Let’s renew the Richardson promise
for a brighter & more prosperous future.
“We should expect nothing less than greatness for Richardson. Yet, our elected city leaders seem content with doing the bidding of high-density apartment developers at the expense of our safety and prosperity.”
Joe Jackson
Co-Chair, Richardson Renewal Partnership
Refocus on neighborhoods, not more apartments.
Richardson has always been a remarkable place to live — and our safe neighborhoods are among our city’s greatest assets. Yet instead of focusing on projects that maintain strong, family-focused communities, like better roads, new parks and public safety, our city leaders have instead focused on the construction of thousands of new apartments, leading to increased traffic, strains in our schools, and added costs on our city’s infrastructure.
Families have made it clear that we oppose new apartments because in virtually every city they are linked to crime, lower school performance, and reduced property values. Yet, our elected leaders have voted against taxpayers’ wishes time and time again. It’s time to tell our city leaders to stop the policy of using public funds to underwrite the construction of apartments. Instead, let’s focus on renewing our neighborhoods and ensuring our taxes support projects that benefit our residents rather than wealthy developers.
Reject the status quo to achieve the possible.
There comes a time to make a bold change to achieve the possible – this requires rejecting and replacing the status quo with smarter policies proven to strengthen neighborhoods throughout our entire city. Unfortunately, our current city leadership, including the Mayor and City Council, continue to – without hesitation – approve thousands of new apartments.
In the past, when our elected leaders listened to our residents, focused on building our brand of prosperity, especially with the Telecom Corridor, and proudly stood for greatness, every part of Richardson prospered. But with City Hall content with standing for nothing except for the demands of wealthy apartment developers, our entire community suffers. Without new and innovative policies, our city will continue to get what we accept – and that means we are just another generic suburb of Dallas.
Revitalize with new vision & focused energy.
Richardson enjoyed a reputation as a hub of economic development for decades. The Telecom Corridor of DFW served as the case study for innovation and job growth. Yet recently, the focus of our city leaders has shifted from supporting working families and entrepreneurs to doing the bidding of wealthy apartment developers. In response, Richardson business leaders have voiced a common concern — our economy has grown stagnant, resulting in many companies moving to other cities and fewer high-paying jobs for our families. Many parts of Richardson are losing their vitality, plagued by vacant buildings and increased crime. To rebound, we need new vision and energy at City Hall anchored by new and innovative policies that will revitalize the economy in every part of Richardson. Together, we can restore our city’s prosperity and reclaim our position as an economic engine for North Texas with new technology jobs, medical breakthroughs, business incubators, and partnerships with the best and brightest entrepreneurs.
Restore efficiency to lower tax rates.
Supporting police, firefighters, roads and parks is a smart way to use our limited tax dollars. Funding the construction of new apartments is not. To keep our taxes low, our city leaders must return their focus to projects that benefit our residents rather than out-of-town developers who care only about profit and not the future of our city. Everyone at City Hall — from the Mayor and City Council to the City Manager and department heads — should be looking for ways to save taxpayers money and reduce the property tax burden we all face. This means implementing innovative initiatives to reduce wasteful spending across all departments and investing in the little things that make the most significant difference in our residents’ lives, like roads, parks, police, and fire protection.
Recommit to safe schools & neighborhoods.
Our police officers and firefighters risk their lives daily to keep our city safe — and they need stronger support from city leaders to succeed. But when city leaders push for high-density apartment projects, the jobs of first responders become much more difficult. These unwanted properties are linked to higher incidences of crime and a greater number of police calls compared to single-family communities. To ensure they can continue keeping our city safe, we must put an end to these policies that placate apartment developers and instead recommit our dedication to supporting police and fire with the tools and resources they need to keep big city crime problems away from our schools and neighborhoods.
Rebuild roads quickly & safely.
We all want better, safer roads — but never-ending construction? No one wants that. Richardson families have grown impatient with road and street projects that go on far longer than commuters were promised. The mismanagement of our road projects has become a major problem in our city, causing residents to spend too much time in gridlock, and not enough time at home with their loved ones. One key example is the ongoing project on Custer Road, which has been under construction for far too long, adding too much time to our commute. We need city leaders who will work to expedite the completion of our current road projects and prioritize efficiency in future roadwork management.
Return transparency to City Hall.
The best cities are managed in an open and transparent manner by honest leaders who are not afraid to do what is right for their community. Historically, Richardson has been a shining star in the Metroplex — but when city leaders are not honest, that shine begins to fade. To truly revitalize our city, we must restore transparency to City Hall. This means that all meetings involving council members, even those as simple as setting goals or determining budgets, should be recorded and made available to the public. At the Richardson Renewal Partnership, we are advocating for policy changes that will make it easier for all Richardson residents and families to find out what is going on in their city — especially when it involves hot-button issues like allowing new apartment construction, fighting crime, improving traffic, growing our economy and partnering with our public schools.
