Thank you for your participation in the Denton Plan 2030 Kickoff Open House on August 9!

The Kickoff Open House was an introduction to the Denton Plan update process and a venue for the community to get acquainted with the project team.

What happened at the Kickoff Open House?
160+ citizens came out to participate in the first Denton Plan 2030 public event, where they shared information and ideas at six interactive stations:

Station 1: Sign-In and Show Us Where You Live
Station 2: Welcome / Project Orientation
Station 3: Strengths and Challenges
Station 4: Tell Us Your Story
Station 5: What’s Next for Denton?
Station 6: Vote for the Denton Plan 2030 Logo

 

Station 1: Sign-In and Show Us Where You Live
Participants signed in and placed a dot on the map of the City to let us know where they lived, allowing us to get an idea of what areas of the city were represented/under-represented at the event in order to target future outreach.

 

After Mayor Burroughs’ welcome and opening remarks a presentation was made to give an overview of what’s involved in the “comprehensive plan” process and to emphasize the importance of public participation and engagement in the process. Click here to view this presentation.

 

Station 3: Strengths and Challenges
We asked participants two key questions:

“What Are Your Favorite Things About Denton?” – to determine what the best things about the city are that we should strive to maintain and promote; and

“What Are Some of the Challenges in Denton?” – to determine the issues we will need to address in Denton throughout the update of the Denton Plan. “

 

“What Are Your Favorite Things About Denton?”
Four of the five top responses to the favorite things about Denton (Arts & Events, Community, Downtown/Square, and Local Businesses) are all related and supportive of one another.

  • “Arts & Events” was a popular category of favorite things about Denton. This category includes comments directly related to art, music, festivals, venues, and concerts.
  • Another favorite category was “Community,” which includes comments directly related to a sense and spirit of community, fun people, and feeling at home in the city.
  • “Downtown/Square” includes comments regarding a vibrant culture Downtown and around the Square, including the building and businesses associated with them.
  • “Amenities” includes comments related to things such as the city’s parks, libraries, and senior centers.
  • “Local Businesses” relates to the support of local businesses, fondness for unique shopping districts, and specific local businesses around Denton.

Relevance to Denton Plan 2030:
This information is crucial in determining what Denton Plan 2030 will need to preserve and improve. Many of the favorite things described by the community are in elements of the current Denton Plan, including community, environment, infrastructure, and the introduction. Each element will be assessed for its progress, relevance, and future needs in the update process to ensure that we maintain and promote what people love about Denton as much as possible.

Click here for the complete list of responses for “What Are Your Favorite Things About Denton?”

 

“What Are Some of the Challenges in Denton?”
Based upon the responses of those who participated, “Transportation”, issues associated with “Development”, “Infrastructure”, “Environment”, and “Government” are the biggest challenges facing Denton.

  • The “Transportation” category contains comments related to traffic, bike and pedestrian connectivity, and mass transit.
  • The “Development” category is broad and includes comments related to the general nature of development, the aesthetics of buildings and the city’s gateways, both needed and unwanted land uses, and specific developments within the City.
  • The “Infrastructure” category includes comments regarding poor road quality, solid waste and recycling containers needs and issues, and a lack of neighborhood sidewalks.
  • The “Environment” category includes comments related to more trees and green space, improved air quality, and sustainable water supplies. Closely related to those issues were concerns with gas wells, both from an environmental and development standpoint.
  • Challenges categorized under “Government” involved issues relating to building permits, code enforcement, bureaucratic “red tape,” public participation, and specific public policies.

Relevance to Denton Plan 2030:
Infrastructure, Land, Design, and Environment are all current elements of the current Denton Plan. Each of these elements includes subsections, many of which correspond to the community feedback. It is important to assess what issues persist within each of these elements, identify what new issues have arisen, and work to address them. “Gas Wells” have accelerated since the adoption of the current Denton Plan and will be a new topic assessed in the update process.

Another important piece of the Denton Plan update is to take a serious look at how current City procedures and policies affect development and the city as a whole. The comments provided by the community at the Kickoff Open House reflect that development policies and procedures are significant priorities to address in the Plan.

Click here for the complete list of responses for “What Are Some of the Challenges in Denton?”

 

Station 4: Tell Us Your Story
We asked participants to share their personal stories of how they came to Denton and why they decided to stay. Read the written stories here and watch the video here.

 

Station 5: What’s Next for Denton?
We asked participants to provide us with big, bold ideas for Denton’s future. The comments received were a mix of things community members would like to see in Denton, what they would like to preserve, and what they’d like Denton to become.

  • The “Environment/Sustainability” category relates to promoting green building standards and development, conserving natural resources, pursuing renewable energy, allowing urban chickens, protecting trees and open space, conserving water, and protecting floodplains.
  • Ideas under “Economy” relate to types of jobs to create, the industries that should be attracted, and what types of businesses Denton should encourage.
  • The “Amenities” category contains ideas such as creating outdoor theaters and entertainment venues, public water and splash parks, dog parks, museums, a zoo, an ice rink, and a municipal golf course.
  • The “Transportation” category includes ideas such as public transit expansion and facilities, a commuter and parking plan, and creating more bike lanes and pedestrian friendly development. The “Bike & Pedestrian” category relates to those ideas specifically pertaining to bike lanes, walkability, and pedestrian corridors connecting downtown to the DCTA Transit Center.
  • “Infrastructure” and “Development” comments frequently referred to a more aesthetically pleasing city. Most of the comments in these categories relate to burying public utilities, improving streets, beautifying gateways into the city, and fostering a healthy development community to bring about the desired changes.

Relevance to Denton Plan 2030:
The community feedback from the “What’s Next for Denton?” board at the Kickoff Open House provided great ideas for Denton’s future. There is a strong sentiment among those who participated to encourage and maintain local businesses while also creating a creative, high-tech economic base. Transportation and the environment/sustainability are other areas the community has big, bold ideas about. Community members also want to see a Denton where development and infrastructure is aesthetically pleasing and managed properly. Many of these issues are in elements of the current Plan that can and will be analyzed for effectiveness and content.

Click here for the complete list of ideas for “What’s Next for Denton?”

 

Station 6: Vote for the Denton Plan 2030 Logo
The last station was an opportunity for participants to vote for the Denton Plan 2030 logo. We also drew for the door prizes from the completed Station Sticker Sheets (as labeled on the Passport). Community members also voted online for their favorite logo until August 24. The winning logo is pictured below!

Thank you to the Kickoff Open House participants and online voters who selected our Denton Plan 2030 logo!

Here is a list of the files referenced in this Event Recap:

“Passport” to the Denton Plan 2030 Kickoff Open House
“Show us where you live” map
Welcoming remarks from Mayor Mark Burroughs (video)
Overview of the Denton Plan 2030 Process
Verbatim comments, Station 3 – Favorite things about Denton
Verbatim comments, Station 3 – Challenges facing Denton
Verbatim comments, Station 4 – Personal stories about Denton
“Tell us your story” citizens’ comments (video)
Verbatim comments, Station 5 – Bold ideas for Denton’s future
Combined Raw Feedback for Stations 3, 4, and 5

 
Missed the Kickoff Open House?
Don’t worry, there are many more opportunities to get involved and stay engaged:

  1. Visit www.DentonPlan2030.com for information on upcoming events
  2. Join the conversation at www.EngageDenton.com
  3. Like us on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DentonPlan2030
  4. Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cityofdentontx
  5. Sign up for Denton Plan 2030 eNews at www.cityofdenton.com/eNews

Please visit the website or email information@dentonplan2030.com for more information.

Don’t miss the first Community Forum in the fall. Details will be announced soon!