Wylie city council gave direction for city staff to begin work on transforming Ballard into a one-lane thoroughfare after a work session at the Sept. 10 meeting. 

Council discussed the matter at a July meeting. As previously reported in The Wylie News, following council’s approval of a traffic study in 2022, city staff’s focus has centered on converting Ballard Avenue and Birmingham Street from two-way to one-way streets with parallel parking on both sides and wider sidewalks.

At the Sept. 10 meeting, Jenneen Elkhalid, engineering project manager for the city, gave a status update to council about the Downtown Project lane, parking and sidewalk configuration. She said city staff wanted some additional feedback from council so staff could have a clear path going forward.

Mayor Matthew Porter said city leaders could explore finding funding through federal great programs and local channels to help offset costs for the plan. He wants council to get an update on the project before the end of the year.

Council also considered two items that had been approved by the planning & zoning committee in August.

A SUP for a cigar lounge in Wylie’s downtown historic district was denied, but council approved a change in zoning to allow drone delivery service at Walmart, located at 2050 N. State Hwy 78.

For the complete story see the Sept. 19 edition of The Wylie News. Subscribe today and support local journalism in your community.

By Don Munsch • [email protected]