with target development areas. On the city’s east side, Balch Springs partnered with Mesquite on a sewer flow realignment and capacity project, with additional phases scheduled to keep pace with residential expansion. On the mobility side, the city collaborates with TxDOT, Dallas County, and the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) on access improvements— including frontage roads and internal connectors that link neighborhoods to the highway network. Inside the City Center, the focus tightens to complete streets design: safer turns, new signalization, and pedestrian comfort to support storefronts and civic destinations. Connectivity isn’t just about roads. The city is mapping opportunities to strengthen high-speed internet coverage as part of its capital planning— recognizing that online reliability is now a core business and quality-of-life utility. INCENTIVES, PARTNERSHIPS, AND A 173ACRE WIN Delivering the City Center and corridor upgrades requires a toolkit as diverse as the projects themselves. Balch Springs is positioning a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) to help fund infrastructure, a Public Improvement District (PID) for long-term maintenance, and targeted economic development incentives through its Type A and Type B boards—ranging from infrastructure participation to performance-based sales tax support. One recent success highlights how the city blends public-private collaboration with regional alignment. On a 173-acre tract—once jointly owned with a neighboring locality and off the tax rolls for decades— the city led an RFP process to secure a master-plan developer. Proceeds flowed back to the original landowner, while Balch Springs brought the site back to taxable life. Early phases are delivering quality housing, with retail and restaurant components 23 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 12 BALCH SPRINGS, TX
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