Lake Tyler Master Plan Adopted

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has unanimously adopted the Lake Tyler Master Plan. The plan, which was compiled by Freese and Nichols and Planning Concepts, took nearly two years to complete and includes input received from stakeholder meetings, town hall meetings, a public survey, the Lake Tyler Roundtable and City staff. �The Lake Tyler Master Plan came about from concepts laid out in the Tyler 21 plan,� said Councilman Sam Mezayek, chair of the Lake Tyler Roundtable. �Lake Tyler is truly a jewel and this plan will help us shine it up and make it more enjoyable for the residents of Tyler.�

Officials say the Lake Tyler Master Plan was designed to complement existing amenities and enhance the lake for Tyler residents. The plan contains 19 major recommendations and approximately 60 sub-recommendations as well as long- and short-term implementation plans. These recommendations are broken down into three categories: Planning and Development, Recreation, and Water Quality. Highlights of the plan include:

* The addition of way finding signage to guide visitors to amenities and public access areas;
* Mechanisms for managing development and to restrict new uses that do not contribute to the desirable character of the lakes;
* Access and thoroughfare planning;
* Options for programming and marketing the lakes;
* Expanding water quality sampling and monitoring;
* Continuing aquatic vegetation management; and,
* Evaluating development standards throughout the watershed.

�Like the Tyler 21 Plan, we received and incorporated citizen input when developing the Lake Tyler Master Plan,� said Mayor Barbara Bass. �This input is vital to ensuring that we are creating the best plan possible for all of our residents.� Recommendations included in the Master Plan are:

* Development of hiking and bike trails in the vicinity of the marina, Hill Creek and East Side Drive;
* Enhancements to the East Side recreation facilities;
* A timber management program;
* The addition of camp sites, improved picnic stations, restrooms and security lighting;
* The addition of canoe and kayak facilities; and,
* The addition of a Lake Tyler East Marina and convention facility.