Council update Council is listening and continued the hearing to Tuesday, November 17 at 7 pm. See what happened →
Watercolor aerial of the resident vision for Roanoke Ranch: a tree-lined main street, town green, two ponds with walking trails, and a greenbelt buffer along Briarwyck

Roanoke Ranch · A resident vision

Roanoke Ranch, Reimagined

Just Roanoke, done right.

Seventy acres on 114, right in Briarwyck's backyard, are about to become the front door of Roanoke. We're not trying to stop it. We'd love to help make it one more place Roanoke is proud of, like everything else this city has built.

Add your name … neighbors have signed

City Council update · October 27

Council is listening. Now let's show them how united we are.

The October 27 council meeting went so well! Thank you to everyone who signed, wrote letters, showed up and spoke. Council members told us more than once that our requests were specific and reasonable, and it was clear they had read them closely.

Because so many of the ordinance changes we asked for are new, like keeping the 114 frontage from becoming a row of fast food drive-thrus and keeping signs low and simple, Council continued the public hearing to Tuesday, November 17 at 7 pm. That gives them time to work through the exact ordinance language without being rushed, and gives the developer time to look at how our requests can fit into their plans.

That's a really good sign, and so is the leadership we saw from Mayor Gierisch. He was clear with the developer that community spaces, greenbelts and the overall experience need to be taken seriously, because the city is united on this. His dedication to Roanoke residents really showed, and we're so grateful. Our conversations with the developer's team afterward were warm and upbeat, too.

Why the petition matters more than ever

Council can only work with the tools the law gives them. They don't get to choose who leases space here. What they can do is shape the zoning ordinance: what's allowed, what needs a permit, and how buildings, signs and lighting have to look. That's why our petition asks for specific ordinance language, not just a list of things we don't want.

Nothing is final yet, and there's no guarantee every request will be written in exactly as we asked. But we know we're on the right track, and every Roanoke name makes the case stronger.

…neighbors have signed so farOver 400 in the first week alone
About 7,000adults call Roanoke home2020 Census: 9,665 residents, about 27% under 18
3 weeksuntil Council takes this up again on Tuesday, November 17 at 7 pm

Roanoke is under 7 square miles and nearly built out. Other than a few small sites on 377, this is the last large development we'll ever have. Let's make it our crowning glory.

Share with your Roanoke neighbors Tell Council what matters most to you Haven't signed yet? Add your name

What we gave Council and the developer on October 27

The one-page summary, and the specific ordinance changes we requested, section by section.

One-page summary (PDF) Requested ordinance changes (PDF)

Picture this

A Saturday at Roanoke Ranch

You park behind a row of brick storefronts and walk out onto a main street lined with shade trees. Your daughter's ice cream cone is melting faster than she can eat it. Down the block, kids are shrieking through the fountains while their parents sit in the shade of a pergola. The bakery has its door propped open. When the sun goes down, the string lights come on over a restaurant patio, and nobody is in a hurry to leave.

None of this is luxury. It's brick and shade trees and a place to sit down. It's what Roanoke already did on Oak Street.

Roanoke City Hall at dusk with its lit clock tower, plaza and pergola
Roanoke City Hall
The fountains in front of Roanoke City Hall
The City Hall fountains
Rendering of the new Roanoke convention center and hotel at dusk
The new convention center and hotelRendering

Where the idea came from

Inspired by what we already built

Think about our City Hall. The clock tower, the fountains, the brick. It looks like it belongs on a postcard, and it didn't happen by accident. It happened because our city's leaders held a standard.

For over twenty years, Mayor Scooter Gierisch and our City Council have been building something rare. Oak Street became the Unique Dining Capital of Texas. And the new convention center and The Cade Hotel are about to show the whole metroplex what Roanoke can do.

That's the heart of this vision. The clock tower and fountains on the town green are a nod to City Hall, and the storefronts are a modern next chapter of Oak Street.

Roanoke Ranch could be the piece that ties it all together. The developer calls this "the last open master-planned frontage on the SH 114 corridor." It's the first thing thousands of people see every day on 114, the front door of everything this city has built. There's only one, and once it's built, it will be part of Roanoke for the next fifty years. Let's make it look like it belongs here.

