Michael Evans, Mayor, City of Mansfield

Michael Evans, mayor of the city of Mansfield, talked to Invest: about the diverse culture and swath of amenities in the city, and the excitement surrounding the blossoming downtown area. He detailed specific economic and infrastructure developments, and how the city collaborates with residents to build toward their vision of the future.

What makes Mansfield stand out as a unique city in North Texas?

Mansfield is one of the safest cities to live in, not only in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and state of Texas, but in the country. Our park systems and trail networks make it a great place to get outdoors and connect with nature. Mansfield is a growing city, but still has a familial attraction and small-town feel. Our school district is one of the best in the area. We are continuing to grow because we are adding amenities that draw people to the area, like destination restaurants and shopping. The leadership in the city is accessible and engaged with the community and local businesses. All of these things have helped attract new people to our city.

What can you tell us about the Reserve development, and how is it aligning with your community objectives?

The Reserve is emblematic of our vision for Mansfield. It is a vibrant city for people and businesses that value world-class experiences, culture, and a second-to-none level of community service in a hometown environment. It’s also a major healthcare hub where Methodist Mansfield, Texas Health Network, and the Texas Tech School of Nursing are key anchors. We have a diverse offering of housing types in the Reserve and are attracting destination restaurants and shopping, including one of the area’s most popular grocery stores, H-E-B. The Reserve is becoming the new hub for the city, the new central point of the city. We are building a new town square area with a canal system, inspired by San Antonio’s River Walk. We’ll have the class-A offices, entertainment venues, and new sports stadiums. 

How are recent changes enhancing the downtown experience for residents and businesses?

Downtown is alive. Revitalizing downtown reflects the character of our city and is a place that belongs to everybody. By reinvesting in downtown, we are helping small businesses grow and create jobs. We’re retaining those vintage, old-style buildings while adding townhomes, boutique hotels, and recreational spaces. We want to create an engaging, walkable environment for residents and visitors alike, with easy access to grocers, restaurants, parks, and offices where people work. 

How are you ensuring that infrastructure keeps pace with the growing population?

In the past four years, we have almost doubled the budget for new infrastructure and street maintenance. We’re providing more inlets and outlets to the city, which will help to quell the congestion. By making Mansfield a destination for higher income employers, residents will be able to work locally, which means less commuter traffic. They can utilize the walkability of the city to get to and from work. 

How is Mansfield making sure that education is a top priority? What initiatives are in place to continue to support the local workforce and attract high-end talent?

Mansfield is within 30 minutes from major universities like University of Texas at Arlington, University of Texas at Dallas, Tarrant County College, Texas Christian University, and Southern Methodist University, as well as local colleges. We are able to draw from these universities and colleges. Our school district is second-to-none. We have the Ben Barber Innovation Academy, which offers certification for students in welding, EMT, law, criminal justice, HVAC, media, and more. We are welcoming new partners into our city such as Mansfield Super Studios, where sound stages are equipped for streaming services, movies, and television production. That will help enhance the workforce opportunities here in town. We are also making it more attractive for the construction of Class “A” office buildings to be introduced in our efforts to encourage diverse development in the “The LINQ” innovation district. The construction of offices, research and development facilities, and manufacturing is bringing jobs back into Mansfield.

How is Mansfield addressing affordability in housing, and maintaining that neighborhood factor? 

Housing affordability continues to be a challenge. We attempt to offer a diversity of housing types and sizes. We are introducing accessible dwelling units, as well as encouraging the constructions of townhomes and single-family homes. There is always an opportunity for us to build mid-range duplexes, manor homes, and townhomes. We’re finding a balance between preserving the character of the neighborhood while meeting affordability goals. While affordability will always be driven by the market, Mansfield is doing its part to ensure that there is a wide variety of housing types available.

What steps are being taken to engage with your residents in the decision-making processes? How do you ensure all voices are represented?

We do a citizens survey every two years. Citizens have the opportunity to address our council twice a month. They can come right to us and tell us what’s on their mind. We host focus groups throughout the year. Myself and the city council have joint meetings with the school boards and planning boards up to four times a year, so we can have a cross-section of ideas. We also communicate to our citizens through our website, social media, and a print magazine that is issued to every home in the city. We avail ourselves to the citizens. 

What are the top priorities for Mansfield over the next two to three years?

Our top priority is making sure our citizens are safe and able to enjoy the parks, trails, entertainment venues, and amenities. We prioritize lowering the tax burden on our residents, making sure that they have quality of life here. One of the ways we do that is to attract destination restaurants, retail stores, and grocers to help bolster our economy so we can pay for police, fire, EMT, and other essential government services. It’s important we have good streets and roads for drivers, and that they are able to get from point A to point B safely without having to dodge potholes. Housing is always important. We want people to have good places to live in walkable neighborhoods. We want Mansfield to be a place where our students in our schools and colleges will come back and raise their families here. 

Are there any additional things you’d like to talk about the city of Mansfield?

We have broken ground on a new sports stadium. We passed a vote yesterday to make the funding available for that. We’re excited about watching our cultural arts district grow. Our future land use plans have been updated to help our city flourish. In the next three years, the new city hall and town center area with the canals will be built and will be a magnet of growth for our city. We’re looking forward to future projects, including the convention center, hotel complex, and the Veteran Memorial Center.