Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations Update

Project Overview

The City of Arlington has begun the process of updating the zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations.  The current versions of the zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations were adopted in 1994 and 1987, respectively.  The zoning ordinance has been amended over 60 times since its adoption, and the subdivision regulations had a significant revision in 2003.  These changes have resulted in ordinances that are complex and contain a number of redundancies and inconsistencies.  The City has not engaged in a comprehensive evaluation or revision to the ordinances in almost 15 years. The update will include mixed-use zoning districts and land uses, focus on a high-quality built and natural environment, and provide a written code that is easy to use.

The City is working with a consultant team led by Clarion Associates. The Clarion team kicked off the project in January 2008 and has met with and interviewed City staff, elected officials, board and commission members and a variety of other stakeholders. In addition, the team interviewed consultants and developers who work with the code in order to gain insight about its strengths and weaknesses.

The project includes the following general tasks:

1.        "Housekeeping" Revisions.  Identification and redrafting of provision that are confusing and/or difficult to interpret; a major reorganization and reformatting of the ordinances to make them more user-friendly, and the addition of illustrations, cross-references, flow charts, tables, and matrices.

2.        Substantive Revisions.  A variety of major substantive additions may be necessary, such as the procedures by which development activity is approved, the types of zoning districts in Arlington; the land uses allowed in those districts, and the development standards that affect the quality of new development (e.g., parking and landscaping standards).

3.        Legal Revisions.  Revisions to the ordinances as needed to comply with Texas and federal laws involving religious land uses, due process, First Amendment issues, takings, and other topics.

Additional tasks will also be completed, such as creating a visual interactive code for the website, revising and updating the sign regulations, creating special zoning districts, and possible rezonings and mapping.

Zoning Advisory Committee

A Zoning Advisory Committee made up of representatives from neighborhoods, the development community and other interested stakeholders has been established.  The Committee will provide input on the code rewrite and act as liaisons to various interest and groups in Arlington.  The Committee is a sounding board, providing input at key milestone stages throughout the project, but has no official positions or voting.  Approximately six to eight meetings will be held over the course of the project to hear presentation on the new draft code, review new portions of the code, and offer detailed feedback

Zoning Advisory Committee members

January 23, 2008 meeting agenda

January 23, 2008 meeting presentation

July 22, 2008 meeting agenda

Diagnosis of Existing Ordinances

In April 2008, the Clarion team completed a diagnosis and assessment of the current zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations.  The report provides a general overview of the strengths, weaknesses and challenges in the current ordinances and provides a proposed framework for a new consolidated Unified Development Code. Several major themes and goals for the project emerged from the team’s interviews and review of Arlington’s existing plans and approved developments.

1.        Improve the code’s organization and user-friendliness

2.        Reduce the reliance on planned development zoning

3.        Provide an updated list of zoning districts

4.        Modernize the land use classification system

5.        Raise the bar for development quality

6.        Streamline the review and approval procedures

Diagnosis of the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations

For more information, please contact Clayton Husband at 817-459-6668.