Homes, Mixed-Use Retail Planned

A developer plans to rehabilitate about 1,200 acres of wetlands that help define its planned community.

By SUSAN SCHROCK
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

ARLINGTON - Multifamily mansions, a town square, offices with apartments above them, and even a passenger rail terminal are all proposed for the undeveloped Lakes of Bird's Fort area in North Arlington, according to a plan filed with the city Friday.

Huffines Communities bought the 2,000-acre parcel, which lies east of Farm Road 157 and north of Northeast Green Oaks Boulevard—near River Legacy Park—last year for an undisclosed amount.

The master-planned community, called Viridian, is to include 800 acres of residential and commercial development and amenities such as miles of bike trails and public green spaces. The community will surround the historic Lakes of Bird's Fort site, which was the first Anglo settlement in Tarrant County.

Other developers have unsuccessfully attempted over the past 25 years to build on the land, which lies in the Trinity River flood plain. The city plans to establish a tax increment financing district or use other types of public financing to help Huffines build infrastructure such as streets and sewer lines that would allow the development to happen, Mayor Robert Cluck said.

Huffines Communities of Dallas is known for developing master-planned communities with resort-like amenities, such as Savannah near The Colony and the Cape-Cod-style Providence development between Frisco and Denton.

Arlington city officials have not yet reviewed Huffines' concept plan, which must be approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council.

Among the highlights:

Unique housing: Plans call for up to six condominiums to be housed inside buildings that looks like large mansions.

Villages: Residential areas would be divided into villages, each with unique architecture that would reflect the various regions of Texas. Some homes would be clustered around open green spaces instead of lining streets to create more of a community feel.

Rail transit: The area is a prime location for a terminal on the Trinity Railway Expressway, said Robert Kembel, Huffines Communities president. The rail line runs right by Bird's Fort, and Arlington does not have a TRE terminal.

"We would like to see [Viridian] become a transit-oriented development..."
—Robert Kimbel
Huffines Communities President

The project would need the approval and financial support of the city, the Fort Worth Transit Authority, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, and the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Arlington taxpayers have historically resisted public transportation. "We would like to see this become a transit-oriented development, but we have a lot of political work ahead of us," Kembel said.

Cluck said he believes that a rail terminal would be extremely beneficial to the city but doesn't expect it to happen anytime soon.

"It's a very popular route that would help our citizens get to and from work," said Cluck, who believes that Arlington residents would vote to financially support a depot. "About 40 percent of residents who work leave the city to get to their jobs. A large majority of them would be able to use the TRE if we had a stop."

Mixed use: Residents could live above shops and offices that would line Collins Street.

Curb appeal: Many homes would have garages out of sight from the street. Access would be from alleys.

Wetlands: The name Viridian comes from a shade of green, which plays on the 1,200 acres of wetlands and lakes near the Trinity River the developer is working to restore with the help of the Army Corps of Engineers and environmental groups, Kembel said.