Alison Maguire, District 4 Denton council member, speaks to Voices United
Jane Scholz
Voices United members learned about the state of housing and transportation in our city in March from our new Denton council member Alison Maguire.
The takeaway: Expect a lot of residential and road construction here in the next eight years.
Maguire was elected to the council in May 2021, but District 4 did not then include Robson Ranch. Following Texas law that requires redistricting after each U.S. Census, her district was redrawn in the Fall of 2021 to include Robson. She became our council representative on Dec. 14, 2021.
Maguire, a former public school teacher, talked about the city’s 2040 comprehensive plan, now being drafted. Our city of about 150,000 occupies about 89 square miles: 15% occupied residential property and 35% currently undeveloped—but not for long.
“Housing is and will continue to be a major challenge. Denton has about 58,000 housing units,” she said. “By 2040, we will need more than 95,000 units to accommodate a projected population increase of nearly 90,000.”
“Affordable housing, already an issue, will continue to be a priority for the city for both families and seniors,” she said.
“Average rent for a two-bedroom apartment now is $1,200 a month, which is more than 50% of income for low-income families,” she said.
Transportation will also be a focus. The biggest impact Robson residents may see will be the completion of Loop 288 west of I35W. The bypass route, which will swing west of Denton Airport and through the Cole Ranch property, will reconnect to I35W near what is now the Ponder Exit north of our neighborhood.
You can see the 2040 city plan at www.discussdenton.com/denton2040.
Voices United is a non-partisan group of Robson Ranch women who share progressive values, perform community outreach, and provide civic awareness and social contacts for members.
We’re a 501(c)(3) organization open to Robson Ranch residents. To learn more about Voices United or to join us, visit our website at www.voicesunitedrr.org. New members are welcome.