Arlington City Council Regular Meeting – August 27, 2024
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Arlington City Council Regular Meeting – August 27, 2024
The Arlington City Council held its regular meeting on August 27, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber. The meeting included appointments, approval of consent agenda items, four public hearings on zoning and land-use proposals, a first reading of a natural gas rate settlement, and citizen participation. All votes were unanimous except where noted.
Consent Calendar
- Appointments to Boards and Commissions: Russ Gamber appointed to the Emergency Physicians’ Advisory Board (Place 1, term expiring June 30, 2026).
- Executive Session Items: Approved resolution authorizing acquisition of sanitary sewer and temporary construction easements for the Mary and Jimmie Hooper Park Sanitary Sewer Main Relocation project (2222 W. Arbrook Blvd.) and settlement of negotiations for a street right-of-way easement and temporary construction easement for the Mansfield Webb Road (Silo Road to Collins Street) project (848 Mansfield Webb Rd.).
- Minutes: Approved minutes from the August 1 joint special meeting, August 6 afternoon and evening meetings, and August 13 regular meeting.
- Consent Agenda – Minute Orders (26 items): Included annual requirements contracts for water meter transceivers ($2,262,000), water instrumentation and testing supplies ($600,000), SCADA support services ($60,000), water repair parts ($2,118,468), life insurance and disability coverage ($1,861,074), employee assistance program ($291,455), medical plan administration ($5,608,001), specific stop loss ($1,048,107), temporary event labor for Esports Stadium ($535,000), landscape maintenance ($307,510), elevator maintenance ($84,372), fleet maintenance ($6,373,146), elevator replacements at City Tower ($1,798,788.67), construction materials testing for Fire Station No. 8 ($132,638), form-based zoning code development ($248,300), Oncor pole contact rental ($57,729.44), 2024 Reclamation and Concrete Program ($3,438,790), ePlanREVIEW software support ($120,609), Workday/eBuilder integration services ($412,000), security upgrades at City Hall ($1,017,692), rebuild of Fire Station No. 8 ($9,659,258), Waterway Lift Station rehabilitation engineering ($313,600), reversible lane-use control signs for Entertainment District ($373,088), chairs for Fire Department communications ($73,240), carpet installation ($80,525), and workstation consoles ($802,894).
- Consent Agenda – Ordinances Final Reading (5 items): Approved zoning change to Planned Development for limited RS-5 uses at Veritas Way (PD23-26), revised Specific Use Permit for used vehicle sales at 2118 E. Abram St. (SUP22-3R1), amendment to Traffic and Motor Vehicles chapter adding Park and Ride Facilities section, Nuisance Animal Ordinance (fines up to $2,000), and electric franchise grant to Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC.
- Consent Agenda – Resolutions (10 items): Created International Corridor Implementation Steering Committee, created and appointed 2025 Citizens’ Bond Committee, authorized lease and sublease for off-site parking for a boutique hotel at 900/908 E. Division St. (1109 Harrison Ave.), retroactively approved emergency cleanup of 20% sodium hydroxide spill at John Kubala Water Treatment Plant ($58,876.50), authorized grant agreement with TCEQ for Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Program (airport ground support equipment), authorized subaward agreement with University of Minnesota for Healthy Arlington Innovative Mobility pilot program ($144,000), authorized RFP procurement method for software replacement of Amanda, approved Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Audit Plan, and authorized a Private Sidewalk and Landscape License Agreement with the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation.
Public Hearings: Consideration of Ordinances First Reading
11.1 – Specific Use Permit SUP24-7 (333 S. Bowen Road) – Banquet Hall Applicant Cordelia Odunayo (Bliss Banquet Hall) presented. No public speakers. Councilmembers noted applicant agreed to nine stipulations from Planning and Zoning.
- Motion: Councilmember L. Pham moved to approve; seconded by Councilmember R. Gonzalez. Passed 9-0.
11.2 – Zoning Case PD24-11 (Home2Suites Hotel, 4400 S. Collins Street) – Planned Development for Airport Overlay-General Commercial plus Upper Midscale Hotel Applicant Hiren Desai (Stonewood Hotels) presented, noting design improvements made after council feedback. One non-speaker registered in support. No opposition speakers.
- Motion: Councilmember A. Piel moved to approve; seconded by Councilmember M. Galante. Passed 8-1 (Councilmember N. Hunter voted nay).
11.3 – Zoning Case PD24-14 (107 W. Randol Mill Road) – Planned Development for Office Commercial plus Kennel, Commercial with outside run Applicant Bryan Cotter (on behalf of Arlington Dog Daycare) presented. Three speakers in support (including applicant Preston Nicks) and two in opposition (Cecilia Gonzalez and Gayla Turley, owners of Pixie Paws Pet Palace, a nearby facility). Discussion focused on market saturation, competition, and traffic. Mayor Ross and Councilmember Boxall questioned the opposition; Councilmember Galante supported cooperation. Councilmember Hogg (virtual) expressed concern about saturation and location. Applicant noted Pixie Paws is ~700 feet away and that the proposed facility offers a different model (kennel vs. kennel-free).
