What does extending the green mean in Lewisville?

Extending the Green is envisioned as expanding the Green Centerpiece both physically and visually, to connect it with other parts of the City. By connecting the Green Centerpiece to Lewisville’s neighborhoods and business, everyone who lives or works in Lewisville can enjoy the benefits of this distinctive center. As a key Big Move focus, City investments should emphasize and provide aesthetic and health benefits throughout the city through enhancements to the City’s public spaces and parks and recreation system. Special emphasis will be placed on creating parks and connections to the trail system in areas of Lewisville where residents do not have access to a public open space within a 10-minute walk of their home. While the Green Centerpiece redefines the community as a whole, daily connection to these green areas will make this identity even more valuable to all Lewisville residents. These priority investments should attract the millennial generation of residents as well as businesses that rely on creative-class professionals. This strategy would blur the edges between the Green Centerpiece with surrounding uses and key nodes of the City. Extending the Green concepts should promote green corridors to influence site designs, streetscapes and development expectations. Through public investments and the design of new private developments, this Big Move can help to attract the new businesses and people who want a healthy green lifestyle.

This Big Move will link pedestrian and bike trails throughout the city. It aims to connect neighborhoods and areas of employment to retail, recreation and education facilities, and to major destinations like Old Town and transit facilities. The city already contains segments of trails, significant parks and recreation areas. While an excellent trail plan exists, many of the initial trail corridors have been completed. As the city grows and Castle Hills is annexed, a new parks master plan with a strong hike and bike trail component will be developed. Linking new neighborhoods and existing trail segments to the Green Centerpiece will be a key issue addressed in the plan. A vital component should be to make connections on the west side of IH 35E on an opportunity basis, with an eye on crossing the interstate and tying into Old Town, transit stations and the Green Centerpiece. On the east side of IH 35E, loop connections from Old Town to the Green Centerpiece should be identified and set as a high priority for implementation. Such connections will support new urban residential development in Old Town, and spur revitalization efforts. In addition, the Southwest Lewisville Area Plan identifies priorities for preserving existing green spaces and tree canopies, as well as connecting the area via links to the planned trail system.

This Big Move also includes creation of small open spaces that can provide new local landmarks and gathering spaces for non-organized sports and recreation. In addition to the health and wellness value of living or working near parks or trails, this type of public infrastructure has a demonstrated benefit of increased property value for homes and businesses. That benefit is measurable within a 10-minute walk of a park or green space and when integrated into a connected system significantly enhances community benefits. The City’s Parks and Recreation Business Plan builds on a strong existing system and provides guidance for an ambitious expansion over time. This Big Move sets the short-term priorities for these investments so that they help realize this new vision for the Lewisville community. By incorporating the City’s parks and trails projects into this Lewisville 2025 Big Move, those public investments should bring even greater returns to the community

Goal

Extending the Green by expanding the Green Centerpiece and trail system, both physically and visually, to connect with other parts of the City.