Some Ideas for the City – A Prelude to the Next Denton Creatives Mixer
The next Denton Creatives Mixer is coming up on Monday, Feb 17 at 5:30pm at Rubber Gloves. This will feature a forum made up entirely of YOU – your ideas, your thoughts, your ambitions for Denton. Everyone is invited to sign-up to pitch a great idea and watch what happens when the best and brightest of our city collide, connect, collaborate, and make it happen.
You can sign up on the form below, but to get the ideas started early, here’s a select list of ideas I have down on my constantly growing to-do list and just waiting for someone to run with them. Let this help get the brainstorming started…
IDEAS FOR THE ECONOMY
- Become the #1 Startup City in Texas – we have all the ingredients to significant grow our economy from within. Let’s get a plan, set some metrics, and do this.
- 1 Gigabyte per second Fiber Connectivity for Every Home and Business – this will take changes to state legislation, but it is hugely important. Fiber is to the 21st century what electricity was to the 20th.
- Update our Economic Development Strategy – include high-tech and other industries to keep our best and brightest here.
- Tackle Income Inequality Locally – our median income is low, our poverty rate is high, and nearly 45% of our children are on free/reduced lunches at school. It is time to address these issues with our economic strategies and make sure our prosperity is one that everyone can take advantage of – cities will be taking the lead on this issue in the 21st century, so let’s start now.
IDEAS FOR EDUCATION
- Continue Mentor Denton Initiative – we set the goal to get 10,000 mentors matched with 10,000 at-risk kids. We quickly scaled to 1000 the first year – let’s keep moving.
- Broaden PreK Initiative – not just a school problem, this is a social, economic, and justice problem. Let’s develop a 5 year plan – using schools, rec centers, libraries, neighborhoods, churches, and businesses – to get our youngest citizens and their parents off to a good start.
- Employ PhDs in Denton ISD – academia is churning out a glut of PhDs and then paying them poverty wages to adjunct. We can transform our schools by taking advantage of this and developing a program that attracts them (particularly in Middle and High School). Imagine being able to say, “Denton ISD has more academic PhDs per student than any school in the nation.”
IDEAS FOR NEIGHBORHOODS
- Create distinct “districts” and brand the heck out of them – having an identity to rally around goes a long way. Focusing first on our core neighborhoods, the first couple rings of neighborhoods around downtown, find a way to bring neighborhoods and connected businesses together into little vibrant centers of place. Think back to my “Thinking Beyond the Square” article.
- Identify opportunities for DIY public art – painting dumpsters, making art out of a utility pole, painting murals on building sides or underpasses – identify for the neighborhoods what CAN be done and let them loose to do it.
- Reform Neighborhood Grant Program – I watched when several neighborhoods got excited when we created this program. They came with ideas, people, and enthusiasm. Most of those ideas never got off the ground – that tells me we are making it too difficult. Let’s fix this.
IDEAS FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
- Historic Preservation as Economic Engine – our current code was created out of an environment of contention and has always tended to unnecessarily pit economic development interests with preservation goals. The fact is, studies are clear that historic preservation is a big economic driver. We can transform our approach here, put metrics on our efforts, and get more players at the table.
- “One Regulation Preservation” – we are scaring away too many property owners and neighborhoods with our current approach which tends to envision layers upon layers of aesthetic regulations from the start. Why not go the other way and require only one thing: you can’t tear down that building without going through a lengthy process. Build from there.
IDEAS FOR CIVIC INNOVATION
- Open Data in Denton – governments hold huge amounts of data that, if unlocked and available real-time in a machine-readable way, can be developed into innovative solutions for cities and citizens (think how government weather and GPS data has transformed our lives).
- Develop an City Office of Innovation – new civic ideas need a place to incubate, get piloted, and scaled where failure is accepted as part of the culture of creativity. Let’s develop a space for innovative staff teams to form around innovative ideas and create a culture of innovation at the city level in Denton.
IDEAS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
- Greenest City in the Nation – we have standards for green buildings and green products, but there has yet to be a recognized standard for cities. Let’s team up with UNT to develop this standard, using Denton as the living laboratory, and set the right goals to be #1 on the list.
