Plano Sets a Vote That Could Repeal the Master Development Plan That Split the City

Plano City Hall, at war for more than three years with a group of residents fed up with their community’s rapid growth, has set a vote for later this month that could repeal its much-criticized master development plan and end the lawsuit it inspired.Assuming the truce holds between the city and plaintiffs in the Plano Tomorrow lawsuit, this compromise is a mighty step forward. Protracted litigation with constituents isn’t healthy for any community — especially one such as Plano that is increasingly dealing with big-city challenges.Based on my conversations with many Plano residents in recent months, the Plano Tomorrow lawsuit symbolizes what they see as local leaders who don’t listen to their concerns. City Hall had long maintained that it had the facts on its side in the lengthy legal battle, but it has long been losing the public relations war.With every month the lawsuit has dragged on, seemingly more residents have lost trust.The City Council, with new faces just put into office by disgruntled voters in a nasty election season, and the Planning and Zoning Commission will meet in a joint session July 22 to examine big changes to the Plano Tomorrow plan. A public hearing will follow for residents to provide feedback on the proposed changes.The revised blueprint, the result of a six-hour meeting Wednesday between the two sides in the master plan lawsuit, would reinstate the city’s 1986 land-use guidelines.  Continue reading...