Press Release
For Release: January 27, 2016
CONTACT: Greg Sowell, 972-897-2762
To view the State of the City Intro video, Please click here.
RICHARDSON STATE OF THE CITY EVENT HIGHLIGHTS MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2015
Community successes include State Farm, Raytheon taking CityLine occupancy and other destination shops, services coming soon; plus citizen approval of a $115 million bond program for vital infrastructure enhancements(Richardson, TX) – Today the City of Richardson held its annual State of the City Address, showcasing the community’s many game-changing successes of 2015 and future priorities. Mayor Paul Voelker and members of the Richardson City Council delivered the report as part of a free, open-to-the-public event at the Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts and Corporate Presentations.The event focused on key community issues, as well as priorities and goals previously identified by the Richardson City Council. The presentation’s primary areas of focus, and selected achievements in each area, included the following:Economic Development
· State Farm took occupancy of its new corporate campus within the massive, $1.5 billion CityLine development, becoming the city’s largest employer with a workforce expected to reach 10,000 over the next few years.
· Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information & Services division began occupying its new, three-building, 500,000-square-foot campus within CityLine.
· CityLine became the region’s newest destination retail development with a new high-end Aloft Hotel and Whole Foods grocery store announced as part of the development; Texas’ first Tom+Chee location opened in 2015; and many other unique dining and retail venues are also coming soon.
· Children’s Medical Center and Texas Health Resources also opened new facilities within CityLine. Nearby, work began on the $500 million Alexan mixed-use development on the west side of the DART Red Line.
· Construction began on Palisades, a 58-acre development featuring an office tower, high-rise luxury condos and single-family homes west of US 75.
· New businesses moving to Richardson include RealPage (up to 1,600 employees), Frontier Communications (800 employees) and GEICO (1,400 employees).
· Numerous new dining options came to Richardson, including Tokyo Joe’s, Torchy’s Tacos, Pollo Tropical and the under-construction Richardson Restaurant Park – soon to be home to The Rock Wood-Fired Kitchen and the Dog Haus, with more tenants coming soon.
Infrastructure
· Since 2012, the City has more than doubled funding for infrastructure such as street maintenance, screening walls, street signs, bridge railings and pavement markers.
· Richardson ramped down its 2010 Bond Program, providing residents with 4.8 miles of new alleys, Fire Station #4, Richardson Gymnastics Center, and the Heights Recreation Center and Aquatic Center.
· Citizens voted to approve the 2015 Bond Program, providing $115 million for infrastructure improvements including a renovated public safety campus near Main Street, replacement of Fire Station #3, new playground equipment, Spring Creek Nature Area trail expansions and replacement of more than 10 miles of sidewalks and nearly 5 miles of street repairs.
· The city earned designation as a Bike-Friendly Community by the National League of American Bicyclists.
Public Health and Safety
· The City purchased 60 acres of land at the Spring Creek Nature Area to create a 100-acre preserve near CityLine, offering a natural recreation environment.
· An increase in funding provided for the purchase of a new ambulance and for additional EMS staff.
· Five new positions were created in the Richardson Police Department.
· The City of Richardson continued to invest in mosquito abatement, and in 2015 there were no reported human cases of the West Nile virus in Richardson.
Community Experience
· Richardson was named one of the “Top 100 Cities for Millennials to Relocate” by Forbes Magazine.
· The new Northrich Park opened, which was made possible by the 2010 Bond Program and a partnership with RISD.
· The city completed renovations and reopened Sherrill Park Course 1.
· Richardson Library now boasts a 3D printer available to all library cardholders.
· A $250,000 private citizen donation provided for a new surgical suite at the Richardson Animal Shelter.
Education
· Richardson and Plano Independent School Districts both continued STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) educational partnerships with The University of Texas at Dallas, Richland College and Collin County Community College.
· UT Dallas was recognized by Bloomberg for having a better record for tech job placement than that of Stanford or Harvard.
· Two RISD teachers and three PISD teachers won Innovations in STEM Teaching Awards from the TI Foundation.