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Friday, Sep. 12, 2008
A more attractive welcome to Keller
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By SARAH JUNEK

Construction workers and equipment, utility poles, billboards and brightly colored buildings litter the visual landscape for motorists entering Keller on southbound U.S. 377. – photo by Ray Carlin


Keller’s northern main entrance along U.S. 377 is more a picture of chaos than coordinated development – and not just because of road construction.

Workers and bulldozers leave at each day’s end. But the hodgepodge of brightly colored billboards and buildings lining railroad tracks adjacent to the highway still dominates the landscape for southbound motorists entering the city.

Keller officials aim to change that landscape in hopes of making the city’s gateway along its main commercial corridor more attractive to developers. The city has no authority over the billboards and buildings, as they are in unincorporated Tarrant County.

"First we need a vision as to what would be a good fit for that area along with the neighborhood up there," Mayor Pat McGrail said.

The neighborhood, Marshall Ridge, is under construction. When finished, it will contain about 1,000 homes, priced from $250,000 to $400,000, in an area roughly between Johnson Road and the city’s northern boundary. Officials expect more interest in that stretch of U.S. 377 once those homes are built.

To prepare, officials have met with landowners there and hired consultants to draft a development plan.

Developer’s proposal

To screen future homeowners and businesses from the eyesore, one such landowner, Hanover Property Company, a Dallas developer planning to build shopping centers around the neighborhood’s two main entrances, is exploring landscaping, such as tall trees and bushes, in the small strip of land between the highway and railway.

That may help Hanover’s mile-long stretch, but consultants are addressing options for the larger area.

The consultants, engineers with the Fort Worth firm Freese and Nichols, are exploring zoning options, driveway configurations, streetscape options and an gateway design to give the area a cohesive look.

"You can almost look at any kind of corridor that doesn’t have a plan, and there’s not a consistent sidewalk, not a consistent signage or landscape," said Wendy Shabay, lead project planner.

Snag in the plans

Engineers hit a snag during a recent public meeting when some stakeholders, who seemed to lack enough information to provide feedback and were frustrated with the technical presentation, voiced more criticism about current issues than suggestions.

"We didn’t get all that we had really hoped for ... but at the same time I think people had a different idea of what the meeting was all about," Shabay said. "What we’re trying to get is what they want it to be in the future – not today, and not necessarily tomorrow."

Specific feedback sought includes whether certain businesses, such as gas stations, should be allowed and special aesthetic standards. In addition, Shabay said, "commercial development is somewhat hindered by the lack of sewer. It is an issue, so we’re going to look at how we can make some recommendations to that end."

"There are issues up north that the majority of the people are just unaware of," City Councilman John Baker said.

Land being developed by Hanover and Meritage Homes Corporation, the Arizona-based builder of the Marshall Ridge subdivision, had multiple owners, Shabay said, adding that the meeting was intended to be an "opportunity to get together and work together as land owners."

Road construction

The plan, which focuses on about 150 acres, was begun this summer, when the city contracted the firm for $57,323. A recommendation is expected in February.

It was spurred, in part, by the Texas Department of Transportation’s $13 million project to widen U.S. 377 from two lanes to four just north of the downtown district Old Town Keller to the city limits. A stretch between Keller-Hicks and Johnson roads was finished this summer. Work on the remaining portion is expected to be completed this fall.

"All of [the owners] are interested in what they can expect as far as the finished product on the TxDOT construction," city planning director Richard Luedke said. "Once we give them that information, the longer-term things can be talked about."