- Fix the Fracking Problem – no matter our successes in many areas of sustainability (and we have many), the fact that we are on a very well-played part of the Barnett Shale and have been and continue to experience the consequences of this will always be an asterisk on any of our accomplishments. We need to be aggressive, see our current policies as works in progress that are always up for modification, find and implement best practices, and work with the industry to find creative solutions.
IDEAS FOR GETTING AROUND DENTON
- Think bigger about our Rail Trail – Think Katy Trail in Dallas. Think how other trails can tie in.
- Fix our streets – it’s time to find a plan that fully funds our street reconstruction and maintenance. Even if it takes 10 years to get there, let’s have a plan.
- Connect the Walk – starting with the square and moving outward, identify and fix all spots that provide obstacles to walkers, wheelchairs, strollers, and tricycles. This, too, requires a funding fix.
IDEAS FOR CITIZENSHIP
- One stop online shop for all volunteer needs and volunteers – with 48,000 college students, a bunch of willing young people, active churches, non-profits, and civic-minded businesses, there shouldn’t be a need in this community that goes unmet. We just need to coordinate our efforts. There’s an easy technological fix for part of this problem.
NOW YOUR TURN – SIGN UP BELOW TO MAKE YOUR PITCH ON MONDAY…
City Council Preview – February 4, 2014
Your friendly neighborhood City Council meets once again on Tuesday at 4:30pm for a Work Session followed by a Regular Session at 6:30pm – both at the main City Hall at 215 E. McKinney Street in downtown Denton. Click here for a full agenda.
DENTON: MOSQUITOES’ WORST NIGHTMARE
During a council luncheon on Monday, we heard a report detailing the 2013 West Nile response plan by the city of Denton. Thanks to a dedicated and remarkably talented crew of city staffers and a strategic partnership with UNT, Denton’s approach to tracking, mapping, and data collection of the city’s mosquito population during West Nile season is among the very best in the nation. Check out our own Dr. Ken Bank’s publication on the subject in an edition of the very popular Stormwater Journal. If you haven’t already, take a look at this great GIS mapping tool indicating trapping events in the city.
FOOD TRUCKS – REVISIONS TO THE ORDINANCE
You might recall a series of public discussions this past summer in the ramp up to w
hat was supposed to be a 6 month review of the recently enacted food truck ordinance. The revisions to this ordinance have now been recommended to the council and we are set to vote on them. One particular provision – a rule prohibiting the operation of food trucks in parking places on city streets – has raised significant concern among many operators and downtown businesses who have developed positive, symbiotic relationships with these new food entrepreneurs. I am sympathetic to their concerns and look forward to the discussion. This new food truck culture has brought new life and new possibilities to new areas of downtown – it is not clear to me that making things harder for them to operate a business is the course we ought to be taking.
THIN LINE FILM FEST – FEB 12-16
Denton’s Thin Line Film Fest is coming up in a couple of weeks – this time with the addition of a live music line-up. We’ll be considering several requests for noise ordinance exceptions and alcohol sales during our meeting. Make sure you check out this cultural treasure for the city of Denton – go here for more info.
EXTENDING THE GAS DRILLING “STANDSTILL AGREEMENT”
The coexistence of gas drilling and neighborhoods has understandably resulted in several concerned citizens. We have been under a “Standstill Agreement” with EagleRidge Operation since December in the hopes of arriving at some global agreement addressing several city concerns. Those discussions continue to happen (I am part of the negotiating team for the city). In order to keep the talks going, we need to extend the agreement through March 4. For some context, consider the map below:
The green stars represent existing gas wells, many of which were drilled as far back as 2001. The most recent ordinance – particuarly the 1200 foot setback requirement – combined with a dense population and geological considerations has more or less resulted in a de facto ban on new fracking operations in the core of the city, East of I35. We now have to tackle the very significant problem of existing well sites West of I35. A successful resolution/agreement at the end of these Standstill Negotiations will go a long way toward addressing many of the issues concerning our citizens.
SUBSTATIONS!!
We will have two public hearings on two separate substation projects in the city – one north of Riney Road and East of Bonnie Brae Street and another located northeast of the intersection of Geesling Road and Blagg Road.
