Arlington City Council Special Meeting – April 8, 2025: Comprehensive Plan, APD Report, Technology, and Policy
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Arlington City Council Special Meeting – April 8, 2025
The Arlington City Council met in special session on April 8, 2025, beginning at 10:45 a.m. in the Council Briefing Room. The meeting opened with an executive session from 10:48 a.m. to 3:03 p.m. to discuss legal matters regarding out-of-jurisdiction housing finance corporation transactions, the potential sale/lease/exchange of real property at 106 Stadium Drive, council appointees’ performance reviews, and offers of incentives to business prospects. The open session reconvened at 3:16 p.m. and adjourned at 5:24 p.m. The council received presentations and discussed the Innovate Arlington comprehensive plan update, the Arlington Police Department (APD) 2024 annual report, the council priority on leveraging technology, collection of fees for hazardous material incidents, homelessness strategies, panhandling solutions, a cemetery ordinance, appointments to boards and commissions, a status update on nuisance unfinished structures, a legislative update, and external committee reports.
Innovate Arlington: Comprehensive Plan Update
- John Chapman (Long Range Planning Manager) introduced Jay Renkens (MIG Inc.) and D'Angelos Svenkeson (NEOO Partners) who presented the comprehensive plan update. Key findings: 45% of land is single-family residential; 63% of residents commute outside the city for work; 6.5% of land is vacant and developable; home values increased from $191,900 (2014-2018) to $276,400 (2019-2023); Arlington is the fourth most diverse city of its size in the U.S.; and the city has the most affordable housing in the DFW Metroplex.
- Councilmembers expressed positions: Councilmember Boxall advocated for housing desegregation (mixing housing types) and more walkable business areas, especially downtown. Councilmember Piel emphasized the need to attract young families to aging 1960s-1990s homes, support density in appropriate areas (e.g., near UT Arlington, downtown, entertainment district), and address aging commercial strip centers. Councilmember Gonzalez supported smaller homes for families, more mixed-use developments, and activation of proposed parks. Councilmember Odom-Wesley called for youth input (K-12 and UTA), more gathering spaces for youth, and improved mobility options (e.g., expanded Arlington on-demand hours). Councilmember Galante raised concerns about aging residential and commercial, the need for a balanced mix, increasing income levels, and creating activations for residents. Mayor Ross noted Arlington’s momentum (e.g., new headquarters, high occupancy at One Ranger Way) and supported density and live-work-play areas.
- The presenters outlined next steps: a community survey (open through April 2025 at ArlingtonListens.com), pop-up events at UTA, a vision and goals report, a place types palette, and redevelopment scenarios to be tested with metrics.
Arlington Police Department 2024 Annual Report
- Chief Al Jones presented the annual report. Overall crime decreased 5% from 2023 to 2024. Crimes against persons were down 1%, property crimes down 6%, and crimes against society down 5%. Homicides: 17 in 2024 (up from 15 in 2023), with an 86% clearance rate (national average 58%). Traffic stops totaled 83,355 (up ~50% from 2023). Traffic fatalities decreased to 35 (from 42 in 2023). DWI arrests: 1,208. The Real-Time Crime Center expanded, and the Drone as First Responder program launched with two docking stations. Operation Connect (since 2021) resulted in 43,139 traffic stops, 817 guns seized, and 10,737 arrests in nine focus zones. The department is fully staffed (739 authorized, 6 over).
- Councilmembers commended the department. Councilmember Hogg highlighted improved safety and asked about recruiting and retention; Chief Jones noted the department is fully staffed and has more officers in patrol than ever. Councilmember Galante asked about reducing average call time (81 minutes) using AI for report writing; Chief Jones mentioned evaluating Draft One AI for body-worn camera reports. Councilmember Boxall asked where citizens can get the annual report (online at the police website).
Council Priority – Leverage Technology
- Deputy City Manager Lemuel Randolph presented ongoing initiatives: the new Ask Arlington app (6,000 users in first three months, 120 service request types), the new city website (launched two weeks prior), smart water meter installation (completion by July 1, 2025, with ongoing replacement of ~10,000 per year), and open data portal users (20,000+ in 2024). AI strategy: two pilot projects selected – airport apron/hangar parking optimization and CCTV analysis for water/sewer lines. Seven AI policies adopted. Cybersecurity: phishing test failure rate at 9% (goal is 3%).
