Topography

Westlake has a very attractive rolling topography with, in some areas, extreme slopes.  The topography creates opportunities for backdrops to development, exciting views and important elements of a comprehensive open space plan.

Goals and Objectives

1. Preserve natural topography and drainage patterns.
   

   Policies

   1. Minimize the size of building footprints, which can produce large unnatural flat building pads.  Quality site planning is required to orient long sides of buildings parallel with existing contours to minimize cut and fill.  Long rectangular buildings placed perpendicular to existing contours are acceptable only to avoid blocking important views.
   2. For the most part, roadway alignments should parallel existing contours to reduce grading and unnatural land forms.  Roads should stay off of steep gradients of the existing knolls and ridges in order to minimize walls and expensive engineering procedures.
   3. In order to achieve certain important urban design objectives, such as creating buffering along Hwy 114, topography may be altered significantly.
2. Land uses and densities should respond to the existing topography, thereby minimizing substantial topographical changes.
   

   Policies

   1. Building height for commercial structures should be controlled in order to preserve views to and from  prominent hills.
   2. Construction on the steeper slopes should be properly controlled to minimize erosion and destruction of the slopes.
   3. Land uses with large floor plates and large parking requirements, such as commercial, should be located in the flatter lower elevations near Highways 114 and 377.
3. Drainage should be detained or retained on site to avoid increased runoff into the three flood plains that flow to Trophy Club.  Regional coordination of storm water drainage should occur.
   

   Policies

   1. All drainage plans should be designed to control the 100 year flood conditions.
   2. All commercial projects and residential subdivisions of 5 lots or more should be required to submit drainage studies that demonstrate no substantial impact on adjacent properties.
   3. Where storm water management improvements are required, they should be incorporated into existing lakes, or they should be designed in as small an area as possible.  The ratio of storm water basin's area to volume should be minimized, unless creating a lake feature.
   4. Retention basins should be used where basins are required.
   5. The basins should have a shape, depth and side slope gradient that resembles natural ponds.  If several basins are required, they should vary in size and shape, and be separated by tree groves and vegetation.  Landscape materials should enhance wild life habitat where possible.
   6. Drainage plans of individual developments should be coordinated with adjoining properties as well as the whole Town to provide for coordinated open space and a greenbelt of lakes and basins.