MLK Day Celebration on Jan 20
Bring your friends and family out and join the Southeast Denton community in honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King…
Denton City Hall West Will Not be Torn Down
A Denton Record-Chronicle Newspaper article this week raised concerns about the future of City Hall West, pictured above and located on Elm Street just North of the Square. According to local historian and former City Council member Mike Cochran, “This wonderful building was built in 1927, and over the years it has housed City Hall, the Police Department, the community theater and now the Planning and other city departments.”
A bit of background – the city has been in discussions for some time now about the needs of our growing municipality and the need for more, and in some cases, consolidated space. It is rather a rare thing, but the city actually has three city halls, all housing city services and departments that are typically contained in one space in other cities: City Hall West (above), City Hall East on East Hickory right across from the DCTA station, and City Hall on E. McKinney Street between the Civic Center and the US Post Office. This question is ongoing and one thing seems clear: City Hall West is not conducive to the needs of a growing Planning department serving a city whose population is set to double in the next decade.
Concurrent with these discussions, a developer approached the city expressing interest in the property as well as the old Main Fire Station adjacent to it. And now it seems there is significant interest from others in this property as well. The city council met in executive session to discuss some of this.
With all this chatter of a possible sale, many citizens, rightfully concerned about the preservation of the city’s historic buildings, are worried this means that City Hall West would be torn down, or at least altered inappropriately.
I want to be clear – no one is interested in seeing Denton City Hall West torn down or altered in a way that takes away its historic significance. Not the city council, the city staff, or anyone expressing interest in the building.
The building already has a local historic landmark designation which provides a significant amount of protection from changes and demolition. Any plans for alterations of the exterior of the building must go through the city’s Historic Landmark Commission and the City Council will have the final say on the matter. Even if the ownership changes, these regulations still apply.
Keep in mind, out of all the city’s registered historic landmarks, the vast majority are owned by private citizens and they are doing just fine – in most cases, flourishing and adding beauty and character to our city.
My main interest is the historic preservation of City Hall West. Whether or not it remains in the hands of the city or the hands of a private entity is a separate question.
Right now that building is the place where someone goes to pull permits and find out information about building code and food establishment regulations. I’m not yet convinced that this is the best use of this remarkable building in such an important spot near the square. If we can explore the possibility of a better use – whether that be a municipal one or a private one – isn’t it worth a discussion?
Ideas for the City: A Denton Creatives Mixer
The next Denton Creatives Mixer will feature you. Because a city is only so great as the ideas of its citizens, we’ll be devoting this mixer to showcasing the next big ideas for Denton. Where should we be heading? What to we need as a city? What is a solution to one of our biggest challenges? What are you already doing that we all need to know about?
Everyone is invited to sign-up to pitch a great idea and watch what happens when the best and brightest of our city collide, connect, collaborate, and make it happen.
We’ll meet on Monday, February 17 at 5:30pm at Rubber Gloves. Go here to RSVP on our Facebook Event Page.
We’re in need of volunteers to help and a business or two to sponsor the “first round” of drinks. Email me if you can help.
Sign-up below to make your two minute pitch…
Thinking Beyond the Square: Denton’s Future Hubs of Creativity, Commerce, and Culture
Thanks We Denton Do It for the above picture that I blatantly ripped off you fine website.
I grabbed a glorious cappuccino from Shift Coffee this afternoon after dining on a Nopales platter from Taqueria Guanajuato on East McKinney Street. Some of the best tacos in town are found on a virtually unwalkable street void of any vision or investment, tucked in among bail bond storefronts and car repair shops. Arguably the best coffee in town is found in a strange 70s looking strip mall along a one-way road going the opposite direction from where I live. Yet both places were packed. In the case of Shift, my short 20 minute stint in the shop had me mingling with a web developer, a filmmaker, a rising star in the local Realtor scene, a Midlake guitarist, a prominent pianist, and many others – literally a concentration of culture and creativity. This got me reflecting…
The revitalization of the square and its obvious continued success is the result of vision from several years ago. Somebody had the vision to preserve the courthouse despite a push in 1956 by the Denton Record-Chronicle and local business leaders to tear it down to build a parking lot. Somebody had the vision to do away with a rule prohibiting residential living on the second floors of downtown buildings, thus paving the way for what we now see in downtown living. Some business owners had the vision and gumption to take a risk on an area that many believed was a relic of the past, replaced with the modern glories of things like Golden Triangle Mall. Somebody had the vision to bring a commuter rail line to Denton from Dallas and set-up a stop in the downtown area.
