What does Old Town mean in Lewisville?

Downtown Lewisville, the City’s historic center, is also the core of Lewisville’s identity for the future, offering the choice of urban living in Lewisville and including lively restaurants, entertainment, and a walkable environment. Transformative redevelopment is occurring and efforts to maintain the momentum should be a top priority for the City. Lewisville will expand its competitive position with more destination dining, new walkable neighborhoods, and unique retail offerings. Old Town can maintain a historic charm and character while enhancing its image as a new, refreshed and exciting place to be.

During creation of the Lewisville 2025 plan and again in the community outreach for this update, participants expressed the need for Old Town to have a clearer and stronger identity. They wanted this special area to be recognized by Lewisville residents as well as by business customers and visitors from elsewhere. Updated branding and marketing standards have paved the way for Old Town to be recognized as the “heart of Lewisville”. Businesses may use this tag line in their own marketing efforts, which may include marketing such as “come bank in the heart of Lewisville”; “eat in the heart of Lewisville”; or “shop in the heart of Lewisville”.

When Lewisville 2025 was adopted in 2014, several major projects were underway or just getting started in Old Town. They proved to be catalysts for further redevelopment. Projects like Uptown Village provided for-sale townhomes just a block east of the historic Main Street area, bringing density to Old Town and instant demand to new businesses in the Old Town core. South Village was another project that began around the same time. It includes mixed-use development with commercial on the first floor and residential condos above, as well as detached, row housing just west to Charles Street. The development brings over 85 diverse residential units to Old Town and higher incomes as well.

City projects such as Wayne Ferguson Plaza and the Main and Mill Streetscaping have also catalyzed new investment in Old Town. In addition, the city’s public-private partnership to attract three new restaurants to a single block on Church Street was instrumental in driving new traffic from outside Old Town to this new dining destination. These efforts have already led to numerous additional projects including commercial uses such as: The Perc Coffeehouse; The Mercantile vintage home goods; Sullivan’s Old Town BBQ and Bodega; PrototypeIT; Sparrow Collective; and various vertical mixed-use buildings. New residential developments underway in Old Town include: Aura Old Town; Legacy Pointe; Brownstones at West Walters; Main and Mill Street Lofts; Mill at Old Town; Harris Street Townhomes; and Old Town Station. Together, these projects will provide more than 1,500 new residential units within a ten-minute walk from the Main and Mill intersection.

Significant investment in public art has also transformed Old Town’s image as a vital, diverse and multicultural center of the Lewisville community. New art benches along Main Street were commissioned and installed as well as two large bronze sculptures. Murals on private buildings depict a variety of images rooted in the history of the area; they also include contemporary and abstract elements that make them eye-catching and memorable. Continuing support for public art in Old Town attracts people to live in Old Town and gives both residents and visitors a way to experience life with a more pedestrian focus rather than vehicular.

Old Town’s successes in achieving the vision expressed by Lewisville 2025 are not limited to physical investments and improvements. The City hosts or participates in more than 100 events annually in Old Town. These range from small gatherings of 25 yogis practicing their poses on the Wayne Ferguson Plaza, to large events like Western Days, which draws more than 50,000 people in one weekend. Events are critical to providing awareness of Old Town as well as providing entertainment for the new residents to enjoy as part of downtown living. These events have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic but some have continued online to maintain their connections with artists, residents and customers. As recovery from the pandemic strengthens, Lewisville should consider increasing the number of events and partnerships to enhance foot traffic in Old Town during the weekdays and off-times to further enhance business vitality.

The Old Town Transit-Oriented Development Master Plan, which formed the foundation for many of the Old Town recommendations in the Lewisville 2025 plan, was completed in 2010. Many of its recommended actions have been completed and other market and economic trends have changed. The City is working with multiple consultants to refresh this master plan so future infrastructure projects and land acquisition opportunities can be prioritized and build on the successes of recent years. With the update of a detailed plan for Old Town, Lewisville can enjoy more fruitful and intentional public-private partnerships that will bring further success to Old Town.