Page 30 - City of Arlington FY19 Adopted Operating Budget
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Business Plan
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND CAPITAL INVESTMENT
The City of Arlington’s Economic Development and Capital Investment City Service Team consists of the following departments:
Aviation, Convention Center, Economic Development, Information Technology, Planning & Development Services,
Public Works and Transportation, and the Water Utilities. The mission of the Economic Development and Capital
Investment City Service Team is to strengthen Arlington’s competitive future by creating a community environment and customer
service spirit that attracts new residents, consumer spending, quality investment, and job creation led by the private sector, and
to ensure that all development and construction activities for capital programs in the city meet the current and future needs of
the community.
The Aviation Department operates Arlington Municipal
Airport, a full-service general aviation airport that is owned by the
City of Arlington. Designated as a Reliever Airport, it provides an
alternative to DFW Airport and Love Field, for flight training,
corporate, cargo, charter and private aviation. Approximately 250
based aircraft and 20 businesses are based at the Airport,
including Bell’s Flight Test Research Center, Van Bortel Aircraft,
Inc., Harrison Aviation, and Airline Transport Professionals
(ATP). The Airport provides fifty-six T-hangars, one commercial
hangar, and 52 tie-downs for lease, in addition to those offered
by FMF and Airport Properties, Inc. The terminal building (LEED
Gold certified) houses Airport Operations and four businesses. Runway 16/34 is 6,080 ft. long by 100 ft. wide, with east and
west parallel taxiways. Air Traffic Control services are provided through the FAA’s Federal Contract Tower program.
The Arlington Convention Center is organized into divisions
consisting of Administration, Event Services, and Facility Operations and
offers catering and audio/visual services to accommodate small and large
groups for expos, public events, trade shows, meetings, special events, and
esports competitions.
The Convention Center operates a 50,000 square-foot Exhibit Hall. The
facility will also soon be home to Esports Stadium Arlington - a 30,000
square-foot esports competition showroom, a state-of-the art broadcast and
live-event production suite, as well as 8,500 square-feet of esports training,
office, and team hospitality spaces. Additionally, the venue boasts the
Gamer Gallery - an 8,000 square-foot esports gaming café, open daily.
The department administers the City’s contracts with the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) and Esports Venues,
LLC. and works together with these partners to help increase tourism and promote attractions and events in the Entertainment
District and the City. Esports Venues, LLC will operate and market Esports Stadium Arlington as the premier facility in the
United States for esports events. The company and its sister organizations will also organize and produce esports events in the
venue. The ACVB markets Arlington as a premier destination for business travel, entertainment, and tourism. The ACVB also
strives to expand the City’s profile through the promotion and marketing of special events such as Art on the Greene, Texas
Scottish Festival, International Folk Art Festival, and Concours d ’Elegance of Texas. Both partners’ sales efforts will focus on
increasing the number of bookings that utilize the Convention Center, continuing to grow hotel room demand, increasing hotel
occupancy throughout the city, and furthering the development of the amateur sports and esports markets.
The Convention Center is located in Arlington’s Entertainment District, and is close to Globe Life Park (Rangers), Texas Live!,
AT&T Stadium (Cowboys), Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor, and is easily accessible from I-30.
2019 Adopted Budget and Business Plan 15 City of Arlington, Texas