This past week the Arlington City Council gave approval of a new apartment complex off of Joplin Road in the southeast section of the Kennedale school district. {{more}}
The planned 188 unit apartment complex will be at 6500 U.S. 287 on approximately 14 acres. This places it south of Albertsons and next to the two existing larger apartment complexes, the Falcon Lakes Apartments and the Addison Parks Apartments.
This also places it in one of the hottest housing development sites in the area. Building is going on up and down Eden Road and continuing over on to Mansfield Cardinal Road in Kennedale. The new apartment complex will be just across from the city limits of Kennedale but within the school district boundaries.
The new apartments will be called Arlington Riverside and will include a walking trail, outdoor pool, gazebo, playground and 6 acres of ?open space?. The units will range from 659 square foot efficiencies to three bedroom 1200 square foot apartments. The look will be similar to the nearby with two or three story buildings
The good news for the school district is that zoning in the area allows for up to 22 units per acre. This development will be considerably less (as proposed, approximately 7 units per).
Apartment complexes often present challenges to school district planning. The complexes usually go up faster and fill up faster than housing additions and carry a high number of school age children. There also tends to be a higher turnover rate in apartments than in residential housing.
But, in anticipation of the new growth in the southern section, the Kennedale ISD Board approved new attendance lines for the school district?s two elementary schools this past year. Most of the new growth in the southeast section of the district will be funneled to Robert F Patterson Elementary on Kelly Elliott.Patterson Elementary, similar in size to Delaney Elementary, has had smaller enrollment numbers in recent years and has room to accommodate growth. The growth will help balance the enrollment numbers between the two schools.
