What should this busy, blighted Arlington road look like? Now’s your chance to weigh in
If you’re traveling through Arlington, you’ll probably end up on Cooper Street.
The 13-mile-long roadway passes through UT Arlington’s main campus and runs near historic neighborhoods, car shops and shopping strips before reaching Parks Mall. Some street sections see around 85,000 vehicles a day, according to Ann Foss, city principal planner.
Despite its prominence, businesses along part of a five-mile stretch account for nearly half of the city’s struggling retailers, according to a report by the city and consulting firms. Nearby buildings are 40 to 50 years old on average. Sidewalks disappear between Pioneer Parkway and the Parks Mall area — the same section where seven accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians have occurred in the past decade.
Randy Hendricks, president of Westador Neighborhood Group, said the area is the city’s “heart” — a geographic center for the city that all residents use in some form. It just needs a plan and a sense of identity.
“All of this just sort of was a hodgepodge of development. It needs a vision and needs to be brought together,” Hendricks said.
Hendricks is one of nearly two dozen neighborhood representatives, business leaders and officials considering plans to improve Cooper Street’s stretch from UTA Boulevard to Bardin Road, or past the Parks Mall and Interstate 20. The group will hold meetings and public forums through early 2021 to draft a plan to present to City Council in the spring.
“The City Council really wanted us to take a closer look at Cooper Street and understand where it’s been, where it’s headed and develop a vision for the corridor to keep it strong and viable going forward,” Foss said.
While presenting the analysis, which began in January but was put on hold for months due to novel coronavrius, Helen Moise, District 1 representative, said whatever the council approves will be a long-term plan that defines the area.
“This is not a five- or 10-year plan,” she told the council. “A project this size will probably take, and I’m throwing out a number, probably 20-30 years, if we’re lucky.”
Making Cooper Street ‘shine a little brighter’
The assorted medical clinics and shops around Park Row Drive and Cooper Street are a far cry from the intersection’s previous life as popular shopping center.
The spot once held a grocery store and a filling station, said Derek Carter, a committee member representing Heart of Arlington Neighborhood Association. Over the years, those businesses moved to other parts of the city and different types of shops replaced them. Carter said he’s encouraged by businesses like the Walgreens and Smoothie King that have popped up around the intersection, but would like to ensure the area keeps growing.
“We just want to figure out another way to make the area shine a little brighter,” Carter said.
Carter and committee members held the first round of public sessions and committee meetings in early October. Concerns from early meetings about the stretch include pedestrian safety, vacant businesses and a general “tired and rundown” aesthetic.
Potential solutions the committee has discussed include naming different sections along the street, creating safer spaces for pedestrians, addressing blight and creating an enterprise zone.
“It’s really about maintaining what we have and keep the flow going nicely,” Carter said.
The city and committee will also consider how to bolster the businesses that already line Cooper Street, such as car shops and office spaces.
“I think one of the things we’ll be looking at is how can the city play a role in helping Cooper Street continue to evolve in a positive direction,” Foss said.
People interested in contributing to the plan can fill out an online survey or attend public sessions virtually. The next round of committee meetings and public sessions is slated for December.
This story was originally published October 23, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
