(Seguin) – Hoping to ensure residents have a chance to see and comment on future roadway plans, the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court has authorized a potential rollout plan tied to its sharing of a proposed Guadalupe County Thoroughfare Plan.
Although those plans are not ready for public viewing, the county is making sure there is public awareness on how they will be made available in the months ahead.
County leaders say this action will hopefully improve communication with residents as the county rolls out the updated plan. The effort includes allowing commissioners additional time to review the proposal, making updated maps available online and scheduling future public meetings designed to gather feedback from the community.
Guadalupe County Judge Kyle Kutscher says the timeline being discussed by the court would allow residents to review the proposal before it potentially moves toward adoption later this year.
“If we approved an actual plan with dates that are consistent with what we’re talking about, it would be available, updated maps available April 21st –two meetings in May and potential approval in June. There could be modifications in there. It could depend upon input from the public and what comes up and potential changes or modifications we make in public meetings. But it sounds like we’re thinking in that direction though,” said Kutscher.
The move comes as development across Guadalupe County continues to accelerate, bringing increased interest from property owners and developers about how a new thoroughfare plan could affect land use, road expansion and future infrastructure.
Commissioners say having an updated thoroughfare plan in place is important as new developments continue to emerge throughout the county.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Stephen Germann, who proposed the item on the agenda, says the absence of an updated plan can impact roadway planning for all projects such as new subdivisions.
“I ran into a situation around three weeks ago. It’s not a large development; it’s a small development. And my precinct where it is, I believe, four lots where the new thoroughfare plan would have made the developer designate 20 feet for a bigger road in the future. But since we had not passed a thoroughfare plan, our staff had to use the existing thoroughfare plan. And so therefore, we could only get five feet from the developer. These are just examples of what’s happening if we do not proceed forward. I have no intention of running over anybody, but the developers do realize that we haven’t moved forward with this. And so, they’re doing things like what I just said,” said Germann.
County officials say the thoroughfare plan is intended to serve as a long-term guide for how major roads could expand in the future as the population grows. They emphasize that public input will play a key role in shaping the final version of the plan.
The Guadalupe County Commissioners’ Court is expected to further confirm the schedule of public meetings and opportunities for community feedback during its April 7th meeting.