- Councilmember Odom-Wesley asked about cable channel availability (only on Spectrum; content also on YouTube and website) and accessibility for residents without internet (hotspots at libraries). Councilmember Galante praised the Ask Arlington app and asked about adoption strategy; Jay Warren (Communications) noted marketing through social media and neighborhood groups. Councilmember Hunter reported using the app herself and encouraged promotion.
Collection of Fees for Hazardous Material Incidents
- Fire Chief Bret Stidham presented an informal staff report. In 2025 to date, the fire department responded to ~160 hazmat incidents, with ~112 considered billable. Recovery rate is typically 60-70%. The fee revenue would go to the city’s general fund. Councilmember Odom-Wesley asked about frequency and potential revenue (estimated based on past collections). No formal action was taken.
Community and Neighborhood Development – Strategies & Results in Addressing Homelessness
- Councilmember Boxall, Chair, reported that the committee heard a presentation on homelessness strategies, including street homelessness, shelters, eviction prevention, and affordable housing. The committee recommended staff gather additional information about Arlington homeless shelters and that the full council receive the presentation after the 2025 point-in-time count data is released (May 30, 2025, at the Arlington State of the Homeless event).
Transportation and Municipal Infrastructure Committee – Panhandling Solutions Follow Up
- Councilmember Gonzalez, Chair, reported on the committee meeting. No further details were provided.
Municipal Policy – Arlington Cemetery Ordinance
- Councilmember Odom-Wesley, Chair, reported that the committee heard a presentation on the Arlington Cemetery (owned by the city since 1995, abandoned, no new plots sold since then). A 2023 state law change allows the city to sell burial rights. A ground-penetrating radar survey identified 1,600 recorded graves, with 1,200-1,500 potentially available for sale. The committee will continue discussions on a fee schedule, management by a third party, and ordinance details. Next meeting: April 22, 2025.
Appointments to Boards and Commissions
- City Secretary Alex Busken noted 16 appointments for consideration on the evening agenda.
Status Update on Nuisance Unfinished Structures
- Nora Coronado (Asset Management Director) provided an update. On Alisa Lane, the city issued 95 high weed/grass abatements and is working with a real estate agent and Churchill Real Estate to sell properties. Five properties have outside storage complaints. For the hotel at 3800 South Collins Street, the owner verbally agreed to target restarting construction by July 2025; if not, obtain a demolition permit within 30 days. Code compliance continues monitoring. Councilmember Boxall requested a more concrete timeline for the hotel project.
Legislative Update
- Natalie Raulston (Intergovernmental Relations Manager) presented a memo and a new color-coded table of bills. Key bills: HB 2786 and HB 3235 (property tax appraisal reform by Rep. Turner) – city staff testified in support; SB 2004 (adding IndyCar Grand Prix to major events reimbursement program) – city registered support; HB 1893 (amending public information act for police records) – passed out of committee and sent to calendars. Councilmember Odom-Wesley requested adding bill sponsors to the table.
City Council External Committee and Training Reports
- North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Executive Board: Councilmember Hogg reported that Mike Eastland retired as executive director after 38 years; the board selected Judge Todd Little (Ellis County) as his successor.
- Tarrant County Mayors Council: Mayor Ross reported on the meeting, including a measles case at Great Wolf Lodge with no further outbreaks.
