of completing the Main Street and the Central Corridor studies in the most expeditious manner, the two are being combined into a single study area.

Several past studies have examined this corridor and nearby areas. These include:

• The West Spring Valley Corridor Reinvestment Strategy is the first Enhancement/Redevelopment study to be completed. The results of this two-phase study effort are the West Spring Valley Corridor Reinvestment Strategy Report and the West Spring Valley Corridor PD Regulations.
• The Spring Valley Station District is Richardson's City-initiated transit-oriented development zone. The Spring Valley Station District Interface Design Guidelines apply to the area which is on the south side of Spring Valley Road, just outside the boundaries of the District.
• The US 75 Amenities Guidelines are urban design standards that have been implemented since their adoption in 1989 as properties in the US 75/Central Expressway corridor have developed or redeveloped.
• The Spring Valley/Main Street Station Area Plan includes a vision for a Main Street light rail station created by Calthorpe Associates. The station will not be constructed by mutual agreement of DART and the City of Richardson, but the plan includes some concepts that could be pertinent to the Main Street/Central Expressway study effort.
• The City of Richardson’s TIF District #1 includes the majority of the Main Street/Central Expressway study area.
• The Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance and the City of Richardson Zoning Atlas contain general zoning information.

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