On June 25, 2024<\/a>, Arlington City Council approved the final reading to change the proposed 62-unit Balfour Lofts from neighborhood overlay-community commercial and<\/p>\n downtown neighborhood overlay-residential medium family to downtown neighborhood overlay-planned development for residential multifamily 22<\/a> by a vote of 7-0-0.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Aug. 6, 2025<\/a>, the Planning and Zoning Commission continued the development\u2019s zoning case to Sept. 3 by a vote of 8-0-0 to work on several items, including acquiring the entire site to allow for a larger complex. The requested zoning change is to planned development for downtown neighborhood overlay-residential multifamily 22 uses, with a development plan.<\/p>\n At the earlier meeting, commissioners expressed concerns about security, parking, apartment size and the possibility that it would have a lot of apartments rented by UTA students. The commission members said that other complexes were left with trash and large items such as furniture outside when students\u2019 leases were up at the end of semesters.<\/p>\n According to city documents, the property owners are Skywalker Holdings; Robin Derek Lyle and Jill Renee Lyle; Kirby D. Smith; En Las Rocas Ranch LLC; and Arlington Urban Ministries, and the applicant for the new zoning request is Mycoskie McInnis Associates Inc. (MMA Inc.), which was represented at the meeting by Nikki Moore.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since the initial zoning commission meeting, the following changes were made:<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve taken a lot of your suggestions into consideration, and I think we have found solutions to some of the concerns that were brought up,\u201d Moore said.<\/p>\n She said that one of the main concerns was the complex\u2019s dumpster and trash collection.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the main changes, I think, (that) really drove the conversation was the dumpster relocation from the center parking area over to an internal garage storage system,\u201d Moore said. \u201cWe worked directly with Republic Services and the city staff liaison to find an appropriate solution.\u201d<\/p>\n Moore said concerns about students moving out and leaving items also was addressed. Developers plan to limit the amount of student housing at the complex.<\/p>\n \u201cI know some of the concern was during those move out times that happened, twice a year, that there might be some larger items that students possibly could leave behind, and so we\u2019ve coordinated a storage area for those items until they could be donated to Mission Arlington.\u201d<\/p>\n She said that concerns about parking were addressed in the new plans and that moving the dumpster location opened up the site plan for more parking.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are now able to meet the RMF-22 parking requirements of 142 spaces, and that does include the on-street and the off-street parking available,\u201d Moore said. \u201cI think it\u2019s important to know that even in the previous planned development, the off-street or the on-street parking spaces were counted toward the required parking overall in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n Moore said the new plan addresses concerns over security.<\/p>\n \u201cLastly, we were asked to provide additional security measures for the site. We have done that,\u201d Moore said. \u201cThere are several places where we\u2019ve added pedestrian entrances into the site along each street. Additional security measures have been added in the staircases.\u201d<\/p>\n She said that developers would prefer to have a vehicle gate at the throat of the entrance.<\/p>\n \u201cIn talking with engineering staff and public works, our gate design was not supported because it did not meet the design criteria manual. There is a process of requesting, it\u2019s during the planning phase, and so we are prepared to do that as well, through that phase.\u201d<\/p>\n Ignacio Nunez, zoning commission chairman, said the issue of the vehicle gate likely will have to be addressed when the City Council takes up the case on Oct. 14.<\/p>\n Moore also addressed the size of the units.<\/p>\n \u201cThe current multifamily code only requires us to have two amenities and we are providing six,\u201d Moore said. \u201cWhen you have more than two site amenities in the RMF-22 and you\u2019re in the downtown neighborhood overlay, you qualify for a 10% reduction in your minimum unit sizes. So, with that 10% reduction, we are able to meet the unit size requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n Maggie Campbell, president and CEO of Downtown Arlington, told the commissioners that the proposed site is known for its homeless population and has been designated for the last several years as \u201ccapital priority\u201d because of its \u201cvery inadequate lighting at the pedestrian level and very inadequate sidewalks in all directions.\u201d<\/p>\n Campbell said both on-street and off-street parking in the area is a concern.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d actually love to explore how the city could enter into parking agreements with private owners to meet our parking needs. We are not able to meet our parking needs. We have created this great place that\u2019s now a destination, and besides the impacts of homelessness, parking is the thing that our property owners and businesses want to talk the most about \u2014 or lack thereof.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have a mechanism to allow parking as a use, or to allow developers to bring public parking unless it\u2019s part of their development agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n She said a vehicular gate at the property would allow for increased security and that the proposed open-parking design at Balfour Lofts would enhance that.<\/p>\n Commissioner Robert Blake explained why he supports the proposal:<\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all, I think it\u2019s a great project for downtown. I also appreciate all the changes that were made,\u201d he said. \u201cI think downtown Arlington needs this, because this is the catalyst that is going to drive more commercial downtown, and without the residential and without various very types of residential, it will not support our restaurants and the other things that we need for the entertainment district to have people come to downtown Arlington instead of going to downtown Dallas or downtown Fort Worth. So you have my support.\u201d<\/p>\n Lance Murray is a freelance contributor covering business for the Arlington Report.<\/p>\n At the Arlington Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n\n
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