Roanoke, Texas, located northeast of Fort Worth and near

the heart of the Alliance Texas multi-modal distribution

complex, has experienced dramatic increases in population

and tax base. The community leadership wanted to

preserve the rich heritage and essence of its downtown,

Original Town Roanoke. Gateway Planning Group was

retained in order to assist the city in this mission. Resulting

in a conceptual master plan, Phase I entailed identifying the

strengths of downtown in order to attract increased tourist

and business activity.

Facilitating the evolution of uses through benefi cial market

forces will allow the preservation of Oak Street’s historic

and authentic character called for in the market-based

vision. This is reinforced by the master plan. The plan

was based on a market study by TXP, Inc. projecting 216

new housing units; and almost 300,000 square feet of

“main street” offi ce, restaurant and retail uses; resulting in

potentially 843 new jobs.

The existing zoning and development standards for

Roanoke worked well in the new growth areas, but

redevelopment areas such as the historic downtown do

not lend themselves to a “one size fi ts all” suburban style.

Accordingly, as Phase II of the project, the city adopted a

new regulating plan, a form based code and a streetscape

plan based on the master plan.

Oak Street Downtown Plan and Code Roanoke, TexasCity of Roanoke - Gateway Planning Group

Relevance of this Project Type to the Policy Areas and Center Types

NT2050 Policy AreasEmployment

Centers

Mixed-Use Centers Entire Policy AreaRegional Metropolitan Community Neighborhood

Inner Tier Areas ● ● ● ●

Outer Tier Areas ●● ●●● ●●

Separate Community Areas ●●●● ●● ●

Rural Areas ●●● ●● ●

Natural Areas

●●●● Most Relevant ●●● Very Relevant ●● Relevant ● Somewhat Relevant

● Red indicates actual condition

Phase III commenced in 2007 and was completed in 2010

with the reconstruction of Oak Street based on a fi nal design

plan by Halff with Gateway Planning facilitating property

owner by property owner interviews to make sure that the fi nal

design of the reconstruction of Oak Street was consistent with

the Phase 1 Master Plan and each business’ needs in terms

of frontages, retail pedestrian access, etc. In 2009, the Oak

Street Regulating Plan was amended to include transition

areas along Hwy 377 and Pine Street.

By 2011, 10 new or redeveloped buildings have been

undertaken, resulting in a dozen new restaurants. The

success of downtown since the beginning of the

initiative has resulted in Roanoke rebranding itself

the Unique Dining Capital of Texas. This project

was awarded the CLIDE award for development

excellence by NCTCOG.

Density: 1- 2 story (4 story max.) mixed-use buildings

Relevant Guiding Principles for North Texas 2050

• Development Diversity

• Effi cient Growth

• Pedestrian Design

• Housing Choice

• Activity Centers

• Environmental Stewardship

• Quality Places

• Resource Effi ciency

• Healthy Communities

• Implementation

Project Acreage: Approx. 105 Acres

Residential Acreage (if applicable): Varies

Other Use Type(s) Acreage: Horizontal Mixed-use

Total Area of Development (SF): Varies

Total Number of Residential Units: NK

Number of Effi ciency Units: NK

Number of One-Bedroom Units: NK

Number of Two-Bedroom Units: NK

Number of 3+ Bedroom Units: NK

Number of Universal Design Units: NK

Land Use Mix: Commercial (Retail, Offi ce), Residential,

Public, Community and recreational Areas

Ratio of Residential to Total Area: NK

Ratio of Retail to Total Area: NK

Ratio of Offi ce to Total Area: NK

Ratio of Community Areas to Total Area: NK

Total Project Cost: $8 million (for reconstruction of Oak

Street)

Ratio of Public Financing to Total: 100% Public

City Development Approval Strategy: Form-Based

Code

Key Land Use Tools: Streetscape

Property Status: Grayfi eld, Infi ll (Downtown)

Distance to Light Rail Station(s): NA

Distance to Bus Stations(s): NA

Oak Street Downtown Plan and Code Roanoke, TexasCity of Roanoke - Gateway Planning Group

Key Financing Sources: The fi nal fi nancing took nearly three years to negotiate and included: $6.7 million in Federal

historic tax credits, an estimated $4.6 million in city and county historic tax abatements, and $4.6 million in Tax

Increment Financing (TIF) funds.

Connectivity with Surrounding Community (e.g. physically, aesthetically, culturally): Roanoke is a separate

community with vehicular access to surrounding communities. Its historic small town core.

Key Design Features:

• Pedestrian oriented design,

• Leverage existing destinations and location,

• Range of uses and scale appropriate to a small town downtown context ( 2 – 4 stories),

• Transition to adjoining stable residential neighborhoods.

Features that Promote Unique Identity and Quality of Place: Preservation of unique historic elements (water tower,

rock hotel).

Sustainability of Site Location: Redevelopment of a small-town downtown into a vibrant regional destination.

Strategies for Healthy Communities and Indoor Environments: Walkable streets, mix of residential uses with retail

and offi ce uses.

Oak Street Downtown Plan and Code Roanoke, TexasCity of Roanoke - Gateway Planning Group

Case Study Authorship, Credits, Contacts:

Scott Polikov, Jay Narayana, & Brad Lanberger, Gateway Planning Group

Taner R. Ozdil, Center for Metropolitan Density & Program in Landscape Architecture, School of Architecture at The

University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)

The North Texas Chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism

Grace Herman, Program in Landscape Architecture, School of Architecture at UTA

References:

“ Planning Reports”, Gateway Planning Group, July 21, 2011,

“Remodeled Oak Street set to open” The-Times Register, April 7, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.alliancenews.net

“ 2011 CLIDE Awards” Center for Development Excellence, NCTCOG, Retrieved on July 21, 2011, http://www.

developmentexcellence.com/awards/CLIDE2011/index.asp

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