Killeen Comprehensive Plan
City: Killeen, Texas
Client: City of Killeen
Service TypeComprehensive Plan
TimeframeAdopted August 2022
Land Use Fiscal Assessment & Analysis, Community Engagement, Place Type Creation, Education & Outreach, Land Use Mapping
Project ActivitiesKilleen, a military community in central Texas with over 160,000 residents, has expanded significantly over 60 years, focusing on greenfield development for veterans and first-time homeowners. This growth led to the decline of Downtown and older neighborhoods in north Killeen, as new developments emerged in the south. The city's limited housing diversity failed to retain affluent homeowners, contributing to a widening gap between available resources and the needs for quality services and infrastructure maintenance.
A member of the Verdunity project team leads a walkshop in Killeen, engaging residents in a real-time dialogue about their neighborhoods. By walking the streets, participants identify opportunities for small-scale improvements, from safer crossings to better public spaces, ensuring that local voices shape the city’s future. These neighborhood-focused conversations are a critical part of Killeen’s strategy to implement incremental, community-driven change and enhance quality of life for all.
In 2020, Killeen hired Verdunity to develop a Comprehensive Plan centered on fiscal sustainability and affordability. The plan promotes complete neighborhoods, varied mobility options, and local, small-scale development. The team engaged city leaders, staff, and residents, illustrating the link between development patterns, city budget, and affordability through a detailed land use fiscal analysis. This analysis informed strategies to enhance city revenue, manage costs, and improve residents' quality of life.
The final plan includes an introduction outlining community identity and land use economics, sections on land use, growth management, neighborhoods, mobility, and downtown, and an implementation chapter emphasizing small projects, incremental improvement, and community collaboration.
Verdunity project team members collaborate over a map of Downtown Killeen during a hands-on charrette, shaping the vision for its revitalization. With a focus on incremental redevelopment, stronger partnerships, and public space activation, these discussions are key to breaking the cycle of disinvestment and unlocking Downtown’s potential as a thriving cultural and economic hub .
Our Land Use Fiscal Analysis and presentations can help build support for prioritizing infill and walkable mixed-use neighborhoods over horizontal expansion and auto-centric development. Additionally, a focus on your historic downtown can pay major dividends.
Key Plan Tenets
Planning for a Sustainable Future
Growth is inevitable, but how Killeen grows will define its future. The plan prioritizes fiscal sustainability and responsible land use, ensuring that new development strengthens, rather than strains, the city’s resources. By maximizing infill opportunities, encouraging walkable neighborhoods, and aligning infrastructure investments with long-term value, Killeen aims to grow in a way that supports residents and businesses without creating unsustainable financial burdens. Strategic development decisions today will shape a resilient and prosperous city for generations to come.
The Heart of Killeen’s Future
Downtown Killeen is positioned for a transformation—one that builds on its historic charm while embracing new opportunities for growth. The plan prioritizes incremental revitalization, focusing on small-scale wins that break the cycle of underinvestment. Key initiatives include expanding events and programming, improving safety and wayfinding, creating inviting public spaces, and encouraging small-scale residential and commercial development. Partnerships with local businesses and institutions will play a crucial role in unlocking downtown’s potential, ensuring that it thrives as a cultural, economic, and social hub.
The Big Ideas: A Blueprint for Killeen’s Future
Killeen’s Big Ideas serve as guiding principles to ensure a more resilient, vibrant, and sustainable community. These ideas were shaped through extensive public engagement and provide a roadmap for the city’s long-term success. They focus on fiscally responsible growth, creating stronger neighborhoods, fostering a self-sustaining local business ecosystem, improving transportation and mobility, and ensuring Downtown thrives as a cultural and economic center. These foundational ideas reflect the aspirations of Killeen’s residents and shape every decision made in the comprehensive plan .
Engagement