And it worked. Now what?
If we learn from other cities, a growing, ambitious and continually restless creative class of young, educated professionals, entrepreneurs, and artists will eventually look for new organic, authentic, and affordable spaces to work, live, connect, and create.
You already see this happening. While city, developer, and business leaders are spending millions on already successful areas of downtown like the Hickory Street corridor (a good project, to be sure), the hottest businesses in town are popping up off the grid in places with little to no attention, investment or planning: see, for example, East Oak Street (OSDH, ESSC, and the coming food truck park), South Square (Shift Coffee, the DIME Store, Viet Bites), and Congress Street (Greenhouse, Loco Cafe, Cupboard, and Seven Mile).
This activity alone should be instructive and should give us pause to reflect on the relationship between top-down, centralized planning and organic, authentic space-making. If you’d rather hang out in the Bishop Arts District over Uptown in Dallas, you get what I’m talking about here.
So how does a city get in the mix of this and look to the future beyond the Denton Square? Cast vision, find out what makes these areas work, invest in smart infrastructure projects to make those areas more walkable/bikable/livable, figure out what bad policies are in place that keep them from flourishing, and get out of the way.
Here’s my take on 12 areas to keep an eye on – 12 areas of potential as future hubs of creativity, commerce, and culture in Denton. We need to continue encouraging the success of the square, but we also need to make more places like it around town.
Click on the full-screen button on the upper right of the map below. Then explore my thoughts on each of these areas by clicking each highlighted spot. Chime in and let me know your thoughts.
City Council Preview – December 17, 2013
Looking for something to do this week before Christmas? Why not come to a City Council meeting on Tuesday night? We’ll kick things off at 3pm with a Work Session followed by a Regular Session at 6:30pm at the main City Hall at 215 W. McKinney Street. Click here to see the full agenda with backup materials.
COOL CITY WEB TOOLS
This is not on this week’s agenda, but I wanted to take the opportunity to show you a few new web tools to help enhance your citizen experience in the city of Denton. I’m a fan of civic tech – finding technological solutions to civic problems. I’ve gone the last two years to the annual Code for America Conference, brought many of those ideas back to Denton, and have been advocating for an Open Data policy in Denton through my role as Chair of the Council Committee on Citizen Engagement. Check out these great tools, each of them utilizing GIS mapping technology and demonstrating the power and possibilities of Open Data to help you better connect with your city…
- CITY OF DENTON INTERACTIVE MAP – this tool gives you a bunch of layers you can use to visualize anything from “No Sex Offender” zones to sewer lines to flood plain information to City Council districts.
- GAS WELL LOCATOR – simply put in your address and find out how many gas wells are within 1000 feet, .5, 1, or 2 miles from there. Dig down to discover city and RR Commission permitting information and get a handle on the geographical proliferation of gas drilling operations in the City of Denton.
- INTERACTIVE CURBSIDE COLLECTION MAP – when do I put the trash out, honey? There’s now an app for that.
- MOSQUITO SURVEILLANCE AND RESPONSE MAP – Denton is a national leader in our aggressive approach to studying mosquito trends in order to have data-driven policies to protect our citizens. Check out this map which takes you on a chronological journey of our city’s mosquito trapping program.
WHAT’S THE FUTURE OF WATER WORKS PARK?
Water Works Parks has averaged a budget shortfall of $777,414 per year for the last four years. Surveys by the Parks staff indicate a number of reasons why people are not utilizing this resource more frequently. The City Council is being asked to give some direction on the future of the Water Park. Do we invest $4.2 million in it to add a wave pool, interactive play structure, and permanent concession facility in hopes of increasing annual revenue? Or do we continue on without investing in such capital projects, knowing that the city will continue to subsidize its annual operating budget?
