One of Arlington’s four City Council elections will determine who will take on the role of a city where tens of thousands of people live and work and millions of people come to play.
The 1st arrondissement encompasses everything from hidden neighborhoods to an increasingly busy red-light district that is one of the city’s main economic engines.
The winner of this race, the only seat on Arlington City Council without an incumbent, will have to balance the needs of both extremes and everything in between, including the old apartment complex and Viridian master-planned community. .
“That’s the challenge we face right now,” said Mauricio Galante, one of the three candidates for District 1. “The city is growing rapidly. We need to maintain the character of the city. “We need to balance the interests of residents who want to do so.”
Galante will face Tim Goss and Jacob Franklin. All three said they want to attract more businesses to the area.
Franklin said he will prioritize mixed-use developments, projects that build housing closely with businesses. He said mixed use would increase housing options and promote affordability, while expanding opportunities for retail, retail and office space.
“I want to focus on that so that both can grow in parallel in this region. But one of my priorities is to build more housing to combat the house affordability crisis. unit,” Franklin said.
Franklin said the district also needs better infrastructure, especially for pedestrians and cyclists.
Goss said he is opposed to more apartment complexes being built in the area. Instead, District 1 needs to attract more businesses. Although this neighborhood has a variety of housing options, it lacks a variety of restaurants and shops. That means north Arlington residents will have to leave their neighborhoods to get out, especially on game days.
“If you want to have a quiet place to eat or do some shopping in this little area here, there really aren’t that many places available to us,” Goss said. “You have to go to Hearst or drive south to South Arlington.”
North Arlington has the largest share of multifamily housing units, a planning term that generally describes housing options such as apartments.a 2020 housing inventory status The portion of the city roughly north of Interstate 30 contained 15,248 multifamily units, representing nearly 33% of the city’s multifamily stock.
Galante said some apartment complexes in North Arlington need to be redeveloped, and the area needs cheaper housing options so residents can build wealth instead of renting. said.
“When you redevelop, you have to put quality there,” Galante said. “In fact, we need to get better quality housing and really think about whether we want to continue or whether we want to explore buying opportunities.”
Key to redevelopment as expansion approaches
Current and former City Council members have been searching for a developer who could breathe new life into a city that is running low on undeveloped land and introduce modern, walkable areas.
Less than 7 percent of Arlington’s approximately 3,318 acres is considered vacant and developable.That means it’s close to town. build out And city leaders are looking for ways to encourage developers to rebuild rather than build on new land.
Calabi Bezbolua, a professor of public affairs and planning at the University of Texas at Arlington, said redevelopment is more difficult than new development, given the risk of displacement, cost and characteristics of other neighborhoods.
“How will[the redeveloped property]look like other buildings, in conjunction with the existing community? Will it look different?” Will it be an eyesore? ” Bezbolua said. “All of these issues need to be considered before any redevelopment begins.”
Multiple areas of town are close to or in the midst of transformation. The Arlington City Council recently approved plans to redevelop North Arlington’s landmark shopping center, Lincoln Square, into a mixed-use development known as Anthem. Council members will work with stakeholders to deliver projects around the so-called International Corridor, a commercial district near Pioneer Parkway and State Route 360 that is home to racially and ethnically diverse communities and business owners. I’m trying to do that.
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Long Pham, who is running unopposed for a second term as District 6 councilor, said he hopes new apartments will be built to replace the aging ones.
“If we could get them to come and apply for tax credits and redevelop that area, Pioneer Parkway would look a lot better,” Pham said.
The Arlington City Council has approved changes to city ordinances over the past several years to encourage more and different types of development.
Incumbent Raul Gonzalez, who is running as an independent candidate for Ward 2, said changes to the city’s list of development standards have allowed people to build smaller homes on smaller lots.
“Young people don’t want to do yard work,” Gonzalez said. “They want a place they can live and own instead of paying rent all the time.”
Incumbent District 7 Councilman Bowie Hogg said the new zoning designation provides a small business friendly development vehicle. The city in 2023 will be Flexible hybrid zoning district We finance companies that need small-scale industrial space, such as for research and development or e-commerce.
“These are things that especially help small businesses grow,” he said. “At first he might only need 5,000 square feet, but soon he might grow until he needs 10,000 square feet. And it’s like we’re growing ourselves. .
Chris Dobson is running against Hogg in District 7. He said he would like to see Arlington Economic Development Corporation funding go to a broader range of businesses.
“We originally heard that the Economic Development Corporation was there to help businesses recover from COVID-19, but so far we haven’t seen any policies or programs that will do that,” Dobson said. .
Dobson said city officials should also rethink how they incentivize companies to take on large-scale projects and explore apartment redevelopment opportunities where residents can buy homes and start building wealth.
“There are a lot of apartment buildings in north Arlington, some of which are in Section 8, that I think could be converted to condos to help people build equity,” he said.
Any tips? Email Kailey Brousard kbroussard@kera.org.
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