Flower Mound residents share preferences, concerns on Lakeside

April 11, 2012 By 1 Comment

Survey respondents ranked a trail as the third most important amenity on their Lakeside DFW "Wish List." The trail (marked by a dashed yellow line on the concept plan) runs along the edge of the property as well as through the project, connecting Lakeside with the Northshore Trail, the lake, and the neighborhoods to the north.

Between February 15 and April 8, an additional 57 Flower Mound residents responded to Lakeside DFW’s on-line survey, raising the total respondents to 448 since September (178 on-line, 270 by hand.)

“Lake-view dining” and “lake views” continue to rank at the top of the “Lakeside DFW Wish List” in February, March, and April. Thirty-five of the 57 respondents added comments that reflect a variety of hopes and concerns for Lakeside DFW.

According to the survey, residents want to enjoy the views at Lakeside DFW, whether it is from restaurants, trails, or parks.

Other amenities that ranked in to the top half of the “Wish List” also reflect a desire to connect with the outdoors:  bicycle trails and access to the Northshore Trail.

The lowest-ranking amenities — playgrounds, public gardens, public art, civic theater, dog parks, and athletic fields – are characterized by more passive activities.

In the comments section of the survey, residents echoed their desires for all types of “lake views.”

But residents also emphasized their desire for residential, retail, and entertainment options, though respondents did not necessarily agree with one another.

“Residential that is ‘family friendly’ would be great,” wrote Tammie Riemer, who lives in north Flower Mound. “It seems, at the moment that these residential plans are geared more toward singles/retirees.”

Riemer appreciated learning that while Lakeside DFW will not offer housing tailored to families, those housing options are available in neighborhoods close to Lakeside DFW. Several of those neighborhoods will be connected to Lakeside DFW by trails and streets.

Several respondents called for gated upscale homes.

“My wife would prefer a single story townhouse,” wrote one resident who is looking to downsize (and asked not be identified). “I would prefer a third or fourth floor condo with a balcony and lake view.

“We would like to live at Lakeside,” he added, “but not with Southlake, Frisco, Plano or Park Cities prices.”

“Being able to walk to a fresh market as they do in Europe,” wrote Leesa Black. “Would love to see homes that are not huge, but cater to the pre-retirement/retirement age of the ‘sandwich generation.’”

“Residential space such as town homes with lake views or even above retail in close proximity to restaurants/coffee shops, etc.,” commented Laura Rauhauser.

Apart from dining, respondents mentioned housing and shopping most often in the comments section.

“Activities geared to seniors,” recommended Wanda Miller. “Outdoor seating with heaters around shops. I recently visited Arizona’s West Gate Plaza in Glendale. It was lovely! It had everything but the lake.”

Differences arose on issues such as price ranges and local v. chains

“I would love to make sure that the shops are local, not chain stores,” wrote Michelle Robinson.

“Average priced restaurants with lakeside views from the windows or deck,” said Scott Jansen. “Please do not bring in expensive restaurants. Bring in popular franchise restaurants.”

Some comments reflected the project’s connections to trails and other uses.

“Classy British/Irish pub with imported beers and authentic pub food,” suggested Alicia Jackson. “A great restaurant that encourages bikers, joggers & walkers to walk-in and eat and enjoy live music.”

“Live music venues with a playground would be nice (like Central Market in Southlake). Fri/Sat night live music there really draws a crowd,” wrote Stacey Baganz.

“A pool with a swim up bar!” exclaimed one unidentified respondent. “Adventure play care to drop your kids off so you can have a nice meal.”

Others hope the kids will stay at home.

“A place where adults can go without kids to get away : ),” wrote one unidentified respondent. “A pub-type place with lots of outdoor seating. Like Nutty Brown Cafe (or Shady Grove) in Austin.”

To view the complete list of comments, click On-line amenity “Wish List” – Feb to April 2012.

Click here to view the concept plan.

Email
Filed Under: Citizen Input

Recent surge in on-line surveys clarify amenity wish list

February 23, 2012 By 1 Comment

Over the past month, over 60 Flower Mound residents added their  preferences to the Lakeside DFW Wish List, and helped “Lakefront Dining” and “Lakefront Views” establish a clear lead over all other amenities.

The graph illustrates the weighted average amenities ranked by Flower Mound residents on a scale of importance (5 = highest, 1 = lowest).

The next three most popular amenities are “Pedestrian Trails,” “Lake access,” and “Parks.”

“Access to the Northshore Trail” and “Bicycle Trails” dropped from third and fourth to sixth and seventh.

“Playgrounds” dropped from eighth to the eleventh spot on the list.

The input of residents (including recent comments at the debut of the preliminary plan on Feb. 8, 9, 11) have played, and continue to play, a significant role in the plan for the site.

The surge in responses during January and February brings the total of surveys completed by Flower Mound residents to 391.

