Content area
Full text
GREATER METROPLEX - When Jimmy Stathatos first arrived in Roanoke six years ago, the city of approximately 1,600 residents was not, in his words, totally self-sufficient.
"We were somewhat dependent on other entities to provide services," said Stathatos, who serves as Roanoke's city manager.
But growth wasn't too far away.
These days, Roanoke, located at the crossroads of state highways 170, 377 and 114, on the western edge of Alliance Airport, is a full-service, self-sufficient community with a population of a little more than 5,000 ... and growing. Growing so fast, in fact, that many consider the city to be the next growth "hot spot" of Denton County.
According to Russell Laughlin, comparisons can be made between Roanoke and the North Dallas town of Addison. He notes that small communities, like Addison once was and Roanoke is now, have two choices when they're in the path of growth.
"They can either accept it and manage it well, or they can sit down and let growth overtake them," said Laughlin, senior vice president with Hillwood Development Corp. Hillwood, which oversees the Gateway Project near Alliance Airport, was one of the earliest developers in Roanoke, and has provided reccommendations to the city's staff about development issues and ideas.
"Addison made the decision to manage the growth with a good mix of retail and hospitality and a little residential," Laughlin said. "Roanoke has made similar decisions so they don't have...