The Main Street area/sub-district is one portion of a larger effort to ensure Richardson’s best possible future as efforts shift from greenfield development (due to limited vacant land) to reinvestment in the older areas of the city.

In January 2009, the City Council adopted a new Comprehensive Plan, which identified six “Enhancement/Redevelopment” zones. The feeling of City officials was that the true redevelopment potential of these areas could not be determined without a specific, detailed study. The Main Street area and the Central Expressway Corridor are two of the target redevelopment zones designated in the Comprehensive Plan. Both reflect many of the challenges facing first-tier suburbs: aging development and infrastructure; properties that are underperforming due to changes in market conditions, technology and building format; and evolving demographics.

• 2009 Comprehensive Plan (PDF)

Main Street/Central Expressway Enhancement/Redevelopment Strategy
The Main Street area includes the historical downtown of Richardson. Central Expressway is a freeway-oriented commercial corridor with a variety of uses. In an effort to achieve the City Council’s goal of completing the Main Street and the Central Corridor studies in the most expeditious manner, the two are being combined into a single study area.

Phase 1 – Vision Study & Market Analysis
The first phase of the Main Street/Central Expressway Enhancement/Redevelopment Strategy created a strategy for redevelopment and revitalization of Main Street and the Central Expressway Corridor–Richardson’s original downtown and the major access route to the community, its business areas, and neighborhoods. The final report provides strategic recommendations for public investment and policy reform which can be implemented over the near- and long-term to encourage reinvestment. Main Street is one of the eleven sub-districts within the study area.

• Main Street/Central Expressway Vision Study & Marketing Analysis (PDF)

Phases 2 & 3 – Rezoning Initiatives:
Building on the Market Analysis and Vision Study accepted by City Council in January 2013, the second phase of the Main Street/Central Expressway Enhancement/Redevelopment Strategy was a rezoning initiative that focused on four sub-districts centrally located within the Corridor area, including the Main Street sub-district. The rezoning initiative, which created new comprehensive development regulations, was adopted by City Council in January 2015. The third phase rezoned an additional four sub-districts, while also making amendments and refinements to the zoning regulations for the four sub-districts rezoned during Phase 2.

• Main Street/Central Expressway Form Based Code (PDF)

Detailed information about the Main Street/Central Expressway Enhancement/Redevelopment Strategy is available on the project web page.