Sustainable Development Meeting Date
The Sustainable Development Action Plan public meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. March 4 at the Deborah Beggs Moncrief Garden Center, 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd.
The date was misprinted in the Feb. 25 edition of City Page, a City of Fort Worth publication that appears in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
For more information about the public meeting or the city’s sustainability efforts, visit www.fortworthgov.org/sustainability.
Article: Dealing with Development Pressure: Preservation Strategies for Desirable Neighborhoods
By Elizabeth Sappenfield
From North Carolina Preservaion (Fall 2008)
The real estate boom of the 2000s left its mark on many historic neighborhoods. But there are preservation tools available to protect these neighborhoods against increasing development pressures.
In many of our cities, former streetcar suburbs are now highly desirable urban neighborhoods. They are sought after for their convenient locations, mature trees and landscaping, access to amenities and their comfortable community feel. There are many reasons for their popularity beyond their historic houses. While many people love the details of older homes (the hardwood floors, detailed moldings, unusual windows, etc.), others can’t see past the small closets, creaky floors and divided floor plans. The desirability of these neighborhoods and the overall rise in the real estate market have led to rising property values that can become a double-edged sword.
As values have appreciated through the decades, older residents have seen their property values triple, quadruple or more. The accumulated equity can be a blessing, but the corresponding higher tax assessments can be a burden for residents who want to stay in their homes. The trouble really begins when residents look at their assessment, and the land value exceeds the house value. This is the tipping point after which it becomes financially feasible to buy a parcel, demolish a house and rebuild.
Generally known as the “rule of three,” the financial model behind teardowns works when a builder can sell a new home for three times what he paid for the lot (old house included). It is a combination of the real estate market and the city’s regulatory environment that enables this model. The builder has to be able to build a house that is large and fancy enough to sell for triple the price, and someone has to be willing to buy it.
It can be hard for preservation advocates to argue against market forces that bring a rising tide that supposedly floats all boats. Yet they see all too clearly the tidal wave of large new houses that is swamping the more modest homes in their neighborhood. The successful advocate will get city officials, residents, and (some) builders to understand that a neighborhood is more than just a collection of individual houses. The character of the neighborhood, defined by its houses, landscapes, parks and streets, is the context, the webbing that connects individual houses and their residents to each other and the city.
As the old real estate maxim says, value is all about location, location, location.
To read the full article, visit: http://www.presnc.org/index.php/Features/Dealing-with-Development-Pressure.html
More on Conservation Districts
The Fort Worth City Council is considering a new option to help neighborhoods deal with infill single-family housing that is dramatically out of scale with its surroundings.
The city’s Planning and Development Department presented its proposal for conservation districts to the Council last week. Conservation districts offer protection to older neighborhoods that are not protected by historical designation. These districts provide a middle ground between historical designations and basic zoning regulations.
Historic districts control such elements as a structure’s height, setback, architecture and building materials. Residents seeking to make exterior home improvements are subject to the city’s Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission approval and may receive tax incentives. Historic district designation can prevent demolition of the structure.
The proposed conservation districts would control elements such as height, setback, lot coverage, lot size and driveways, but not architecture and materials. Additional optional elements controlled by a conservation district can include:
- Building orientation
- General site planning
- Signage
- Garages
- Landscaping
- Fences and walls
- Entrance lighting
- Curbs and sidewalks
- Principle elevation features
- Roof line and pitch.
Homeowners seeking to make exterior improvements would be subject to city staff review only, but there would be no tax incentives.
A conservation district could be initiated by a petition process, the City Council, or the Urban Design Commission with opportunities for input from the property owners.
Variances to conservation district standards would be heard by the Board of Adjustment. Property owners in a conservation district would not be prohibited from demolishing a structure and building on that site, as long as the new structure meets objective design criteria set forth for their specific conservation district.
Under city staff’s plan, a conservation district must:
- Encompass at least one block face, but preferably an entire block.
- Contain at least 75 percent of the lots that were improved 40 years ago and are still improved. Forty years is roughly the timeframe when properties start to be demolished and rebuilt.
- Possess distinctive features that create a cohesive, identifiable setting or character, such as spatial relationships between buildings, lot layouts or streetscape characteristics.
The City Council is expected to conduct a public hearing and take final action on the proposed conservation district ordinance in April. In the meantime, several city commissions – Urban Design Commission, Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission, Zoning Commission, Central City Redevelopment Committee and Development Advisory Committee – will hear briefings and provide comments.
Transportation Public Meetings March 4 & 5
The Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council of Governments invites the public to learn what is happening with transportation in the region and help set priorities for the future.
Public Meeting Information:
Wednesday, March 4, 2 p.m.
