New neighborhoods could be coming to Temple as soon as next year

TEMPLE, Texas (KWTX) - A new city program could bring neighborhoods to vacant areas of Temple as soon as next year, targeting East Temple for affordable housing development.

The “Love Where You Build” initiative seeks to address decades-old vacant lots scattered throughout East Temple by offering developers and homeowners more flexibility in building requirements.

Sonjanette Crossley, 76, has watched her East Temple neighborhood change over seven decades. Where houses once filled the areas around her neighborhood, empty parcels now dot the landscape.

“And there were all kinds of houses. But people were glad to have them on all kinds of lots. And a lot of that has disappeared, as you can imagine, in over 70 years,” Crossley said.

The city’s solution involves relaxing setback requirements and site organization rules to make previously unbuildable lots developable, according to Planning Manager Kristina Strickland.

“It’s really to encourage homeowners, builders and developers to make use of those vacant lots by allowing more flexibility with setbacks and site organization,” Strickland said.

For longtime residents like Crossley, the program represents hope for neighborhood revitalization. She believes new development could reduce crime and improve community morale while preserving the area’s historic character.

“I want them to go back and put something there, and then it will eliminate some of the crime, some of the depressed feelings of people in the neighborhood,” she said.

Crossley emphasized the importance of maintaining neighborhood identity in any new construction.

“Salvage some of the preciousness of that history and put something there that kind of reflects that, but also the newness of the time,” she said.

The program extends beyond vacant lot development to benefit existing homeowners seeking to expand their properties. Current residents will face fewer bureaucratic hurdles when adding features like front porches or backyard additions.

“So the mom and pops of the area, if they’ve always wanted to build that addition on their backyard or they wanted to have a large front porch, that’ll benefit those residents as well,” Strickland said.

The city plans to notify around 10,000 property owners through legal notices in the coming year before seeking approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council.

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