21 January Council Meeting

This evening two items of significance were approved.

The first item was the Arlington Lofts.  This is a student housing project that will be located on the north side of Abrams street.  Greystar is the company that constructs student housing all over the US in various College/University settings.  Lance Hana is their representative, and he has done an exemplary job in representing this project.  Essentially the vote this evening was 6-3 in favor.  I was a no vote because I felt that the development was located in the wrong place.  Its current location did not benefit the school, nor did it benefit the city, since it was four blocks from downtown Arlington.  I have ridden around the project area with John Hall, Lance Hana, Lana Wolf, and Michael Glasby.  I have even talked to the President of the University, Dr. Vistasp Karbhari.  Most agreed that there were several different locations that could have been utilized, but this was the easiest solution for Greystar.  So they picked the low hanging fruit instead of doing what I felt was best for the community as a whole.

The second item had to do with the Lamar Apartment project, currently called the Arlington Commons.  Zoning was changed from Multi Use to a PD for multi family with a density of no more than 60 per acre.  Then, the 380 agreement was modified in conjunction with procurement financing.  John David Moritz will now front the financing for the procurement of the first 3 apartment complexes.  What this all means is that this program is a go.  We have waited 8 years for something to happen in the overlay, and we are off to the races.  Mr. Kembel will engaged lawyers and architects in an effort to close on the first three properties by February 10^th.  After that date the city will write the check for 2.0 million for demolition and a 1.5 million incentive.  It is time for this project to get its wings.  I can tell you without hesitation that if it was not for the hard work and diligence of Trey Yelverton and Bruce Payne, we would be living with those deteriorating establishments for the next 8 years.  I must say that it has been a long road, and this project currently has the unanimous support of council and staff.  It was a good evening

7 January

Last nights Council Meeting had a few interesting twists.  The first was the unanimous approval of the Flight Deck Trampoline facility.  This new business will be located behind the Macaroni Grill on the Southeast corner of I-20 and Cooper.  The business is essentially a wall to wall trampoline and the facility looks like it will be fun for the whole family to bounce around together and enjoy some physical activity.  Fundamentally, this is a good re-utilization of an existing structure.  Their first Flight Deck was constructed over near the Joint Use Military Base in Ft. Worth.  It has been open for 7 months and has been hugely successful.  It was a pleasure to welcome their new venture to Arlington.

Five years in the making, the afternoon session was introduced to a final version of the UDC (Unified Development Code) revision.  Staff has taken all the building codes of the city of Arlington and streamlined them into one go-to manual.  This sets forth the improved standards that will take into consideration improvements in materials, efficiency, and building standards.  It will set the guidelines for builders, and improve the quality of construction throughout our city.  This has been a long time in coming and Clayton Husband and Jim Parajon should be commended for their efforts.

Lastly, the evening session approved the final version of the Auto Related Business ordinance.  There has been some back and forth concerning the final wording in one section of the ordinance.  Due mostly to Councilman Robert Shepard’s efforts, the concerns of existing auto business owners have been calmed.  In my opinion, the onslaught of 260 auto related businesses in the last two years posed concern going forward.  This ordinance allows the city a seat at the table when considering NEW auto related businesses in the future, while grandfathering current auto related use property.

On another note this blog has recieved over 22,000 views since it was started, a little over a year ago.  Thanks for your interest and staying informed.

2013 in Review

Wow, it seems like 2013 has flown by and now we have the opportunity to look back and see if there has been any improvement or progress in our community.  I wouldn’t go out on a limb and say that our healthcare system has gotten better.  I’m fortunate enough not be part of that endeavor, so the national problems don’t seem to be getting solved.  But here on the home front, I can say that things are improving:

1. The Lamar Apartment issue is moving in the right direction and I am very hopeful that we will see that portion of our community be resurrected in 2014.  Mr. Kembel is working very hard to try and bring this project on line.  Both he and city staff are working tirelessly and if the last piece of the financial puzzle falls into place this next week, I am told you will see dozers by June.
2. We have seen tremendous improvement in the performance of our North Arlington Schools.  The School Board, lead by Dr. Cavazos, has made personnel changes that are showing remarkable results in the improvement of the education of our children.  I am always impressed by the principals and faculty, for their sincere dedication and commitment to our children’s future.  This is huge for our community.
3. I am fortunate to have been able to align my views with those of city staff.  Therefore, it is easy to see results sooner rather than later.  “Welcome to Arlington” signage is coming to I30.  These signs have already been allocated in the 2013 budget and will be installed during 2014.  They are beautiful and will let our visitors know that they are entering our city along our main east/west corridor.  Game On Arlington!
4. We have seen Lamar west of Collins paved, we have seen Collins paved north of Lamar, and now we are seeing Lamar east of Collins going through an expansion and repaving.  Keith Melton, Director of Public Works has been very busy in the north.
5. Thanks to Chief Leland Strickland and his commitment to reducing crime in North Arlington.  He and his officers have worked tirelessly, and I must say that crime has gone down in our neighborhoods.  We are much safer today than we were last year.  I am always impressed with the results of the APD.
6. The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation has been reorganized in an effort to be able to invest in our city with funds that don’t have to be on a bond election.  With these funds being available, the city and its citizenry will benefit in projects annually and in a more streamlined fashion.
7. We have seen a new Neighborhood Wal-Mart store established in the old Albertson’s space.
8. Viridian has multiplied into a thriving community of its own during this past year.  Housing starts and elementary school construction are all in progress, and expanding rapidly.  Mr. Kembel’s vision of this flourshing addition to our community has been astounding to watch. 

