The City of Coppell hosted two meetings regarding the proposed Cotton Belt line that will
ultimately pass through Coppell on its way to DFW Airport. The 26 mile Cotton Belt Corridor will connect the Shiloh Road station in Plano
WFFA reports that the Cotton Belt Train line and the Bullet train to Austin are listed as top priorities for the new administration. More on that story can be found here:
We are faced with a unique challenge as a city because, by right, DART can proceed with the Cotton Belt line on the existing route without our input. The only hurdle DART has is to elevate the tracks as it crosses at S. Denton Tap adjacent to several residential neighborhoods. The thought for many homeowners along that route to have a track looming 30 feet above their property would be quite disheartening to say the least.
Keeping in consideration that Coppell is not a member of DART, we are extremely fortunate one of the options on the table for the Cotton Belt is to construct the new tracks south of Beltline Road so a station can be created in Cypress Waters.
Several years ago past Coppell City Councils had the foresight to reach a strategic settlement with Billingsley, whereby, the City owns a large a tract of land where the tracks and potentially the station are being proposed.
This strategic settlement has given Coppell the unique opportunity to participate in the DART discussions that we would have normally been shut out of. By forging new relationships and negotiating wisely, we all can arrive at a solution that will not only be beneficial to the residents of Coppell but to the region but as whole. Nearby residents will be not forced to contend with the noise and an elevated railway over looking their backyards while all of our citizens can benefit from the convenience of DART station just moments away from Coppell.
General information on the Cotton Belt Corridor can be found at DART's website https://www.dart.org/about/expansion/cottonbelt.asp
For a look at the DART presentation given by the city folllow this link: