Horseshoe Bay seeks resident feedback on future development
This map depicts the city of Horseshoe Bay’s boundaries and extraterritorial jurisdiction. Leaders want public feedback on how city property should be used and the surrounding land developed. Image courtesy of the City of Horseshoe Bay
Horseshoe Bay residents have three weeks from Sept. 19 to give feedback on future development in the city and the land closest to its borders. The city launched a Land Use Resident Survey on Thursday to gather a community perspective on growth as leaders develop a comprehensive plan.
The 12 questions range from inquiries on basic information about the survey taker to thorough ranking systems on what is most to least important to that person.
Data gained from the survey will help built Horseshoe Bay’s 2025 comprehensive plan, which will steer the community’s course for decades.
“We have a lot of work to do, and the first thing to work on is land use for the future areas (surrounding the city),” Horseshoe Bay City Manager Jeff Koska told DailyTrib.com. “(This survey) provides (residents) an opportunity to put their interests on what they want the city to look like in the future, forwards.”
The survey is the work of the Land Use and Development Committee, which was formed in March and comprised of six volunteer residents who are advised by city staff. Mayor Elsie Thurman serves as a liaison between the committee and the City Council.
“Our job really is to ask you what you want the future of Horseshoe Bay to be,” committee Chair Ruben Fechner told a crowded room during Horseshoe Bay’s annual town hall meeting on Wednesday. “We’re not here to tell you what (you want); we’re here to engage you and find out what that is.”
The survey focuses on land within the city limits as well as the extraterritorial jurisdiction surrounding Horseshoe Bay. By state law, the land within one mile of a city is included in its ETJ, meaning the city has some say in how it can be developed as well as annexed under the right conditions.
Horseshoe Bay residents can take the survey online and send any questions to landuse@horseshoe-bay-tx.gov.