Plano Tomorrow Survives Legal Challenge; Debates About Planning Remain

"A dispute over the Plano Tomorrow comprehensive plan came to an end Sept. 19 with a district court ruling in the city’s favor," reports Liesbeth Powers.

"The summary judgment granted by Visiting Judge Henry Wade ends the City of Plano v. Carruth lawsuit, or “the Plano Tomorrow lawsuit,” which called into question whether or not the city secretary is obligated to submit a petition for a referendum on the city’s comprehensive plan to Plano City Council," according to Powers.

Over the summer the city looked ready to repeal the Plano Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan to appease the legal challenges, but the deal with groups behind the lawsuit fell apart quickly, according to Powers.

A Dallas Morning New editorial published after the judge's decision takes sides on the matter:

For various reasons, we're pleased that Plano’s vision for the future won this important legal victory. It is good that the court didn’t force Plano into a corner. Decisions about future growth are best handled by local elected officials and residents, and the ramifications would have reverberated across the state had the court injected itself deeper into the process.

The editorial also takes sides on larger questions about planning in Texas in the 21st century:

Cities, especially first-ring suburbs, must adapt to the times. Plano Tomorrow, the city’s master plan designed to promote sustainable housing and retail, attempts to accomplish that transition.