Arlington City Council approved revisions to the city’s mural policy that does not include the mural that started the discussion. However, one city council member asked city government staff to revisit the area.
Juan Velazquez’s mural that depicts former Texas Rangers infielder Rougned Odor punching Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays will be “grandfathered” into compliance. That means that the mural and 25 others in the city can stay until they need to be repainted or the building changes ownership. From there, the artist or business would have to go through the city permitting process to keep the mural in compliance.
Velazquez said after the meeting he worries about what the process will look like when his mural needs work.
"What happens five years from now when I need to repair it? What if later on they're not OK with the repairs, you know? That means the mural technically wouldn't be allowed," Velazquez said.
Arlington city policies limit murals to a couple areas of town.
Over the summer, and after code compliance asked Velazquez to paint over the mural, council members discussed whether to expand the zones where business owners can commission murals without a permit.
Murals were already allowed in the entertainment and Downtown Business districts.
Council compromised on adding the International Corridor and a larger swath of downtown known as the Downtown Neighborhood Overlay to the list of approved areas, as some members feared opening the entire city to murals would also open it up to art deemed offensive.
Velazquez and other artists previously told KERA policies that restrict murals to certain areas creates barriers for lower-income communities to access public art — even with a permitting process.
"We don't have those rules in Fort Worth, and we don't have anarchy in Fort Worth. It's just fine. The world does not end the way they think it's going to end if they allow it," Velazquez said.
Arlington City Council voted unanimously to accept the changes to permitted zones, as well as new procedures and definitions for murals. But the discussion may continue.
District 5 council member Rebecca Boxall asked city staff to consider including an additional zone: areas around Cooper Street that extend in from UTA Boulevard to Arkansas Lane. The strip comprises one of three segments included in a corridor development strategy for South Cooper Street. One of the recommendations included establishing a community-led public arts program and taking advantage of the street’s connection to UTA and Arlington High School.
"Right now, I'm just asking about zone one so that although they're grandfathered in that they would be in full compliance," Boxall said.
Alicia Gray, former president of the Heart of Arlington Neighborhood Association, wrote to council members that including the zone would bring at least six murals into city code compliance that would have previously been grandfathered.
Got a tip? Email Kailey Broussard at kbroussard@kera.org. You can follow Kailey on Twitter @KaileyBroussard.
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