Email
Filed Under: Citizen Input, Survey results

Creating a place people love

February 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Email
Filed Under: Citizen Input

Survey results Part 2: Flower Mound residents hungry for more than “run-of-the-mill” development at Lakeside DFW

January 25, 2012 By 1 Comment

In the “write in” portion of our survey, respondents suggested amenities they’d like to see that did not appear on the amenity ranking in part one.

Over 90 of the 340+  (and counting) respondents offered specific suggestions. Their responses suggest that Flower Mound residents are hungry not just dinners with a lake view, but also shopping, housing, and entertainment options that residents of some other communities have come to take for granted.

Shopping, in one form or another, won the majority of respondents' vote as an amenity they'd like to see at Lakeside DFw.

Shopping and dining ran neck and neck as the most popular “write in” amenities. Shopping won 45 percent; about 9 percent voted for a grocery store.

Some residents requested specific retailers like William Sonoma, the Apple Store, and Anthropologie while one stated, “high-end retail” and another simply wrote, “No Wal-Mart.”

Dining in general (as differentiated from lake view dining as noted in part one) polled 35 percent of the votes. When you consider that lake view dining ranked as the number one most important amenity in part one of the survey, it is clear that dining stands out a top priority for Flower Mound residents.

Entertainment-related amenities garnered 17 percent of the "write in" votes on the Lakeside DFW amenity survey.

And many reiterated that they want “unique lakefront dining” and plenty of it.

Some suggested “no chains” while other just wrote “fine dining” or “family dining.”

Nearly 25 percent wrote in “residential,” “some form of residential,” or “senior living.”

Others were more specific, suggesting “condo residences with a balcony view of the lake.” One practically wrote a contract: “Condo / Co-op with reasonable monthly fees (i.e. $250/mo.), and reasonable purchase prices (i.e. $200/sf).”

Height was mentioned twice. One resident wrote “nothing over three stories” and another wrote, “No high rises more than 10 stories.”

Entertainment-related amenities from night clubs to hotels received approximately 17 percent of respondents’ votes.

A number of respondents dream of accessing the lake, boats, marinas, ferries, and boat tours from Lakeside DFW. Two even wrote about “beach living.” (Note: the Corps of Engineers owns all the property immediately adjacent to the water.)

While the specifics of the amenities stood out for their variety and detail, the most remarkable responses reflected a more complete vision for the property.

We’ll cover those in the third installment of our amenity survey.

In the meantime, have you read the following items?

Survey Part 1

Southlake Town Square can’t be duplicated in Flower Mound

Five place-making principles

Flower Mound responsible for success at Lakeside

NOTE: You are encouraged to take our one-minute amenity survey by clicking here (if you haven’t already). The responses play an important role in the planning of Lakeside DFW and in helping town officials understand what citizens want at Lakeside.

Email
Filed Under: Citizen Input, Featured, Survey results: Part 2 Tagged With: , , , , ,

Survey results Part 1: Flower Mound residents envision an active, lake-oriented lifestyle at Lakeside DFW

January 18, 2012 By 2 Comments

(Click the graph to enlarge) The graph reflects the results of the 390 surveys completed between October 12, 2011 and January 17, 2012.

Based on an on-going survey, Flower Mound residents want amenities that capitalize on Lakeside DFW’s lake-view location and reflect their active lifestyle.

As of February 16, 2012, over 391 residents had taken the survey, either in person or on-line.

Lakeview dining ranks number one on residents’ “wish list.”

Sitting atop 60-foot bluffs on the northeast corner of the Lake Grapevine, the site enjoys stunning sunset viewing 12 months out of the year.

In addition, residents like Kandy Tuininga commented that they were looking for “unique dining and shopping experiences that would be great for Flower Mound and also for our families traveling to North Texas. Not chains.”

Access to the Northshore Trail (above) ranks near the top of amenities that Flower Mound residents wish for at Lakeside DFW.

While eating well ranked at the top, Flower Mound residents apparently want to enjoy their meals after working up an appetite. They rank pedestrian trails, access to the Northshore Trail, and bicycle trails as the second, third, and fourth most desired amenities.

Some want additional bicycle trails. That would work out well since others wish for pedestrian trails with the worry of bike traffic.

“Maintaining the rough and pure natural landscape of corps property should be considered,” said Greg Anderson, a Flower Mound resident and frequent user of the Northshore Trail.

“I would hope that developers maintain some restrictions on areas that should remain untouched.”

(Note: the developers of Lakeside DFW intend to do just that.)

Residents who completed the survey concluded that lake views and lake access rank just behind the trail amenities.

Rounding out the list are parks, playgrounds, public art, and public gardens (which rank very close to “indifferent” on the survey).

Amenities like dog parks rank below “indifferent.”

While the list of proposed amenities in part one of the survey was limited, part two gives respondents the chance to suggest amenities that they desire at Lakeside DFW.

These run the gamut, and we will cover them in part two of this story.

 

NOTE: You are encouraged to take the one-minute survey by clicking here (if you haven’t already). The responses play an important role in the planning of Lakeside DFW and in helping town officials understand what citizens want at Lakeside.

Email
Filed Under: Citizen Input, Featured, Survey results: Part 1
« Older Posts