Clay Barnett, Grayson County Engineer addressed the Howe City Council on Tuesday and told them that the county has projected roughly a 350,000 population for the county in 2040 which is an increase of over 200,000. He stated that the majority of that would be in South Grayson County. With that information, the commissioners’ court tasked Barnett with creating a county-wide thoroughfare plan for each city to adopt.
“We started with all of the cities that had thoroughfare plans, for example, Sherman, Denison, Gunter, Van Alstyne, and Howe,” Barnett told the council. “The goal is to be able to get from one side of the county to the other.”
Barnett said one of the projects they are looking at is the FM 902 connection which currently spills west traffic through town instead of a direct connection. Barnett said the plan has language that requires developers to donate right-of-ways along the projected expansions.
County Commissioner Jeff Whitmire told the council that people have been talking about growth for 40 years but now it’s really happening.
“How do we get the infill between (US Highway) 75 and (Texas State Highway) 289 and how do we take advantage of it,” said Whitmire to the council.
He indicated that FM 121 would be a main connection as well as FM 902 and State Highways 56 and 82.
“This is kind of a two-part deal,” said Whitmire. “Right now we have to have a comprehensive thoroughfare plan to access some additional TxDOT dollars. That means that everyone is on board with it.”
Whitmire says that Gunter did not have a quorum present at their city council meeting to approve the plan and that they were meeting in special session next week. Otherwise, he stated that Sherman, Pottsboro, Denison, Van Alstyne, Whitesboro, and Van Alstyne have all approved the plan. He stated that after July 4, they are scheduled with Whitewright, Tioga, Bells, and Collinsville.
“You will remain in control what happens inside the city of Howe,” Whitmire told the council. “If you decide several years from now that you don’t like a certain angle, then you change it and update us and we update the entire document. The county is not taking control of what happens. Howe still has control over what happens in Howe.”
Howe councilman Sam Haigis asked whether Howe would have access to the TxDOT dollars in which Whitmire said that most of the dollars would be spent on US Highway 75. But he said the county wants to fix FM 902 for a major east/west connection which has to be remedied in Tom Bean and in Howe.
“We can devote county money, some resources from TxDOT if there’s some city participation also on what would be a state road. It has to become a state road which FM 902 already is,” said Whitmire.
The council approved the plan unopposed.