City Seeking Input from Southeast Denton Residents for Area Plan
June 21, 2023
The City of Denton is hosting listening sessions to gather resident input as the City develops a new Southeast Denton Area Plan. The listening sessions will be held 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21 and Thursday, June 22 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center at 1300 Wilson Street.
According to the Southeast Denton Area Plan page on Discuss Denton, the goal of the plan is to establish a vision and policy direction for how Southeast Denton should develop over time. The listening sessions are intended to ensure that resident input is incorporated into the final plan.
The area plan is focusing on the area generally bounded by Bell Avenue, E McKinney Street, Woodrow Lane, Shady Oaks Drive, Teasley Lane and Dallas Drive.
Boundaries of the Southeast Denton Area Plan.
Area plans typically focus on land use, transportation, housing, infill and redevelopment, historic preservation, open space and recreation, and infrastructure.
Transportation and Housing Costs in Southeast Denton
According to the Housing and Transportation Index, households in Southeast Denton spend between 15 percent and 22 percent of their income on transportation.
Map showing what percent of income Southeast Denton residents spend on transportation.
The average household in its Census tract spends an estimated $14,349 annually on automobile ownership and maintenance.
Map showing how much Southeast Denton residents spend annually on automobile ownership.
Combined, transportation and housing costs consume roughly 42 percent of annual income for residents living in the Census tract that includes Southeast Denton. These residents spend 22 percent of their income on housing and 20 percent of their income on transportation.
Map showing what percent of income Southeast Denton residents spend on housing and transportation combined.
Traffic Safety in Southeast Denton
Since 2013, four people have been killed in a traffic crash on one of the roads surrounding the study area, according to data pulled from TxDOT’s Crash Query Tool. Of the four people killed since 2013, two were in an automobile, one was a pedestrian and one was on a motorcycle.
Location of traffic fatalities from 2013 through early 2023.
Since 2013, 24 people have been seriously injured in a traffic crash in the area. Of these, 14 were in an automobile, five were on a bicycle, three were on a motorcycle and two were pedestrians.
Location of severe injury traffic crashes from 2013 through early 2023.
Transportation Options in Southeast Denton
The Downtown Denton Transit Center sits within the study plan area. The Route 3 bus travels along the northwest corner of the area before continuing down McKinney Street.
Residents have limited access to sidewalks to travel to public transportation. Sidewalks are often missing or may disappear at important locations along dangerous arterial roadways like McKinney Street, Dallas Drive, or Bell Avenue.
Denton’s Sidewalk Work Plan outlines the existing sidewalk segments as well as sidewalks that are planned through 2024.
Denton’s Sidewalk Work Plan shows many missing sidewalks and gaps in Southeast Denton.
The City has not released a Bicycle Work Plan. With the exception of the DCTA Rail Trail, Southeast Denton does not have any bicycle infrastructure for residents who need or want to use a bicycle for transportation.
Denton’s 2022 Bicycle Plan proposes future sidepaths along McKinney Street, Woodrow Lane and part of Bell Avenue. No separated bike lanes are proposed in the area, though separated bike lanes could be added into the Southeast Denton Area Plan if residents pushed for them.
Denton’s 2022 Bicycle Plan for Southeast Denton and the surrounding area.
Denton Parks and Recreation is working to build an east-west Pecan Creek Trail through the area and is currently requesting $15 million in bond funding to construct this and other trails across the city.
Proposed alignment of the future Pecan Creek Trail.
Read:
Grant Proposal for Pecan Creek Trail Moves to Second Round (April 9, 2023)
Pecan Creek Trail Master Plan Approved, Staff Seek Funding (February 2, 2023)
Trails, Mingo Road Proposed for Funding in Denton’s 2023 Bond Election (January 26, 2023)
How to Get Involved
Residents are encourage to attend the listening sessions on June 21 and June 22. Anyone interested can sign up for updates on the Discuss Denton page for the Southeast Denton Area Plan.
