Little Elm is aiming to be a regional tourism powerhouse as the town continues to grow

(Dallas Business Journal) — With an anticipated population boom that could double the town’s resident count over the next decade, Little Elm won’t be quite so little in the coming years. 

Little Elm is currently around 75% built out, with an estimated population of just above 50,000. The town is aiming for a variety of entertainment, retail and mixed-use development going forward, intent on being a regional tourism powerhouse. 

Little Elm is unique among municipalities along the northern stretches of DFW. It’s heavily residential and doesn’t boast the industry base of some of nearby cities like Frisco and Plano. 

However, the town has more shoreline than any other municipality in North Texas, with 66 miles along Lake Lewisville. Little Elm’s economic development strategy is built around the elements that make it unique, targeting retail and entertainment projects to complement its existing features. 

In 1999, the town’s population was about 15,000. When Town Manager Matt Mueller took his position in 2012, the town’s population was about 25,000. Full population build-out could be between 75,000 and 100,000, depending on how much land within the Little Elm extraterritorial jurisdiction gets annexed. 

“I always joke to friends and colleagues that it’s like playing SimCity for a living because it’s just moving so fast,” Mueller said. 

The town’s leadership is anticipating it’ll take another seven to 10 years before the town is fully built-out. 

Little Elm has different targets for different parts of the town, he said. In the Lakefront District, the town is prioritizing mixed-use development with more density. Along the Highway 380 corridor, the town is prioritizing development with the density of a north Dallas subdivision. 

To the west, town leadership would like to see less density in residential development. The eastern section of the town is largely built-out. 

The town’s economic development strategy isn’t as centered around job growth as other areas, Mueller said. While the community is excited about opportunities that create employment, it’s difficult to compete with the likes of Plano or Irving. 

Instead, Little Elm is taking a different approach. The town is getting its first hotel, a La Quinta Del Sol Hotel by Wyndham, and an entertainment venue called Tinman Social. Multifamily and retail projects are also in the works. 

“I think what we feel really fits into that regional tourism goal of ours is to have more places for people to stay,” Mueller said. “We’re certainly interested in more hotels coming to the area, more unique dining and entertainment venues… Maybe boutique retail and neighborhood services that come along with that, I would say, is what we’re really excited about.”