These are just a few of the major accomplishments that I have seen happen in 2013.  I look forward to seeing these and other projects come to fruition in 2014.  We are very fortunate to be able to live in a city that is forward thinking in its views.  Arlington continues to strive to be a better place to live and work.  Today, our children have a better opportunity to grow and contribute to this upwardly mobile society.  I am very proud of the Council and City Staff for accomplishing these and many other projects.     

Christmas

Christmas time is here and since America was established on Christian/Judean principals it is important for us to recognize that the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated throughout the world.  Sure the glitz and socioeconomic aspects of Christmas have grown to overshadow the true reason and spirit of Christmas, but let’s not be duped by Madison Avenue.  Don’t take the Jos A. Bank specials of buy 1 get 3 free to be the reason that you celebrate Christmas.  Actually if you look in your Bible in the book of Luke Chapter 2, verses 1-20, it will tell the whole story of the birth of Jesus.  This simple story has captured the hearts and minds of people throughout the world.  It is the beginning of Christianity and ignites the spirit of giving and good will toward others.  This Christmas Spirit is the celebration of the birth of the Savior of all Christians. 

Santa, his travels, and all his gifts are symbolic in that he gives to people he doesn’t even know because they are supposed to be good.  The Three Wise Men traveled following a star and gave their most precious possessions to a baby that angels professed to be the son of God.  The innocence of a babe lying in a manger inspired their generosity.  This is the meaning of Christmas as we know it today.  This celebration where we surround ourselves with family, over eat and over spend, also overshadows its true meaning.  Please take some time to lend some authenticity to the Christmas Spirit.

And if I might ask, while you are gathered round the table this Christmas, would you take the time for a small prayer.  All around the world tonight, there are young men and women who are watching over us to keep our freedoms safe and intact for future generations.  They can’t be with their families this Christmas.  Please ask that they be kept safe and returned home to their loved ones soon.

God Bless You and Merry Christmas

700 Kyle St.

Anyone that lives near the Tree Top addition knows that the house at 700 Kyle burned several months ago.  Now it is an eyesore and people want to know what is being done about this problem.  Rumors were started that it was a Meth House and that the laboratory burned up.  This simply isn’t the case.  An addition over the garage was constructed, and the wiring was faulty and the house caught on fire. 

Code enforcement issued a citation concerning the house access and the owner constructed a chain link fence to limit the access.  Then months passed with nothing being done about the property.  Everyone thought that the insurance company was dragging its feet.  Apparently there is no insurance company.  Code control was prepared to issue another citation and the owner has simply vanished.  So the next step is a DSS hearing.  A Dangerous and Substandard Structure hearing is scheduled for 6 February and this property will be on the agenda.  This is the first step in the removal of the structure from the property.  It will take time but the gears are slowly moving in the proper direction allowing the property owner the due diligence that is required.

Student Housing

Last night at the Council meeting, something significant happened that you should be aware of concerning student housing at UTA.  Now let’s back up and get a little history on the Sapphire project.  Awhile back this project was touted as a luxury living apartment project.  Since they couldn’t get the financing for the project with that purpose in mind, they went the student housing route and got the dollars required.  Student housing is a hot comodity right now because it is recession proof.  Then the project was sold from a west coast company to a Dallas company, which is a good thing.  The problem is when you build student housing it is usually one door knob per unit.  Each unit will have a common room, four bedrooms and four bathrooms.  So the number of units is not the issue, it is the number of students per acre that is significant.

 Now the Arlington Lofts on Abrams street was defeated a few months ago because the density was too large, at 166 students/acre.  It just so happens that the Sapphire project between Center and Mesquite is also at 166 students/acre.  So the new density standard for the city of Arlington has been set very high.  Yesterday at the work session I asked John Hall the Director of Planning for UTA, “what is the upper number of density that he considers comfortable student living at UTA?”  He could not give me an answer.  When asked what the density is going to be for the new student housing projects on campus, he simply stated that the private sector is going to have higher density than typical university housing.

So last night’s vote was pivotal in the argument of what is the upper limit of students that can live on an acre of land.  The Council voted 8-1 to set the acceptable bar at 166 students/acre.  How high will it go?

Library

When I was running for office there were two proposals concerning the building of a new library.  One was a complete tear down and rebuild for $40 million.  The other option was a tear down to the skeleton of the structure and rebuild for $30 million.  Now there is a new proposal, which we will call the relocation proposal. 

The library is proposed to be constructed near the train tracks and where a portion of the current city hall parking lot is located.  Instead of the previous proposals of 100,000 sq/ft, this will have 85,000 sq/ft and the price tag is down to $20 million.  The plan would include a new city council chamber incorporating all the ADA changes that our current chamber would require.  The total cost of the project would be $26 million.  This to me seems like a common sense approach to solving the problems of an aging library that should be replaced and incorporating $3 million in ADA changes that have to be incorporated in the current chamber. 

Another positive to the project is that there is a developer that wants to build a multi-use facility on the current library site.  Retail establishments will be on the bottom floor and either lofts or offices spaces on the above floors.  This project will invest another $26 million in private money in our downtown area.  I get the feeling that most if not all council members view this project favorably.