Arlington Permit Expeditors &
Land Use Entitlement Consultants

A New Development Framework Requires Current Code Analysis

Arlington’s new Downtown Form-Based Zoning was adopted in 2026 and incorporated into the Unified Development Code as its own article.

Unlike conventional zoning that focuses primarily on use and dimensional tables, form-based regulation places greater emphasis on the relationship between buildings, streets, public spaces, frontage, and urban form.

JDJ should use this as a high-value feasibility service: identify the applicable Downtown subdistrict, permitted uses, building form, frontage, parking, transitions, and approval process before design advances.

• Regulating Plan / subdistrict
• Building form
• Frontage
• Active ground floor
• Height / transitions
• Parking
• Reuse / redevelopment
• Approval pathway

Housing + Student / Workforce Demand + Commercial Activity

Downtown and the University of Texas at Arlington create a combined activity center with demand for housing, restaurants, services, office, entertainment, and neighborhood-serving commercial uses.

Development around the university should be evaluated for zoning / form-based rules, housing type, parking, pedestrian connectivity, compatibility, and any project-specific entitlement requirements.

• Multifamily housing
• Student-oriented housing
• Workforce housing
• Mixed-use
• Restaurants
• Retail / services
• Office

Hospitality, Residential, Retail & Visitor-Serving Growth

Arlington’s Entertainment District is a major regional destination anchored by AT&T; Stadium, Globe Life Field, Texas Live!, hotels, convention facilities, museums, and entertainment venues.

Recent development demonstrates continued demand for hospitality and mixed-use investment. The 507-room Americana by Loews project began construction activity in 2026, while One Rangers Way added a residential component to the district.

For JDJ, the strongest opportunities are hospitality, restaurants, entertainment, retail, residential, tenant improvements, and complex visitor-serving development.

• Hotels
• Restaurants
• Entertainment
• Retail
• Multifamily / residential
• Convention / event uses
• Tenant improvements

A Strategic Redevelopment Corridor

The City has pursued redevelopment along Division Street for years as a way to improve connections between Downtown and the Entertainment District.

The Caravan Court boutique hotel redevelopment is a visible catalyst for this corridor and illustrates Arlington’s interest in reuse, hospitality, placemaking, and strategic land-use change.

Properties along redevelopment corridors should be screened for zoning, overlays, access, existing nonconformities, redevelopment incentives, and infrastructure.

• Hospitality
• Commercial redevelopment
• Restaurants
• Mixed-use
• Adaptive reuse
• Corridor reinvestment

A High-Growth Arlington Development Sector

Arlington’s economic development strategy targets advanced manufacturing and aerospace. The E-Space North American headquarters project at Arlington Municipal Airport includes a roughly 480,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, airport
access infrastructure, and more than 33,000 square feet of hangar space.

This type of investment supports a strong JDJ service cluster around manufacturing, aerospace, R&D;, headquarters, industrial campuses, airport-adjacent development, and specialized permitting.

• Advanced manufacturing
• Aerospace
• Satellite / communications manufacturing
• R&D;
• Corporate headquarters
• Hangars / aviation-support facilities
• Industrial campuses

Manufacturing / Aerospace Feasibility Topics
• Zoning / permitted use
• Airport overlay / compatibility
• SUP or rezoning need
• Loading / truck access
• Hazardous materials
• Fire
• Utilities / power
• Site plan
• Platting
• Building permits

Aviation Opportunity + Specialized Constraints

Airport-area development can create valuable aerospace, manufacturing, hangar, corporate, and logistics opportunities, but it also requires careful screening of zoning, airport compatibility, height, access, Fire, hazardous materials, utilities, and operational requirements.

Where an Airport Overlay or other aviation-related controls apply, those rules should be reviewed before site planning.

• Aerospace
• Hangars
• Manufacturing
• R&D;
• Corporate aviation
• Airport-support uses

Manufacturing, Distribution & Employment Growth

Arlington identifies the Great Southwest Industrial District as a key economic center and envisions it as a premier location for globally connected companies engaged in next-generation manufacturing.

Industrial projects should be analyzed for use permissions, zoning district, loading, truck access, outdoor storage, hazardous materials, Fire, utilities, screening, noise, and site-plan standards.

• Manufacturing
• Distribution
• Warehousing
• Flex industrial
• R&D;
• Business expansion
• Industrial tenant improvements

A Specialized Entitlement Opportunity

Data centers and other infrastructure-intensive projects require more than a basic zoning check. Arlington’s UDC contains use-specific classifications and can require higher-level approvals for certain high-impact uses depending on the zoning district
and project characteristics.

For example, a site that is commercially zoned may not support a proposed high-impact use without a zoning change, an industrial district, an SUP, or another entitlement strategy.

JDJ can position this as a high-value service covering site selection, zoning pathway, SUP / rezoning strategy, utility coordination, Fire, noise, generators, screening, access, and operational conditions.

• Data centers
• Large-energy users
• Technology infrastructure
• Backup generation
• Utility-intensive industrial
• High-impact uses

Data Center / High-Impact Feasibility Topics
• Current zoning
• High-impact use classification
• Permitted vs. SUP vs. prohibited
• Rezoning / PD alternatives
• Power / utility capacity
• Backup generators
• Noise
• Screening
• Fire
• Water / cooling
• Traffic / access
• Environmental / operational conditions

Flexibility for Projects That Do Not Fit Base Zoning Cleanly

Planned Development zoning can be useful where a project needs a customized development framework rather than relying solely on a standard zoning district.

PD strategy should identify the underlying or comparable district, proposed deviations, site plan commitments, use limitations, development standards, and the public-hearing process.

For developers, the question is whether PD creates meaningful project value or simply adds discretionary risk.