- Motion: Councilmember A. Piel moved to approve; seconded by Councilmember L. Pham. Passed 6-3 (Councilmembers N. Hunter, B. Hogg, and B. Odom-Wesley voted nay).
11.4 – Zoning Case PD24-16 (500 and 600 S. Davis Drive) – Planned Development for Limited Office uses plus Massage Therapy and General Personal Services Applicant Jim Maibach (Paco Southwest Realty) presented, noting a neighborhood meeting led to a less intense zoning request. Three speakers in support (including property owners Tom Cravens and Linda Dipert). One speaker in opposition (Denise Upchurch, neighbor) expressed concerns about property values and potential uses. Applicant noted a new fence installed and that daycare was removed from the application.
- Motion: Councilmember A. Piel moved to approve; seconded by Councilmember L. Pham. Passed 9-0.
Consideration of Ordinances – First Reading
12.1 – Settlement with Atmos Energy Corp., Mid-Tex Division regarding 2024 Rate Review Mechanism Filing Assistant City Attorney David Johnson presented. The settlement reduces a requested rate increase by Atmos. No public speakers.
- Motion: Councilmember B. Odom-Wesley moved to approve; seconded by Councilmember M. Galante. Passed 9-0. (First reading; second reading scheduled for a future meeting.)
Citizen Participation
- A resident requested a crossover on Mazoka Drive to allow left turns onto Turner Street.
- Bradley Henshaw raised concerns about litter, stray animals, and aging facilities.
- James Allen advocated for improved public transportation, noting low voter turnout in past referendums.
- Jeremy Clark proposed an ordinance to allow vending of non-perishable items near the Entertainment District to enhance visitor experience and generate revenue.
- Mark Whiting (Fannon Farm Homeowners Association) presented survey results opposing proposed changes to neighborhood park trails due to safety, parking, and infrastructure issues.
Key Outcomes
- All consent agenda items approved unanimously.
- SUP24-7 (banquet hall) approved unanimously.
- PD24-11 (Home2Suites Hotel) approved 8-1.
- PD24-14 (dog daycare) approved 6-3.
- PD24-16 (limited office) approved unanimously.
- Atmos Energy settlement approved on first reading.
- Citizen comments were received for staff follow-up; no formal council action taken.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everybody. Welcome to the Arlington City Council meeting. This is our last meeting of August, which means we may not have any other meetings with a hundred degree weather, so I'm real excited about that, huh? Can I invite Reverend Kristen Worthen from St. Andrew's United Methodist Church to come up and lead us in an invocation? Please stand. Thank you, Mayor Ross, City Council for this honor. It's good to see my own city council person and my city council person from my churches district here. So may we join together, beloved. Holy and gracious God of all people for the gift of this day and the work that you have already accomplished through us within it. We give you thanks for the work of this evening and the work that you are going to accomplish through us. We give you thanks. May we in this time together join with curiosity and with openness. May we approach one another from a grounded and centered place. Guide every decision that will be made this evening. May we approach them all with wisdom, with care, and with an eye toward doing what is best for our neighbors. We ask all of this in your holy name. Amen. Please join us in a pledge of allegiance. Under God. Speakers may not use music, videos, other forms of media, signs, or props. The applicant will be asked to speak first and will be given five minutes to make a presentation. Speakers in support or opposition of the item will be given three minutes each to make their statements. The applicant will then be given three minutes for any rebuttal. For all other items on the agenda, speakers will be given three minutes to speak. If multiple speakers plan to provide the same or similar comments, those speakers may, if they so desire, designate one or more individuals to provide public comment on behalf of the group. A bell will signal the end of each speaker's time. In consideration of other speakers, please conclude your comments promptly. When you hear the bell, we ask that the that you address the comments to the mayor and council. Thank you, Ms. Garcia. Do we have any appointments to boards or commissions? Thank you, Mayor. We have one appointment to boards and commissions. For the emergency physicians advisory board, consider termination of the appointment of current member Carolyn Jones and the appointment of Russ Gamber Place One. Thank you, ma'am. Do we have any speakers on this item? We do not, Mayor. Thank you. Can I have a motion and a second, please? Have a motion from Councilmember Pham and a second from Councilmember Odom Wesley, please cast your vote. Councilmember Hog. He runs he raised his hand to the yes affirmative. The motion passes. Consideration of items from the executive session, please. Thank you, Mayor. We have two items for consideration from executive sessions. One, a resolution determining the necessity of acquiring a public sanitary sewer easement and two temporary construction easements, being a portion of the land otherwise known as 2222 West Arbrick Boulevard, Arlington, Texas, for the public use of sanitary sewer improvements for the Mary and Jimmy Hoover Park Sanitary Sewer Main Relocate Relocation Project and authorizing settlement of negotiations. Two, a resolution authorizing the settlement of negotiations for a street right-of-way easement of 2,338 square feet and a temporary construction easement of 3,476 square feet across a tract of land otherwise known as 848 Mansville Webb Road, Arlington, Texas for the public use of street improvements and all necessary appurtenances for the Mansville Webb Road, Silo Road to Collins Street Project. Thank you, Miss Garcia.
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