Working with the developer's plan, not against it

What stays

A project this size has to work for the developer, too. We get that. So this vision keeps the pieces they need:

  • The flex warehouse and light industrial buildings. They're part of the deal, and they stay right where the developer placed them.
  • A big anchor store and its member fuel station. Honestly, we'd welcome a warehouse club.
  • Larger retail stores and pad sites along 114. A center like this needs them to work. We're not asking them to give those up.

What we're asking for is a place to gather. Put the larger stores at the ends of the street, the way Park Village does, and make the heart of it a shaded main street and a town green where families can walk, sit and stay awhile. We'd love to see some room for local shops and restaurants there too, wherever the numbers work. Same land. Same buildings. Designed around people and community, with plenty of parking right behind the shops.

Side by side

Same land. Same buildings. A different heart.

We're not asking for one exact plan. We're residents with a vision, not planners or developers. But we'd rather bring ideas and solutions to the table than sit back and poke holes in what we don't like. That doesn't help anyone. We believe everyone involved, from the city to the developers to us residents, wants the same thing: something that improves our city, brings in revenue, and builds community. So here are three ways it could work.

Developer's newest aerial rendering of Roanoke Ranch, shown to City Council on October 27
Their newest planPhoto of the developer's slide, City Council, October 27
Developer's October 19 aerial rendering of Roanoke Ranch, with a pond and fountain
Their October 19 plan, with a pond and fountainPhoto of the developer's slide, Planning & Zoning, October 19
Developer slide titled Retail First. Community Aligned.
"A town center built around the neighborhood it serves"Photo of the developer's slide, City Council, October 27
Developer slide titled Retail Town Center, listing tenant types and about 50 acres dedicated to retail
"~50 acres dedicated to retail"Photo of the developer's slide, City Council, October 27
Developer slide titled Architectural Character, with a rendering of a row of storefronts behind a parking lot
"Architectural Character"Photo of the developer's slide, City Council, October 27
Developer slide titled Supporting Flex Office Warehouse
"Supporting Flex / Office Warehouse"Photo of the developer's slide, City Council, October 27

Their newest plan · October 27

What the developer showed us

Their slides say all the right things: "A town center built around the neighborhood it serves." "Retail front and center." "Unified design language." We agree with every word.

Their newest plan, shown to City Council on October 27, shows they took Planning & Zoning seriously. Two of the four warehouses are gone, with a row of shops in their place, and there's a wall and a row of trees along our neighborhood.

The plans just haven't caught up to the words yet. The heart of it is still a big parking field, with no main street, no gathering place, and no shade to walk in. And the pond with the fountain from their October 19 plan has become a dry detention area.

The good news is this developer keeps listening. They went from a strip of retail in front of warehouses to 50 acres of retail because people want to be here. We believe they can rise to this, too. We'd love to see the pond come back, and the town center their own slides describe become part of the final plan.

Option 1 resident concept map: two rows of shops around a town green, larger stores as bookends, parking courts behind the shops, and the anchor at the back

Option 1 · A Roanoke version

The full vision

Tap to enlarge. For discussion only, not to scale.

  • Flex warehouse and light industrial buildings stay where the developer placed them
  • The anchor keeps its own lot and fuel, with larger stores as bookends and pad sites on 114
  • Plenty of surface parking throughout: the anchor's own big lot, parking courts right behind every block of shops, and parking at the restaurant pads. No garages, and you're never far from your car.
  • A town green at the heart, with fountains and a clock tower inspired by City Hall, and shops and restaurants all around it
  • Pond walks, a greenbelt trail along our homes, and loading docks facing away from us
Option 2 resident concept map: one row of shops and the town green near SH-114, larger stores at each end, junior box stores by the anchor, and large shaded parking fields behind the shops

Option 2

More parking, larger stores, the same heart

Tap to enlarge. For discussion only, not to scale.

What changes

  • One row of shops and restaurants along a shaded promenade, instead of two
  • Larger stores at each end of the promenade
  • Much more surface parking, with big shaded parking fields right behind the shops

What stays

  • Main Street, running from 114 past the town green all the way to the anchor
  • The town green, fountains and clock tower, now up front where everyone on 114 can see them
  • Restaurant patios on 114, the pond walks, the greenbelt trail and the 65 foot buffer
  • The flex buildings, the junior box stores, the anchor and its member fuel, right where the developer's newest plan places them
Option 3 resident concept map: the anchor, member fuel and junior box stores along SH-114, shared shaded parking in the middle, and Main Street shops with a town green by the greenbelt trail, with a screening wall behind the shops

Option 3

Big stores on 114, a walkable heart near home

Tap to enlarge. For discussion only, not to scale.

