ARLINGTON – It's not much to look at right now: an unassuming median and a less than manicured lot on Lamar Boulevard in Arlington. But developer Robert Kembel has a vision.
"You can see what we're trying to create," he said. "It's more than just living in an apartment, you're encouraged to get out."
Tuesday, Kembel showed News 8 renderings of a $200 million proposed project he calls Arlington Commons. It stands to transform the median on Lamar in between Lincoln and the Rolling Hills Country Club into a public park, similar to what you'd see at Klyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas.
It would also eventually build a 1,300-unit apartment complex on the north side of Lamar on this same stretch of road.
"This is very architecturally pleasing," said neighbor Gary Brizendine. "The rendering looks great."
But Brizendine has one major problem with the plan: the developer wants to take away one of the two westbound lanes of Lamar and turn it into parallel parking.
"Having one lane of traffic is absolutely ludicrous," Brizendine said.
He says traffic in this already-busy area of Arlington would then stop completely when people go to park. And he worries about public safety, pointing out the nearby fire station.
"Why should we be constricted because he wants to have a pretty park in front of his own commercial development?" Brizendine asks.
The developer points to a traffic study, which he says was commissioned by the city. It says one lane westbound and two lanes eastbound would adequately serve the area, with extra traffic finding alternate routes.
"Do we want to trade having to slow down a little bit for a first-class, first-ever-in-Arlington, multi-family, Class-A experience or not?" Kembel said.
He hopes with a "yes" vote at Arlington City Council Tuesday night, construction on the first of four phases could start in 45 days.
The Arlington City Council meeting starts Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
