HUTTO, TX, November 4, 2008 -- The four-day charrette to shape future growth in Hutto is at its half-way point. Tonight, citizens get an early glimpse of the consultants’ first take on what they’ve heard from residents, business people, and city officials.

The project team will literally pin-up ideas for a public critique at the Holiday Inn Express at 6:30 p.m. For a complete schedule of the week’s public sessions, go here. Below is a look into some of the stakeholder opinions that emerged from Tuesday’s meetings and help set the stage for tonight’s pin-up:

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The Tuesday discussions, which addressed neighborhood issues and real estate development challenges, were a continuation of Monday night’s opening presentation. Part of that opening event was a facilitated exercise in which citizens rated images of Hutto and nearby communities. To see the images and citizens’ comments, click here (.pdf, 816kb).

The bottom line? Street trees and other greenery are high value amenities. Most folks admire Hutto’s historic downtown, even if they worry about adequate parking for businesses. Sprawl along anywhere-USA highways drew yucks, as did stand-alone metal storage or industrial facilities – though some folks made the point that there has to be a place for such facilities. Just about everybody showed admiration for residential neighborhoods with mature trees and sidewalks. And, of course, the image of the Hutto Hippo was a fave.

The image survey, combined with stakeholder discussions Tuesday, gave the consulting team some ideas to test for tonight’s presentation. Many of the questions from developers, especially regarding the look and feel of communities designed according to the SmartCode regulating plan being suggested for new growth areas, are likely to be answered by the Shiloh Community model project proposed by a coalition of local land owners. The 800-acre site provides an ideal test for the mixed-use approach to planning that Hutto is interested in.

Will market demand justify what will be a unique combination of residential, commercial, and retail in the region? Will builders understand how to build it? Might such a project inspire other developers to try the SmartCode approach, perhaps even in existing neighborhoods?

Those and other key questions about the viability of this new-to-Hutto style of development will be tested over the next two days.