Traffic, growth main concerns at Marble Falls comprehensive plan open house
Nearly 100 residents attended an open house on March 12 to learn more about the draft comprehensive plan for the city of Marble Falls. Staff photo by Nathan Bush
Traffic and the impact of current and future growth in Marble Falls dominated conversations during a March 12 open house for the city’s draft comprehensive plan. Around 100 people attended the one-hour presentation by Halff, the city’s planning consulting firm.
“We feel like it was very well-attended, especially given it was held during Spring Break,” Development Services Director Kim Foutz told DailyTrib.com after the Tuesday event at Lakeside Pavilion. “We feel like it was a good overview to get people familiar with the components of the comprehensive plan.”
The plan was last updated in 2016. It is a decision-making guide for city officials.
Residents at the forum seemed most concerned about traffic on Marble Falls’ two main roads: U.S. 281 and RR 1431.
“This cannot be a nice city to live in when residents and visitors have to dodge these trucks,” one resident said. “It’s not just the traffic but the noise that they produce.”
Halff senior planner Matt Bucchin was quick to remind people of the city’s lack of control over the two thoroughfares.
“Inside the right-of-way, (Texas Department of Transportation) owns and manages it,” he said.
Another resident asked city leaders to consider revamping low-water crossings on Nature Heights and Mission Hills drives.
“Those clearly are subject to flooding, and when they do, it eliminates at least two of the corridors that people can use for mobility …” she said.
City Engineer Jeff Prato provided an update on the two crossings.
“We are looking at both of those and all the other low-water crossings in the city,” he said. “We’re trying to increase the mobility by increasing the amount of stormwater they can manage.”
Prato also spoke broadly on city traffic in general.
“What we have to do as a city, which is challenging sometimes, is (determine) how we can make this work with what we have,” he said. “I know that’s an excuse to some extent, but we are trying as best as we can to make it as safe as possible.”
Planners used survey results from six questionnaires sent to residents in 2023 to craft the draft plan. Of the over 750 respondents, residents were divided 50/50 on whether the city is “on the right track with recent growth and development.”
Halff senior planner Nathlie Booth argued that was a positive indicator of the city’s future.
“Honestly, that might be a good place for the city to be,” she said. “You can’t please everybody.”
Other items discussed during the presentation included areas of potential future growth and strategies to achieve city goals, such as becoming a destination town, attracting economic partners, and forging regional partnerships.
The Marble Falls Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council will consider the draft plan for adoption later this spring.
Interested residents can view the full March 12 presentation on the city’s Development Services website.
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So they received barely over 750 replies to their 6 surveys and it is split 50/50 as to what people are hoping to see happen with the future of the city. I have to wonder if any of the respondents are actual residents of the city and how can the city adopt a proposed Comprehensive plan with so little input.