While we are on that subject, here’s a commercial for Water Works Park you have probably seen. It is done by Denton’s own Jon Collins and features my friends Jason, Jane, and Ruby Danger Upshaw along with the always talented Claire and Owen Nichelson…
DEVELOPMENT ON RYAN ROAD – mixing homes and gas wells
We’ll be returning to a rezoning application near Ryan Road for the third time. Due to its proximity to a gas well site, three of us voted to deny the application, causing the application to be denied. After agreeing to pursue notification options with the aim of securing consent from any future homeowners within 1200 feet of the existing gas well, the applicant requested that council reconsider its denial (which has to be initiated by one of the council members who initially voted against the project). We did so and the matter is coming back to us again. As I stated before, my vote will be contingent on a robust notification process that guarantees that all future home buyers within 1200 feet of the well will be fully aware of this gas well prior to purchasing the home.
AMENDMENTS TO THE GAS WELL ORDINANCE
On October 29, we amended a section of the Fire Code to clarify the proper ordering of permits leading to the full permitting of a gas well drilling permit. We’ll be officially changing the Denton Development Code related to this. Doing so requires a process whereby the amendments go first to the Planning and Zoning Commission and then to City Council. This will help clarify that the Planning Department, not the Fire Marshall’s office, has the final authority in permitting gas drilling in the city.
As always, please let me know any questions or comments you have on any of these items – kevin.roden@cityofdenton.com or 940-206-5239.
Denton Winter Storm Response
Recent Press Release about the City of Denton Winter Storm Response
DENTON, TX, December 13, 2013 – City of Denton utilities and public safety crews worked around the clock Dec. 5-9 to respond to the severe ice storm that gripped the North Texas region.
“Although City offices and facilities were closed on Friday and delayed opening on Monday, essential personnel continued to work throughout the severe weather conditions to provide critical services to our community,” said City Manager George Campbell.
Streets crews worked more than 1,900 man hours to spread 624 tons of sand on streets, bridges, and overpasses. The Department also provided mutual aid to the Texas Department of Transportation through sanding operations on I-35 near Sanger from Friday evening to Saturday morning.
Denton Police responded to 77 minor accidents, 13 major accidents, 172 traffic hazards, and 390 motorist assists between noon on Thursday and 5 p.m. on Monday.
During this time, Denton Municipal Electric (DME) customers used 50 percent more electricity than the previous week. Electric service was disrupted for only 160 customers during the event, which is less than 0.33 percent of DME customers. The average outage lasted one hour, and the longest outage was less than five hours. Severe weather events highlight the success of and continued need for DMEs tree trimming program, preventing the scale of outages that were experienced in other service areas.
The Denton Fire Department provided welfare checks to motorists stopped in traffic on I-35W and I-35E through Denton and along I-35 up to Sanger. The Department operated two brush trucks with two-person crews to move stuck vehicles, as well as provided blankets and water to stranded motorists.
Despite the prolonged period of subfreezing temperatures, the City provided water and wastewater service with minimal disruptions.
Staff is currently assessing City facilities for potential damage caused from the accumulation of ice on roofs.
“This was a very unusual storm that really challenged our resources, but I am proud of our city employees who were able to keep vital services such as public safety, water, wastewater, and electric services operational for our residents,” stated Denton Mayor Mark Burroughs. “I was particularly glad to hear that we were able to give the Texas Department of Transportation assistance with the motorists that found themselves stranded on I-35.”
Contact: Alison Ream, (940) 349-8310, Alison.Ream@cityofdenton.com
City Council Preview – December 3, 2013
Tuesday’s City Council meeting will begin with a Work Session at 4pm, followed by the Regular Session at 6:30pm, all at our main City Hall at 215 E. McKinney Street. The full agenda and backup materials can be found here on the city website. Here are some items of interest…
THE FUTURE OF EUREKA PLAYGROUND
If you have kids or are one yourself, you have no doubt spent considerable time playing on the magical, castle-like structure of Eureka Playground at Southlakes Park. This park was designed, created, and funded by a group of volunteers 20 years ago. At the time of its creation, it was known that this sort of park would have an approximate lifespan of 20 years. Because maintenance issues continue to grow and the Denton Parks Foundation has indicated an interest in fundraising for a new playground, it is time to begin thinking about its future. We will be discussing options moving forward. If this interests you, please chime in!
Or perhaps you’ve noticed an increase in very enthusiastic teenage boys using this wooden structure to display their sweet Parkour skills. Perhaps we should learn something from these guys when we are deliberating the future of Eureka – SAVE PARKOUR N D PARK!!