What changes

  • The anchor, its member fuel and the junior box stores move up to 114, where the traffic already is
  • The town green and Main Street shops sit by the greenbelt, a short walk from Briarwyck
  • A 6 foot screening wall behind the shops keeps trash and deliveries out of sight from the trail and our homes. The town green stays open to the trail.
  • Trucks, fuel and the busiest parking stay by the highway, far from our homes

What stays

  • Plenty of shaded surface parking, shared by the big stores and the shops
  • The pond walks, the greenbelt trail and the 65 foot buffer
  • The flex buildings, right where the developer placed them

The trade-off: the shops get less visibility from 114. Whether that works is a question for the developer and their tenants.

There are lots of ways to get this right. We're not trying to draw the final plan for anyone. We just want to show what's possible and work it out together.

Walk through it

What it could feel like

Everyday places for everyday Roanoke. Brick, shade trees, black awnings, and room to linger.

Watercolor of a shaded brick main street with storefronts, a family walking, and the clock tower ahead

Main Street

Walking to dinner under shade trees, past a bakery, an ice cream shop, and a few favorite stores, all in warm brick and stone. A modern next chapter of Oak Street.

Watercolor of a town green with a splash pad, pergola, families picnicking, and the clock tower

The town green

Fountains to run through, a pergola for the grown-ups, and a lawn for the picnic blanket. A little of what we love about City Hall, right in the middle of it all.

Watercolor of neighbors dining on a restaurant patio at sunset under string lights

Dinner on the patio

String lights, a table outside with friends, and a slow walk past the fountains on the way home.

Watercolor of girls biking across a trail bridge toward a pond with a fountain and pergola

Connected to our trails

Our trail to downtown already runs right past this land. Link it in, and a family could bike from their front door to Main Street to Oak Street without ever getting in the car.

Watercolor of a greenbelt trail between a row of evergreens and wall on one side and the quiet backs of brick buildings on the other

The neighborhood edge

This is what our backyards would see. A 65 foot greenbelt, an 8 foot wall, tall evergreens, and a quiet trail. No parking, no loading docks, no trucks.

Watercolor of a brick warehouse club store with shaded parking and a family loading bulk groceries

The anchor, done right

Same big store, same Saturday errand. Just built in brick and stone, with shade trees in the parking lot.

These are a resident's vision, not a developer or city drawing. They show how the same land could be arranged around people.

A partnership with the developers

Updated after the October 27 Council meeting

Let's continue the collaboration.

This developer keeps listening. They grew the plan from a small strip of shops to 50 acres of retail, committed to a 65 foot buffer at Planning & Zoning on October 19, and listed those commitments right on their slides at City Council on October 27. Council continued the hearing to November 17 to write it all into the ordinance. Here's where things stand.

What we've worked out so far

Recommended by Planning & Zoning on October 19, with where each one stood on the developer's slides on October 27. Thank you to the developer for putting these in front of Council.

✓ Green: on their slides– Gold: partly there

  • A 65 foot buffer along our homesOn their Oct 27 slides
  • A new 8 foot masonry wall and a continuous row of 8 foot evergreensOn their Oct 27 slides
  • Buffer landscaping planted early so it has time to growOct 27: Their slides say the screening comes after underground utility work along our edge, which makes sense for the trees. We're asking for the wall and evergreens right after that work, before other construction begins.
  • At least 50 of the 70 acres stay retail, in writingOct 27: One slide says "~50 acres dedicated to retail," but their P&Z notes slide says "non-warehouse/office uses." That's so broad it could allow uses no one has even considered yet, and it isn't in the draft ordinance at all. We'd like the ordinance to say retail. If they have other uses in mind, we'd love to hear them so everyone can talk about them openly.
  • Curbs and signage to keep trucks out of the neighborhood, and heavy trucks limited to 114 access pointsOct 27: Hooded curbs and signs are on their slides. We'd like the truck route in writing too, from the developer and in the ordinance: delivery trucks use 114, not Bristol, Bentley, Blythe Bridge, the Marshall Creek bridge or 377.
  • Fuel and car wash only as part of a major retailer, no standalone auto businessesOct 27: Their slides say standalone auto businesses "will require an SUP" (a Specific Use Permit), which still leaves the door open. P&Z's list said no standalone auto uses, and with eleven standalone auto businesses already in Roanoke, we'd like that written into the ordinance.
  • A lighting study so no light spills into backyardsOn their Oct 27 slides
  • No signs on the backs of buildings facing homesOn their Oct 27 slides, as no lit signs on the backs of the shops
  • Boutique retail spaces for smaller businessesOct 27: Their slides mention "several options" for smaller shops, but nothing yet says how many, how small, or what the mix will be. We'd love some spaces sized for local shops, wherever the numbers work.
  • A set schedule for construction hoursOct 27: Their slides say hours will follow the city's current rules. We're asking for 7 am to 7 pm in writing.
  • Changes over 5% come back to P&Z and CouncilOn their Oct 27 slidesThe draft ordinance doesn't reflect this yet, so we're asking that the final version does.