- Tarrant Regional Water District Advisory Committee: Councilmember Gonzalez reported the committee reelected him as secretary, reviewed the annual audit, and discussed capital improvements. The water rate for 2025 is preliminarily set at $1.43 per 1,000 gallons (up from $1.35), which will be passed on to consumers.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken. The council directed staff to gather additional information on homeless shelters (Boxall committee), continue cemetery ordinance discussions with a fee schedule and third-party management (Odom-Wesley committee), and monitor the nuisance unfinished structure at 3800 South Collins Street with a July deadline. The council also encouraged promotion of the Ask Arlington app and the new city website. The council will receive the comprehensive plan update with further community input and a final report in 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, we're gonna go ahead and call the work session to order with the city council. What time is it now? It is April 8th. And for sure to be CA Government Code. Okay. We'll call the afternoon session back to order. We're going to move on down to discuss workforce or work session items. Three point one. John. All right. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. I am here this afternoon to uh help introduce the MIG team with an update on the comprehensive plan, a lot of the work that's been going on over the past uh few months. We're going to dive right into it. Forty-five minutes, and we got a long presentation here. Um, but just wanted to extend my thanks to all the council members that attended any of the workshops over the past few weeks. Um, that was a great success, and we anticipate to have an even bigger success in the upcoming workshops later this year. But without further ado, I'm going to hop back and hand it over to Jay Rankins with MIG principal in charge to open the presentation. Great. Thanks, John. Uh hey everybody. Um thanks for having us back. Um, I'm also gonna be uh joined by D'Angelos uh from NAO, uh, who's one of our key partners on this project? Uh they helped us with the trends report that's in draft form right now, and he'll give you some highlights of that uh effort. Uh so what we wanted to cover, uh a little bit about public engagement, uh, what our overall plan is, uh, which I think I shared with you when we uh initially spoke with you, but just a reminder there, as well as some key takeaways from some of the things that we've done so far. Uh we wanted to then give you some highlights of uh some of those key deliverables, so the existing conditions atlas uh and that trends report, um, as I said, is in draft form. Uh and then we wanted to make sure that we have plenty of time uh to actually hear from you on a few key questions uh around uh development that is needed, uh different places that you think should be focused on as far as investment moving forward, um, whether that be public or private, um, and how we make Arlington even better place moving forward. Um, and then there's a little bit at the tail end about um sort of how we're gonna use that input that we're gathering from uh different stakeholders, from you all, from the community uh through our next phase, and we'll highlight a few of those things as well. Uh so the public engagement, um, I I think this is a review for you all, but in essence, we're talking about a two-year process overall. Uh, we've now been you know, most of the way through phase one, which is baseline visioning, uh, but that extends into uh the first part of the summer. Uh we will then uh actually starting probably later this month, uh, be uh working on phase two, uh, which is planned development. So that's where we start to get into there's been a lot of sort of uh documentation of what's on the ground today, what the trends have been and some projections looking out, but uh really using the community's vision to begin to articulate different uh scenarios uh for how the city can guide growth, how the city can invest moving forward, and what the pros and cons of those different uh types of investments are, whether that be in public facilities, uh the public right-of-way, um, in neighborhoods, in our commercial areas, or a combination of all of those. Um, and then um, as I think you're all aware, uh 2026 is really devoted to the drafting of the plan and then making sure that we have a really robust, adequate um uh public review process. Um, and so through that, our main uh outreach tools are articulated at the bottom here. Um, so an outreach toolkit for use by uh staff and uh volunteers, community workshops, uh pop-up events, focus groups, community open houses, and community questionnaires. Phase one engagement so far has included uh five steering committee meetings. Uh we have a great steering committee uh who's meeting on average, probably every six to eight weeks uh throughout the entire process. Uh so they're providing input on themselves. They're also representing uh different groups, organizations, neighborhoods uh through the process. Uh, we're also getting input from stakeholder interviews. Uh, we've conducted uh nine of those so far, but we have them scheduled throughout the process as well as focus groups. And then uh there is a community questionnaire where we'll hit this at the end again, but uh this is live uh through the end of April. Uh we have uh quite a few responses so far. Um I think over 400, over 300, excuse me. Over 300 responses. Thank you, John. Um, but we hope to you know break that 400, maybe 500 mark. So if you all haven't filled that out, we'd encourage you to or promote it to other folks, that'd be great. Those six workshops John just talked about, where we had over 200 participants across those uh six different workshops, uh, and then pop-ups uh will be coming up here soon. Um the first is gonna be at a cultural groceries or a couple of cultural grocery stores. So some of the emerging themes, and these are just topical right now, uh, but different partnerships have been mentioned, um, taking advantage of those that exist already, or maybe establishing new partnerships, uh, public transportation and making sure that Arlington continues to be on the cutting edge of providing you know multimodal options, uh redevelopment opportunities, small business support, connections between destinations, uh, so that there's the sort of this thought that there's a lot of great pieces of Arlington, but um, in not all scenarios, are they really well connected to each other?
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