At the March 27-28th Design Rodeo workshop, attendees saw the planning process at work and weighed in on this topic as it continues to come together. The information and questions below seek to continue this community dialogue. Add your thoughts, by Friday, May 31st.

Castroville residents of all ages would like to cross Hwy 90, including kids crossing between school and the library, parents with strollers, families crossing between the regional park, home, and Downtown, and seniors meeting up with friends, etc.

The sketch below attempts to resolve the high number of intersections along Hwy 90 due to the odd angle of the highway through the town's street grid. In this sketch, small "slip streets" provide access to businesses along Hwy 90 primarily from the neighborhood. Access along Hwy 90 is broken up into four distinct intersections, rather than the current continuous access to business along Hwy 90. Red buildings represent potential opportunities for redevelopment that could reinforce a signature style of design, but primarily could provide more space for new local businesses, more housing with mixed-use living and apartments above shops, while also growing the property tax base without new outlays of utility infrastructure. Grey buildings are existing buildings.

In this diagram, the streetscape is detailed on both sides of Hwy 90. TXDOT right of way is highlighted in red. The additional right of way on either side of the 100Ft TXDOT right of way is privately owned. The blue buildings represent the potential for multi-story redevelopment along the highway, which could serve as a sound barrier for the single-family neighborhoods behind, and provide opportunities for tax base increases without losing historic buildings or disturbing existing stable neighborhoods.

Below is a rendering of how this plan might look in the real world. (Click to enlarge.)