{"id":114383,"date":"2026-01-07T18:19:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T18:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/114383\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T18:19:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T18:19:08","slug":"arlington-council-hears-new-recommendations-on-plan-to-reimagine-downtown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/114383\/","title":{"rendered":"Arlington council hears new recommendations on plan to reimagine downtown"},"content":{"rendered":"

by James Hartley | KERA News, Arlington Report
January 7, 2026<\/p>\n

Arlington\u2019s plan for a new way of zoning is taking shape with new recommendations to make downtown stand out.<\/p>\n

The strategy, known as\u00a0form-based code<\/a>, moves away from traditional zoning that has specific restrictions for how a piece of land is used. Instead, the city creates a list of options \u2013 such as retail, office, multi-family and mixed use \u2013 that can be there. The council selected downtown as a pilot area last year.<\/p>\n

The city can also create requirements that dictate, for instance, structure and sign aesthetics, building height, parking options and space between the street and the building.<\/p>\n

Jayashree Narayana, the principal with consultant Livable Plans and Codes, presented updates and new proposals regarding form-based code to the city council Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

In the proposal, she recommended that the form-based code area be split into subdistricts that will be used to help determine those requirements.<\/p>\n

Narayana said the form-based code\u00a0pilot area in Downtown Arlington<\/a>\u00a0would be split into five subdistricts: traditional neighborhood, urban neighborhood, corridor mixed-use, downtown core and a special district for the downtown gateway.<\/p>\n

Building frontages would be one of the more noticeable differences between subdistricts.<\/p>\n

Regulations on frontages would dictate what the front of these structures look like \u2013 some would have wider sidewalks for more pedestrian access while others might have a small parking lot in the front with smaller sidewalks.<\/p>\n

The frontage requirements will also determine the minimum and maximum distance between buildings and the street.<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s rules will also deal with how tall buildings are. In the proposed regulations Narayana presented, traditional neighborhood subdistricts would be limited to two stories. Developments in urban neighborhoods would be between three stories and five while the downtown core would allow up to 12 stories.<\/p>\n

An overall theme or aesthetic for some of those subdistricts could be part of the form-based code, determining things like the style of a building\u2019s facade or what signage looks like.<\/p>\n

In the proposal for the subdistricts, Livable Plans and Codes recommended new streets in some areas. Narayana said those recommendations would mainly be offered guidance for developers looking to redevelop those properties.<\/p>\n

New streets recommended in the proposal wouldn\u2019t be the responsibility of the city.<\/p>\n

The city council is expected to make final adjustments and approve form-based code for implementation by April. It\u2019s still\u00a0looking for input from stakeholders<\/a>, with more meetings coming.<\/p>\n

The planning and zoning committee is slated to hold a public hearing on form-based code on March 4, followed by votes from the city council on April 7 and April 21.<\/p>\n

This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/01\/07\/arlington-council-hears-new-recommendations-on-plan-to-reimagine-downtown\/”>article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org”>Arlington Report<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<img src=”https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n

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