Tonight, the Richardson City Council votes on whether to allow a nearly 600-foot-long apartment block in the heart of Downtown Richardson. Most everything about the design of that block (save the fact that it is dense housing) is contrary to how a walkable downtown is built. This isn’t a technical zoning case as much as it is a test of vision, strength, courage, and will. Those virtues (as best I can tell) aren’t winning. An understanding how our nearby neighbors – Plano, Garland, McKinney, Addison – got to walkable stretches of their cities is losing. I could be wrong and I hope I am.
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| Except from Central/Main Street Plan showing McKinney intact. (Source: City of Richardson) |
I tend to write bringing a technical aspect with facts and figures. This time it will be more personal.