Arlington community group asks for city funding on plan for East Pioneer Parkway
City leaders want more information from a community group guiding international corridor development before they put up funds for projects and bringing online a management corporation.
Members International Corridor Vision, a nonprofit that has collaborated with city government to create a business district along East Pioneer Parkway, put forward an array of plans to make improvements to the stretch, create a business improvement district and fund a management corporation that oversees the area’s growth and vitality.
Plans the group laid out to city council include improvements to the city water tower at 1103 E. Arkansas Lane, installation of banners on streetlight poles and public art, hire an executive director and consultant, and launch business facade and restaurant hospitality score programs. The consultant would help develop a plan to create a business improvement district, which would levy taxes on businesses to fund projects.
Price tags offered for initial plans total around $500,000, not including annual staffing and facade program costs and the price for water tower improvements. The vision group has committed $100,000 toward the plans, and asked the city to contribute, with the understanding the district would help fund most of the projects. The group is also fundraising for a $127,000 public art project called “Life Cube,” a collaborative art installation where visitors can write down goals and dreams.
Mayor Jim Ross and some council members were skeptical of the plans, which include possibly narrowing Pioneer Parkway from six lanes to four and converting inside lanes into pedestrian-friendly spots.
A city study found the stretch of Pioneer Parkway east of Center Street saw more than 47,000 vehicles per day in 2018, and could grow to 61,000 vehicles per day by 2040. Four-way roads can handle around 37,000 vehicles per day, according to the city.
“I’m a little concerned about that,” said Victoria Farrar-Myers, District 7 council member.
The conversation Tuesday afternoon is the latest as leaders look for ways to boost businesses in the stretch of east Arlington.
Council members in May voted to create a tax increment reinvestment zone covering the international corridor, a program that redirects property tax revenue from the area toward improvement projects in order to boost property values. City staff estimated the zone would accrue $61 million for projects before the zone’s expiration in 2051. The zone covers the area between Pioneer Parkway, Center Street, Mitchell Street, Arkansas Lane and city limits.
Farrar-Myers said the reinvestment zone, along with several city services, already provide what the vision group proposed.
Hunter said the city and group should hold town halls in her district, which covers the city’s southeast region, and District 5, which covers central and east Arlington.
Ross agreed.
“Until we sit down with that neighborhood and talk to them,” he said. “There are certain things about the proposal that cause me discomfort.”
