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Comprehensive Plan, City of Paris, Texas Executive Summary EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City of Paris has established and maintained public improvements that support a full service, regional center community in East Texas. Local sales tax revenue, major regional transportation thoroughfares and the maintenance of urban infrastructure have maintained Paris as an historic regional hub of employment and commerce since the "King Cotton" days of the 190' Century. The City has an opportunity to build on heritage as it plans for growth: as infill development in the City and around the loop highway and in its annexed territory. Strengthening the Paris downtown and other established commercial districts, while accommodating new commercial development outside established districts is a major challenge for Paris. Stabilization of residential districts is important while serving new subdivisions in the "Urban Service Areas." Critical to development in Paris is the timing and phasing of growth so that financial resources can support "dual" infrastructure demands and opportunities: maintaining what is here now, balanced with extending services in response to growth. A key recommendation for an "action step" is to establish a City of Paris Capital Improvements Program (CIP) that ranks projects in phases by five-year periods. The City must update and utilize land use regulations to ensure compatible and appropriate land uses next to one another, such as along the developing sections of Collegiate Drive. Infill development within long-standing commercial and residential corridors, such as along Lamar Avenue, Martin Luther King Boulevard and Clarksville Street, must be designed to "fit in," as well. Development design guidelines are provided for evaluating proposals in the major street business corridors and industrial districts-where there are neighboring residential districts-and in Downtown Paris. The guidelines provide ways to implement policy recommendations of the plan, such as to establish a Paris "Business Park Corridor" with access to the loop highway. They represent a means for the City to better partner with the private sector. In a similar way, the plan envisions future arterial road systems that "pave the way" for private development. A mature local network of roads that parallel the loop highway and the related "spokes-of-the-wheel" highway systems is critical to the orderly, cost-effective growth of the entire Paris community. The arterial road plan-detailed on the Major Thoroughfare -Plan Map-shows how the City of Paris must plan for a mature, local street system that builds on the regional highway system. Finally, the plan presents a model for cooperation among City and private sector groups in Paris. Extensive citizen input guided the objectives of the plan, as presented in Chapter 3. In addition to the public focus Session and Policy Planning Charrette meetings, a citizen survey was conducted of all Paris households, with hundreds of responses-representing some 1,500 Paris residents-returned for tabulation. The community opinion survey called for more beautification of Paris, as did the public planning meetings. The survey results also showed a"vote of confidence" for investing in the future, proactively, and in teaming with the private sector. The Paris Comprehensive Plan provides a forum for development and for building a"Vision" for growth in the future-for remaining the "Best Small City in Texas." S:\98288\WPClfinal reEvrt ?-Ol.tluc 1 BWK