ROYSE CITY, Texas — Counties east of Dallas are booming. In the town of Royse City, city leaders are working to manage the challenges of expansion, balancing the needs of its community and misconceptions around managing growth
Main Street in Royse City boasts small-town shops and big-city traffic.
"If you ask anybody that lives out here, the first thing that they're gonna say is the traffic stinks and it does," Delisa Lapinsky, a realtor working in nearby Fate, said.
Delisa Lapinsky is familiar with this busy stretch of road and she’s observed the boom firsthand.
"When you experience growth like this, we're not gonna be able to please everybody," Lapinsky said.
"The traffic, lots of traffic, so much traffic," Janet Nicol, a lifelong Royse City resident and council member, said.
Nicol says the main arterial road through town is busy, made busier by construction to widen I-30.
"All of the people now have found the shortcuts and they’re taking the shortcuts too," Nicol said.
WFAA's Kara Sewell sat down with Nicol and City Manager Carl Alsabrook, who said the city’s main drag is owned by the state. Planning for Royse City’s future means coordinating across multiple levels of government.
"It’s a long intricate process, that doesn’t move near as fast as we want it to so, it’s kind of hard to brag when you see people stuck in traffic," Alsabrook said.
Many roads in smaller communities are under state ownership, changes require navigating a complex approval process and quest for funds.
"2642 is a TXDOT road that they’re making four lanes in front of the high school and that’s caused a lot of issues in the area but it’s going to be really nice when it’s done," Alsabrook said.
Planning takes years and funding to improve roads isn’t approved until there’s a traffic problem.
Whether it’s roads, businesses or water, Alsabrook says they’re not looking for Band-Aid fixes.
"An example would be a new water tower going up on 2642, just started construction, should be open in one year and a half, we haven’t had any water issues, and this is to guarantee hopefully we won’t have any water issues," Alsabrook said.
Each decision focuses on building a self-sufficient community. Nicol and Alsabrook say like the residential interest, commercial developers are eyeing Royse City and nearby communities.
"Thirteen, fourteen years ago they wouldn’t even talk to us now, they’re reaching out to us. There are a lot of things on the horizon that for contractual reasons we can’t release yet but there is a lot of stuff that is about to start out and people will be excited," Alsabrook said.
But in the heart of Royse City, the small-town charm remains a priority.
"This small-town feel is downtown Royse City, it is the heartbeat of Royse City, and they are thriving, they are doing very well," Nicol said.
This is part one of a three-part series highlighting communities east of Dallas. Part 3 will air on Monday, Nov. 25.