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Council approves changes to AMC 20.11; amendment carves out six‑story option in Smoky Point T5 transect
Summary
The council approved an ordinance amending Arlington Municipal Code chapter 20.11 on mixed‑use development, with staff and council discussion about commercial vacancies, a narrow six‑story allowance in one Smoky Point transect, and upcoming state transit‑oriented development requirements.
City planning staff presented an ordinance to amend Arlington Municipal Code (AMC) chapter 20.11, the city’s mixed‑use development regulations, and the council voted to adopt the amendment.
Amy, a city planning staff member, told the council that language was reorganized in the new exhibit (moved from an overview page to a code section) and that no substantive change was made to the moved language. She reviewed the amendment’s purpose and the corrected exhibit packet. "If you look on... page 62... it's the first page of the overview. Under page 6, this is a recommendation from Emily, our attorney… I just moved it from page 6 to page 22," she said.
Councilmembers raised questions about ground‑floor commercial vacancies in mixed‑use buildings and whether the code allows converting empty retail spaces to residential units. One councilmember asked, “Is there anything in this report that would allow 1 of those facilities to change from retail and commercial and go back to apartments so they're not just sitting there empty?” Amy replied that current regulations link residential density allowances to commercial ground floor space and that removing the commercial requirement would remove the city’s intended sales‑tax base; she said staff will pursue economic development work with the city manager and others in 2026 to support tenanting of those spaces.
The amendment also includes a limited allowance for six‑story buildings in a specific t5 transect in Smoky Point adjacent to the airport buffer. Amy said that allowance applies only to that t5 area and is not a citywide change; she noted the provision responds to state transit‑oriented development (TOD) requirements tied to the bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor. "We have to have [TOD regulations] in place… in 2029 the city has to adopt a TOD meeting the state regulations," she said, adding staff plan to begin work in 2027 and will follow standard code‑amendment public hearings and overlay rezoning procedures.
Planning commission reviewed the amendment and recommended approval; Amy said the commission vote was unanimous. The council approved the ordinance and authorized the mayor to sign it.
Council and staff comments emphasized outreach, future TOD work with consultants or software to limit consultant costs, and continued efforts to attract retail tenants for existing ground‑floor spaces.