Still being worked out before November 17

Safety first, then the parts that make it beautiful and a place to gather, put in writing so nothing critical to the vision gets overlooked as time passes.

  1. Keep trucks and cut-through traffic off our streetsBristol, Bentley, Blythe Bridge, the Marshall Creek bridge and 377. That's at the top of everyone's list.
  2. High design standards, in writingAt the October 27 meeting, the developer described how the anchor store's tilt walls would have brick all the way up. That takes more time and money, and they've found a builder here who will build that way. We find that really encouraging! Now we'd love to see it written into the ordinance, since the current draft would still let the anchor use metal panels and its standard prototype design.
  3. Real landscaping and shadeThe developer's October 27 renderings showed a lot more lush landscaping, and their representative pointed it out specifically. We love that they're ready to make it a priority! The next step is getting it into the ordinance, since the current draft asks for only 10% landscaping and counts rock and artificial turf toward it. We'd love living plants and shade trees, including in the parking fields.
  4. Bring back the pond NewTheir October 19 plan had a pond with a fountain. The October 27 plan has a dry detention area instead. A pond with fountains and a walking path would draw shoppers and diners alike.
  5. A place to gatherA shaded main street, a town green or plaza at the heart, patios, and a connection to our trail to downtown. Right now the draft ordinance says these "may" be included. We'd like it to clearly define what "shall" be included, so this becomes a real community gathering place and not soulless generic retail.
  6. Greenbelt, not asphalt, along our homesA landscaped trail along the buffer, with no parking touching the evergreens and loading docks facing away from homes.
  7. Room for local favoritesKeep the larger stores and pads, and mix in smaller spaces for local shops and restaurants wherever the numbers work, with medical and office upstairs.
  8. Retail, in writing and on scheduleAbout 50 acres of retail, restaurants and services, the way their own slide says, built on their own timeline (pads in fall 2027, buildings in summer 2028) alongside the flex buildings.
  9. Sit-down dining and simple signs on 114The pad sites are still shown as coffee, burger and chicken. That's why the four protections below matter.
  10. Quiet hours and early screeningLoading, deliveries and trash pickup only 7 am to 7 pm, construction 7 am to 7 pm, and the wall and trees in place right after the utility work, before other construction begins.

Tell Council which of these matter most to you →

Putting the vision in writing

A front door worthy of Roanoke

The 114 frontage is the first thing thousands of people see every day. Roanoke is the Unique Dining Capital of Texas, and we'd love this to feel like it: sit-down restaurants with patios, beautiful storefronts, and the kind of local favorites people drive to Oak Street for. These four protections help put that picture in writing.

Protection 1

Sit-down dining along 114

No drive-thrus for restaurants or coffee shops anywhere in the development. Takeout and curbside pickup are still welcome.

Protection 2

Drive-thrus by permit for banks and pharmacies

Allowed with a Specific Use Permit, reviewed in public and approved by City Council.

Protection 3

Signs and lighting that fit Roanoke

Low brick or stone monument signs, no tall pole or flashing signs, and shielded lighting that stays out of our backyards.

Protection 4

One design standard for every building

We know chains and franchises are part of any center like this, even in the Unique Dining Capital of Texas. When they come, we'd like their buildings designed to match the rest of the center, not their standard prototypes.

