Calendar and Harris Rd. Project

Last night at the city council meeting a good lesson was learned.  About a year ago there was a builder that wanted to build low end housing on the corner of Calendar and Harris Roads.  Now this builder was the same builder that built the project on the corner of Green Oaks and Fielder, across from the sewage treatment plant, in District 1.  I voted no on the project last year, and the reason was that the property down south had the potential for much nicer homes. 

This property sits between a housing project of very affordable homes, that haven’t worn well with time, and homes that set on acre lots that are very nice.  So the property in question could either be a connection between a community in decline, or an improvement that could increase the property values in the future.  By saying no last year, I got in a heated argument concerning the rights of property owners to do what they wanted to do with their properties.  My position is firm.  I said no the $200K homes, waited a year, and yes to the $350K homes because it is good stewardship of the lands within the city boundaries.  Whatever we vote on will be setting on that property for the next 50 years, so sometimes it’s simply best to be unpopular and say NO to a project instead of settling for something inferior.  Last night was a perfect illustration of this concept.  I think that the citizens of District 2 will be very grateful for the Council’s wisdom, concerning this project.  

Fund Raiser for My Re-Election Campaign

I wanted to be able to invite everyone that I didn't have addresses for, to a get together this Thursday evening.  As you can see it is at J. Gilligan's Bar and Grill.  The time is 7:00-9:00 pm, with complimentary starters and a cash bar.  If you have not had the pleasure to seeing Michael Hix perform, you are in for a big surprise.  Although this is essentially a fund raiser, I would prefer to call it a fun raiser.  We're going to have a great time, so please come over and join us.  Be advised the RSVP email is Vote4cparker@gmail.com .  If you let me know if you are going to be there, Randy Ford promised to reserve some Irish Nachos for ya.

Arlington Commons & Ditto Golf Course

Two items of interest happened this last week.  The most significant is that Bob Kembel closed on all three apartment complex’s yesterday afternoon.  This is very important in that we are now assured that all four apartment complex’s along Lamar will be torn down.  The reason that it includes the fourth complex is that the tax abatement, contained in the 380 agreement with the city, includes all four properties.  Now since Mr. Kembel closed on the properties, this is the first step in activating the 380 agreement.  The city is now required to issue a check for demo costs, sewers and incentives.  The next step is Mr. Kembel now has to deal with relocation considerations that will take approximately 6 months.  In short, the face lift of this neighborhood will happen.  I want to thank our City Manager, Trey Yelverton and Bruce Payne, our Director of Economic Development for making this a reality.  Game On Arlington!

The second item of interest is that I met with our Parks Department concerning Ditto Golf Course.  As you may know Ditto is scheduled to get a facelift in the new Parks Master Plan.  This is a Major Face Lift valued at about $16 million, that will make Ditto the nicest course in the Mid Cities area.  Concerns have been raised about an entry to the course for maintenance personnel, off of Lincoln.  Gary Pacan, the project engineer, met with Jim Bass and I to address these concerns.  Gary was very understanding, concerning the pressures of the residents in the neighborhood.  If there are concerns, now is the time to voice them.  Once the planning stage is over, then it becomes more difficult because the horse has left the barn.  Although the Lincoln entrance would only be accepting about 6-7 employee cars a day, your concerns are still important.  I assure you that the view out your backyard will not change.  You won’t have a maintenance building to view.  Ditto’s beauty will still be there for you to enjoy.  Gary stated that he will be holding another meeting in about 2 months.  I think that you will see a solution to this problem at that meeting. 

Re-Election

I haven't posted in awhile because there hasn't been a meeting of the Council and the wife and I took a little vacation away for a week.  But yesterday I was in the office and dropped by the City Secretary's office and registered to run for another term as your District 1 representative.  So far I don't have an opponent, but I'm sure that someone will challenge me for the office.

To be honest the job would not be very gratifying if it wasn't for the fact that, the results of my efforts can be seen in the neighborhoods in my district.  This one facet makes the job worth doing.  To be part of a community effort to make a difference, is what motivates me to continue in this job.  I am fortunate enough to have the time to devote all of my efforts toward this end.  I don't know if you can remember back two years ago, but there were gun shots, prostitution, assaults and drugs in and around President's Corner.  I have been fortunate enough to be able to contribute in a small way to the Arlington Commons apartment redevelopment along Lamar.  This project will give North Arlington a shot in the arm and reformulate a large portion of the District.  I have been able to align myself with the efforts of city staff and accomplish most of the goals that I put on my door hangars. 

I am very blessed to have the finest Police Chief in the city to partner with and reduce crime in the north.  Chief Strickland has organized his officers and utilized assets in such a way as to bring crime numbers well under control.  The APD is ever vigilant and maintains a constant presence in troubled areas to make our citizens safe.  That is the prime directive of any city's government, and I am very thankful for their efforts.

I have relied on Mike Bass and his code control officers to maintain a quality of life in the community.  They set the standard for our community and have been instrumental in the clean up efforts in our neighborhoods.  I have been able to help them in the rewriting of the code control ordinance for multi-family residences.  This was an effort to make their jobs easier, and their enforcement of ordinance standard more efficient.  I can't thank them enough for the job that they do each and every day. 

Another unsung hero of the city is the Director of Planning, Jim Parajon.  I rely on his knowledge each and every day.  If he didn't write the city ordinance, then it is currently being rewritten by his hand.  His knowledge of the city and our ordinances is simply priceless.

These are the people that I inter-react with each day to make our district better, and try to get things done. There are some very exciting things that are in the works at the city, and I would like to maintain the relationships that I have made to get projects accomplished.  I thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this process, and I hope that you will see fit to re-elect me for a second term. 

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.