• Mixed-use
• Large commercial sites
• Industrial campuses
• Unique development standards
• Redevelopment
• Master-planned projects

Use-Specific Approval Strategy

Arlington’s UDC identifies uses that are permitted by right and uses that require a Specific Use Permit in particular zoning districts.

An SUP can involve a site plan, operational commitments, conditions, public hearings, and City Council approval. Early feasibility should determine whether the use is permitted, SUP-eligible, or prohibited in the current district.

• High-impact uses
• Alcohol / entertainment-related uses where applicable
• Industrial / operational uses
• Specialized commercial uses
• Site-specific operations

Aging Retail + Mixed-Use / Entertainment Reinvestment

Arlington is actively supporting transformational redevelopment of older commercial properties. The Anthem redevelopment of the former Lincoln Square is a current example, with major investment in retail, food and beverage, entertainment, public
space, infrastructure, and future-proofing for possible mixed-use components.

This creates opportunities for JDJ to support retail-center redevelopment, tenant repositioning, mixed-use feasibility, site-plan changes, infrastructure, and entitlement strategy.

• Retail redevelopment
• Restaurants
• Entertainment
• Office
• Mixed-use potential
• Public realm
• Tenant improvements

Regional Commercial + Redevelopment Opportunity

The City identifies the I-20 Retail Corridor as a key economic center. Large retail properties, pad sites, restaurants, entertainment, medical, hotels, and aging commercial centers can create opportunities for redevelopment and intensification.
Feasibility should address use, access, parking, signage, site plan, platting, drainage, utilities, and any overlay or corridor standards.

• Retail
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Medical
• Entertainment
• Commercial redevelopment
• Pad development

Commercial Reinvestment + Entertainment-District Spillover

The City has identified the Lamar / Collins area as another economic center for transformation. North Arlington also benefits from continued investment around the Entertainment District and major commercial properties.

Projects may involve retail repositioning, restaurants, hospitality, office, entertainment, mixed-use, and infrastructure upgrades.

• Retail / restaurant
• Hospitality
• Office
• Entertainment
• Mixed-use
• Commercial redevelopment

Arlington’s Visitor Economy Supports Continued Investment

Arlington’s sports, convention, meeting, entertainment, and event economy supports a distinctive hotel-development market. The City reported continued major hospitality investment in 2026, including the Americana by Loews project.

Hotel feasibility should evaluate zoning, site plan, parking, access, Fire / Life Safety, loading, signage, alcohol / restaurant uses, convention / event functions, and district-specific requirements.

• Full-service hotels
• Boutique hotels
• Convention hotels
• Restaurants / bars
• Meeting / event space
• Hotel redevelopment

High-Demand Uses With Operational Entitlement Risk

Restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, and experiential retail are central to Arlington’s Downtown and Entertainment District growth, but operational details can materially affect approvals.

Pre-lease feasibility should screen permitted use, alcohol rules, parking, occupancy, Fire, noise, hours, patios, signage, grease / utility needs, and Building permit scope.

• Restaurants
• Bars
• Entertainment venues
• Experiential retail
• Patios
• Food halls
• Tenant improvements

Downtown and Targeted Redevelopment Areas

Arlington’s current development activity shows strong interest in adding housing to Downtown and selected mixed-use destinations. Recent 2026 Downtown agreements include projects with at least 248 and 390 residential units respectively, combined with commercial uses.

Texas legislative changes have also affected multifamily and mixed-use development rules, and Arlington updated its UDC in 2025 in response to SB 840.

Parcel-specific feasibility should therefore compare local zoning, form-based rules, State law, parking, infrastructure, and entitlement requirements.

• Multifamily
• Mixed-use housing
• Downtown housing
• Infill housing
• Student / workforce housing
• Redevelopment

A Core Arlington Development Approval

Plats and replats are common components of Arlington development. They establish or revise lots, easements, rights-of-way, and other subdivision information needed for development and permitting.

Projects may involve preliminary development coordination, plats, replats, minor plats, amending plats, easements, utility coordination, and public hearings depending on the proposal.

JDJ can coordinate the submittal, City review comments, surveyor / engineer responses, department clearances, hearing requirements, and approval path.

• Plats
• Replats
• Minor plats
• Amending plats
• Lot configuration
• Easements
• Right-of-way
• Final approval coordination

JDJ Plat / Replat Coordination
• Application strategy
• Survey / plat exhibit coordination
• Easements
• Department comments
• Engineering / utility issues
• Public hearing determination
• Correction tracking
• Approval / recording coordination

From Use Verification to Certificate of Occupancy

Arlington’s industrial and commercial base creates ongoing demand for tenant improvements, occupancy changes, manufacturing build-outs, laboratories, warehouses, restaurants, offices, and business expansions.

Before permit submittal, the project team should verify that the proposed use is allowed and identify any SUP, zoning, site-plan, parking, Fire, hazardous-material, or Certificate of Occupancy issues.

• Manufacturing build-outs
• Warehouse improvements
• Office
• Laboratory / research
• Restaurant / retail
• Change of use
• Certificate of Occupancy

Know the Entitlement Path Before the Deal Is Fixed

Arlington’s UDC combines zoning, land use, subdivision, design standards, and approval procedures. In addition, Downtown now has a new form-based framework, while airport, overlay, PD, SUP, platting, and infrastructure issues can materially
change development potential.

A strong feasibility review should identify what is allowed today, what requires discretionary approval, what alternative zoning path exists, and what physical / agency constraints could affect timing and cost.

• Zoning
• Allowed-use table
• SUP
• PD / rezoning
• Form-based zoning
• Overlay districts
• Platting
• Airport compatibility
• Utilities
• Fire
• Infrastructure
• Site-plan requirements