Allen Downtown Steering Committee (Ad hoc)

The Downtown Steering Committee was appointed by Mayor Ken Fulk and Allen City Council to develop a vision and plan to revitalize the heart of Allen. The work plan will include research, community feedback and team collaboration to create a workable vision for downtown that can be implemented.

  • Updates on Downtown Planning: Follow the progress of downtown revitalization planning at DowntownAllen.com.
  • Meetings and Agendas: The Downtown Steering Committee started their work on June 30, 2021 with a proposed timeline of 12-15 months to complete recommendations for a downtown revitalization plan to present to Council. Meeting minutes are available through the open records portal. 

Task Force Areas

The Downtown Steering Committee included five task force areas assigned to committee members based on their expertise to support the work identified.

  • Ownership and Zoning: Team charge: Identify existing boundaries of Allen's original downtown area, historical districts and overall Central Business District. Document all zoning, preservation and development standards for these areas as well as identify and review existing infrastructure (roads, utilities, parking, etc.).
  • Finance and Economic Development: Team charge: Analyze downtown Allen's current economic impact. Identify financial resources and/or incentives (e.g. grants, downtown designations, existing funds) to encourage downtown development or which can be used to develop public amenities in the old downtown area.
  • Community Use: Team charge: Identify all existing community activities that occur in the downtown area. Develop a list of potential future community activities that could be organized and available to the public within the next two years (and identify groups who would host those activities).
  • Learning from Other Communities: Team charge: Visit nearby redeveloped downtown areas of similar size to determine what is desired and manageable for Allen's downtown. Identify community activities occurring in those downtowns (i.e. McKinney's Oktoberfest). Research may include cities outside North Texas.
  • Community Outreach Practices: Team charge: Develop procedures and processes for the direction, timing and tasks of community outreach as part of Phase 2, which includes working with City management to select a consultant to assist with the outreach process to include residents, business owners, landowners and developers.

Report and Findings

The Downtown Steering Ad Hoc Committee presented their final report to City Council on July 12, 2022. The Downtown Allen Revitalization Plan is the result of nearly a year of community input through workshops, events, surveys and meetings. It provides a vision, goals and an implementation plan to revitalize Allen’s downtown and turn it into the vibrant heart of the city.

Though the plan provides a framework for council reference, no specific developments or changes to Downtown Allen land use were considered by Council during the meeting.