HOTEL CONVENTION CENTER UPDATE
This will be our last update prior to a scheduled vote on the proposed agreement between the city, UNT, and O’Reilly Hospitality Management whereby the city will agree to fund a Convention Center connected to new (not city funded) Embassy Suites Hotel on the campus of UNT where the old Radisson Hotel used to stand. I gave a more significant update on its progress in my last council update along with a link to the Power Point Presentation given to council outlining many aspects of the proposed agreement. We are scheduled to vote on this agreement at the December 10 council meeting – a week from now.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN CONVENTION CENTER?
Some may be wondering whether or not it is a conflict of interest for me to be participating in Convention Center discussions and ultimately voting on the matter, given my employment status with the University of North Texas. Isn’t this a conflict of interest? As we started these conversations well over a year ago, I consulted our legal team’s advice on this very question. To be sure, as we are approaching a vote, I sought advice once more on my status. There exists a Texas Attorney General opinion from 1988 responding to a similar issue in San Marcos where a matter between the city and Texas State University called for city action and the majority of council members were employees of the university. You can read that opinion here. In it, the Attorney General argued that a public university (and other similar governmental entities) does not qualify as a “business entity” identified in the laws defining legal conflicts of interest. On my own initiative I’ve sought ought legal advice on this issue twice, I’ve received advice that there was no conflict, and I intend to fulfill my council duty by continuing to participate in this discussion and voting when the time comes. As much fun it is to speculate about backroom deals, secret handshakes, and kickbacks, I’m pretty sure my modest salary in my very mid-level administrative job at UNT will remain very modest and very mid-level even after this vote.
AMENDMENTS TO THE GAS WELL ORDINANCE
On October 29, we amended a section of the Fire Code to clarify the proper ordering of permits leading to the full permitting of a gas well drilling permit. We’ll be officially changing the Denton Development Code related to this. Doing so requires a process whereby the amendments go first to the Planning and Zoning Commission and then to City Council. This will help clarify that the Planning Department, not the Fire Marshall’s office, has the final authority in permitting gas drilling in the city.
A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL PROTEST AT CITY HALL
I’ve discovered that meetings that begin with civil protests are better than meetings that do not. As many of you know, the fracking issue continues to be a difficult issue in our community. Some local activists will apparently be on hand to express their opinion, according to this Facebook Event.
As always, let me know your questions or comments on any of these issues.
Banning Politics from the Thanksgiving Table: Thoughts on Political Fundamentalism
Political discourse today is too often derailed by extreme commitments to ideology. This is evident across the political spectrum and on just about every issue. Where ideological fundamentalism grows, the democratic virtues inevitably diminish. Intellectual rigor is replaced with dogma, persuasion is given up for activism, and arguments are reduced to mere apologetics and its accompanying arsenal of mimicked sound bytes. Fundamentalism breeds the democratically dangerous thought that not only am I absolutely right, but that anyone who disagrees with me is probably evil. Fundamentalists distrust any sources of knowledge that don’t already conform to their perspective. As a result, opposing perspectives are never considered and the claims of fellow fundamentalists are never questioned. What’s worse: the more extreme and loud the claim, the more it is applauded and celebrated by others in the fold.
It is a form of reductionism. And when brought into the political arena it can swiftly devolve into a form of tyranny: “it’s our way OR ELSE!”
I’ve long believed that a source of such political fundamentalism is the all-too-abstract national political landscape. And a remedy for it is found in the practice and elevation of local democracy. Practicing local democracy is humanizing and moderating.
Democracy is reared in the most mundane places and at the youngest of ages: learning how to socialize and play nice with others at the playground, learning how to share with siblings in the living room, and learning how to speak civilly with the family at the dinner table. You may still dislike someone, claim your rights, or disagree with the other person, but your passions are tempered by the fact that they are your neighbors, your brothers, and your sisters.
It is simply a shame that at the time of year when families come together for food, drink, and fellowship, the broken state of our national political discourse means that many families avoid precisely what coming together around a table from the time we were babies was meant to promote.
This Thanksgiving, make your country better by practicing local democracy at the dinner table. Practice putting the human first and the issue second. Instead of avoiding political discussion, transform it. Our kids are watching…