Farmers Branch Recreation Center (Pecan Room)
14050 Heartside Place
Farmers Branch, Texas 75234
Wednesday, March 4, 6:30 p.m.
Denton North Branch Library
3020 N. Locust Street
Denton, Texas 76209
Thursday, March 5, 6:30 p.m.
Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center
1001 Jones Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
Topics Include:
1) Long-Term Planning: Mobility 2030 (2009 Amendment) Final Recommendations
2) Short-Term Planning: Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Modifications
3) Air Quality Conformity
4) Unified Planning Work Program Modifications & Development
5) Pay-as-you-Drive Insurance Pilot Program
6) Transportation Authority Program of Projects (POP)
a. Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) POP – Fort Worth meeting only
b. Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) POP – Denton meeting only
For additional information about public meetings, visit: www.nctcog.org/trans/outreach/meetings
For special accommodations due to a disability or for language translation, please contact Jahnae Stout at 817-608-2335 or jstout@nctcog.org at least 72 hours prior to the meeting. Reasonable accommodations will be made.
Survey: What Are Your Top Neighborhood Issues?
In January, residents were invited to participate in a round table discussion. The objective of this forum was to identify issues impacting residents. AHNA will use these concepts to evaluate our service to the neighborhood as well as formulate future programs for 2009.
The following 10 issues were identified as top neighborhood concerns by residents who attended the January 16 general membership meeting. To get a broader response, we have decided to post these issues on our web site to get feedback from Arlington Heights residents in determining what issues are the most important. Please take a few moments to identify your top 5 neighborhood issues. There is no order of importance, and you are welcome to insert any additional issues you feel should be considered.
The March newsletter will summarize the results of this “round table” discussion / survey.
cforms contact form by delicious:days
Conservation Districts
Tell us what you think about Conservation Districts — is this for Arlington Heights?
According to an article in the FW Star Telegram this week, the city could soon have new rules that restrict owners from knocking down existing houses and building “McMansions.”
Historical districts already prevent owners from tearing down houses, but the city is looking into what is know as conservation districts for neighborhoods, which are typically less restrictive than historical districts, but require new homes to be compatible with existing homes.
If the plan passes, residents would have to take a vote to establish a conservation district. Then neighborhoods could set standards about building heights, setbacks, driveways, lot sizes and the amount of the lot covered by buildings. Under the guidelines, the districts would have to cover at least one block, and a majority of homes would have to be at least 40 years old. The rules would be less restrictive than those for historical districts, where owners are often barred from tearing down houses and strict rules govern architectural styles and building materials.
The city Zoning Commission is supposed to discuss the proposal on March 11, and the City Council could adopt the plan in April.
Quotes from the article include:
“In some cases, that sort of redevelopment is appropriate for a neighborhood,” city Planning and Development Director Susan Alanis. “In others, the resident may prefer to protect the character of the existing houses.”
Sam Shank, a 30-year veteran contractor, said the city is going against the trend in the home market. The west-side house that he demolished was run-down and wasn’t worth much whereas the new property is supposedly worth more than $500,000. “People want to have the access to a downtown,” he said. “I’m not . It’s sort of like . . . is going be torn down. . . saying that every house anything else. It’s what the market will bear.”
Councilperson Joe Burns, who favors the plan said: “The really key thing about this ordinance is individual neighborhoods will choose what they want to pursue. It’s not something that’s bestowed on them by the city.”
Councilperson Carter Burdette said: “There does need to be some sort of step in between having nothing at all and having a historic district. The city needs to be aware of how the idea could affect property values. We’re seeing lots selling at $200,000 for a 50-foot-[wide] lot, in some parts of west Fort Worth. Nobody can pay $200,000 for a 50-foot lot and make enough money on a one-story house to make sense of it.” Also, restricting development might interfere with the city’s other goals, such as increasing the density of neighborhoods and promoting mass transit. “Whatever we adopt, we need to be very careful that it’s allowed to be applied neighborhood by neighborhood.”
To read the full article, visit http://www.star-telegram.com/metro_news/story/1209965.html
Community Relations Department to Launch Neighborhood University for Fort Worth Residents
Beginning this spring, the Community Relations Department will offer a series of classes throughout the year to help residents tackle community issues.
Through Neighborhood University, residents will learn about city services and neighborhood capacity building. Classes will offer opportunities for neighborhood leaders to network with one another and with Neighborhood Education Specialists assigned to their areas.
Neighborhood University is an expansion of the neighborhood workshops that have been offered for several years. Classes scheduled in locations throughout the city to allow many more residents to participate.
For information about upcoming classes, please email neighborhoods@fortworthgov.org or call 817-392-8571.