Sidewalks in Southlake are guided by a master plan that includes recommendations for sidewalk and trail segments across the City. Most recently, as part of the Southlake 2030 master planning, initiatives, City leaders adopted the Mobility Master Plan, which includes recommendations for the ongoing development of the City’s sidewalk network.
As part of the plan, Council approved the Pathways Master Plan Map (December 2021). The Pathways Master Plan Map shows planned segments and their characteristics. This plan guides the development of the annual sidewalk budget, as well as requirements for private development.
Using the master plan as a guide, sidewalks ultimately get built one of four ways:
We’re always looking for ways to make sure that when it comes to funding sidewalks, we’re making the most for our sidewalk dollars. There are several factors that are taken into consideration before a sidewalk is built. We first take a look at where the sidewalk gaps are and from there we look at:
It costs anywhere from $20-60 per square foot to build sidewalks. We also actively seek out federal and state grants to help fund new sidewalks in town.
As much as possible, we include new sidewalks into existing projects. For the City, this could be including sidewalks into major road-widening projects. We used this process to help identify sidewalk needs along Southlake Boulevard. On the commercial and residential side, we work with developers to include sidewalks in their developments as well.
The City of Southlake has a program to assist neighborhood organizations or homeowner's associations with identifying potential sidewalk projects within neighborhoods and paying up to 50% of the costs. Neighborhood organizations or homeowner's associations are encouraged to apply for funds to build sidewalk projects they feel would make a difference in improving the safety in their neighborhoods or provide critical connections to schools, parks, or other sidewalks. Start the process by completing an application.