Dear Residents,

We feel it beneficial to follow-up our earlier Westlake Wire with this message regarding development across our unique community.  Town officials and staff share a passion in our efforts to inform and educate our residents on any proposed development that is presented, as well as, any and all other municipal business.  If you have interpreted our efforts in sharing information as it becomes available as an endorsement or support in a project, please know this is not the case. 

It is simply not possible to include every detail about a proposed development (or budget, ordinance, initiative, etc.) in a summary notification.  To help residents or stakeholders stay up-to-date when attendance is not possible at Town workshops/meetings, we often go beyond providing actual meeting minutes by including detailed agenda packets and often send out summarized information and presentation materials to our residents regarding "hot" topics.  We do not take governmental transparency lightly here at Town Hall. Thus, we work hard to provide many different ways for our citizens to access information not only on-line but also face-to-face engagement for further discussion, whether at various meetings at Town Hall, the Mayor's monthly Coffee & Conversation, or your Neighborhood Town Meeting.

As most of you may recall, the Town completed a much needed update to our Comprehensive Plan in March. Over 18 months of workshops and meetings involving residents, landowners, and other community stakeholders were held to gain public input and collaborate together regarding the future of Westlake.  We forged ahead diligently knowing that our town's location was poised for growth and we had to be ready.  The Comp Plan is our guide for the future.  It secures the vision of our Town by implementing key goals, priorities, and guidelines for development set by you- our Westlake citizens, as we realistically address the inevitable growth of our community.

Sadly,  we've known all along that the majority of the open land in Westlake would not stay that

way forever.  We have certainly enjoyed the tranquility of that land sitting there beautifully undeveloped for many years but it has contained a myriad of zoning/usage entitlements in place for over 15 years! Please  know  Westlake's elected officials and staff are doing everything poss ible to keep or move developments as far north and west along the highways and away from our residents' homes and internal roadways (hence, the potential entitlement transfers in proposed Planned Development 3-5).   If development must descend upon us, we will work hard to ensure it is of exceptional quality and represents Westlake well .  

So, watch your email and/or check the Town's website for the latest agenda packets regarding upcoming Council and P&Z Commission meetings and stay informed.  If you know of any neighbors not receiving  our Westlake Wire emails or the Meeting Notification emails, please ask them to contact Communications Director Ginger Awtry with their email address.  

Your concerns matter. And if it is not possible to make any of our Town meetings, then we encourage you to at least send an email to your elected officials or town staff and let us here from you. Two way conversation is vital to a thriving successful community. Thank you!