The Costco many of us shop at in Southlake has beautiful masonry and stone finishes, so it can be done. And the Shake Shack at Southlake Town Square was built to match the square: no drive-thru, a beautiful brick exterior, and a patio with seating in the shade and the sunshine.

A note from Melissa

I've lived in Roanoke for fourteen and a half years, and I love this town. For as long as I've been here, I've driven past this land and wondered what it would become someday. I always hoped it would be something wonderful.

Now someday is here. I'm not a developer or a planner. I'm a neighbor who wants to do what I can to make sure this land lives up to its potential, and becomes something worthy of being the last open frontage on 114.

If you feel the same way, I'd love to have your name next to mine.

Melissa Aulds, Briarwyck

The petition

Add your name before November 17

We'll bring every name back to City Council on Tuesday, November 17 at 7 pm. It takes about 30 seconds, and it shows Council how united Roanoke is on this.

To the Mayor and City Council of Roanoke:

We are Roanoke residents. We are not asking you to stop Roanoke Ranch. We are asking you to help make it something special. This is the last open master-planned frontage on the 114 corridor, and it should look and feel like Roanoke.

We understand the flex warehouse and light industrial buildings, a large anchor store, and larger retail pads are part of making this project work. We are not asking the developer to give those up. We are asking for the right mix, with room for local shops, boutiques and restaurants, designed around people and community.

Please keep every protection Planning & Zoning recommended, and make these part of the binding approval:

  1. Loading, unloading and trash collection limited to 7 am to 7 pm, permanently, for every tenant.
  2. Construction hours limited to 7 am to 7 pm.
  3. Traffic control that keeps trucks and cut-through traffic off Bristol, Bentley, Blythe Bridge, the Marshall Creek bridge and 377, with loading docks facing away from homes.
  4. A landscaped greenbelt and trail along our homes, not parking.
  5. One upscale standard for every building, matching our City Hall and new convention center.
  6. Some smaller spaces mixed in for local shops and restaurants, alongside the larger stores.
  7. Retail built on the developer's own schedule, alongside the flex warehouse and light industrial buildings.
  8. A place with real Roanoke character: a shaded main street, a town green with fountains inspired by City Hall, patios, parking behind the shops, and a connection to our existing trail to downtown.
  9. Sit-down dining along 114: no drive-thrus for restaurants or coffee shops anywhere in the development. Takeout and curbside pickup are still welcome.
  10. Drive-thrus for banks and pharmacies only with a Specific Use Permit, reviewed in public and approved by City Council.
  11. Low brick or stone monument signs, no tall pole or flashing signs, and shielded lighting that stays out of our backyards.
  12. One design standard for every building, including national chains and the anchor store, in quality masonry rather than standard prototype designs.

Just Roanoke, done right.

I support this

… neighbors so far

Where do you live? (pick one)

Your full name and street go to City Council with the petition. Your email is never shown or shared. We'll only use it for updates about Roanoke Ranch and this petition, and you can ask to be removed anytime.

Your voice, your priorities

Tell Council what matters most to you

Not everyone can make it to a council meeting and speak. This is a way to give more specific input, especially if you agree with some of these and not others. That's exactly what we want to hear.

For example, a lot of us don't want fast food drive-thrus on 114, but some neighbors may feel differently about a drive-thru coffee shop. Knowing that helps us, and Council, get the details right.

I'll share a summary with the Mayor and City Council: the totals for each item and some of your comments, with first names only. Your email stays private. Answer as many or as few as you like, and you can come back and change your answers anytime with the same email.

Top priority: this one really matters to meSupport: I'm for itNot for me: I don't agree with this one
Where do you live? (pick one)

Live tracker

What neighbors are saying so far

Loading…

Live nearby?

Would you shop here?

Live in a nearby town? You can still help. If you live close enough to shop here, let the developer know you'd love a place like this.

Have a Roanoke mailing address? Please sign the petition above instead, even if you live just outside city limits. Council sees those names in their own section, so it's always clear where everyone lives.

This is separate from the petition above. It just shows how many people from around the area would come to eat, shop and spend time at Roanoke Ranch if it's done well.

Count me in

Your name and city may be shared with the developer and City Council. Your email is never shown or shared.

Spread the word

Every neighbor counts

Your neighbors

Who's signed

… neighbors and counting.

Loading…