March 2017 | Business View Magazine

104 105 feet of retail and commercial space already downtown, over the next 10 years, Cedar Hill surveys have determined that the city has the potential to support an additional 250,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 108,000 square feet of office space, a 120-key limited-service hotel, 800 apartments, 200 se- nior living units, and 150 single-family homes. By 2030, it is hoped that the city will also have a new commuter rail station that will connect the downtown core to the BNSF railway. “It is unique to us in the way that it incorporates open space and the revitalization of our down- town area which is important to our ultimate growth,” Porter adds. Another major project is the redevelopment of Mansfield Road, the city’s most important east/west artery that cuts through the heart of the city, attaching it, and its commercial core, to much of the region to the west and north.“It is undergoing a $21 million improvement program that incorporates the entire package of urban and greenway infrastructure,”Porter reports.“It has dedicated bike lanes, it has hiking and biking trails that connect to the city’s downtown and points west; it has a lot of green, sustainable infrastruc- ture including bioswales to handle drainage.And it will be the prettiest roadway in the area when it is completed by the end of the year.” Yet another big project on its way is a $60 mil- Cedar Hill, Texas lion expansion and improvement to a section of U.S.Highway 67,which cuts across the city from the northeast to the southwest.“It adds lanes,which will help both commuting traffic as well as circulation around our commercial core,which is the regional hub for retail and services,” says Porter.“In addition, it’s got a new ramp that opened up additional properties for development. So, it adds a substantial amount of capacity for the growth we’re expecting to our commercial core area.” Regarding sustainable practices, Porter says that Cedar Hill has modified its codes over the last fewyears to help make the commu- nitymore solar friendly, added electric vehicle charging stations at some city facilities, and updated its water metering system to allow customers to get real-time information on their water usage.“The city changed every sin- gle meter in the city,”he says.“We went from meters that have to be physically read,which means by the time it gets to the customers, it has six-week-old data and they can’t do anything about their behavior.Now, they are radio-read every couple of hours. So, custom- ers, through a couple of different platforms, have the means to know, not only what they’re using during the month they’re in, but their daily patterns of consumption. And an em- powered, knowledgeable customer is one of the best sustainability initiatives that you can have.” Cedar Hill, Texas –growing responsibly into the future. Preferred vendors n USA SHADE & Fabric Structures www.usa-shade.com With in-house experts in design, engineering, fabrication, man- ufacturing, project management, and construction, USA SHADE & Fabric Structures has been the proven leader in fabric structure design and technology for over 25 years. n Tiseo Paving Company www.tiseopaving.com