The Issues

Real estate developers and urban planners are continually promoting higher density development, and there are many places those proposals work well. One place those proposals don’t work are in existing neighborhoods. Whether it’s apartments within single family areas, shed dwellings, or subdividing lots to squeeze more houses into a neighborhood, these ideas continually come to Council for approval. Overdevelopment leads to crowded neighborhoods, more traffic, and an increased burden on utilities. For this reason, City Council needs to be thoughtful and careful when it comes to approving changes that will increase density, especially in existing neighborhoods.

With the City Council’s guidance, the library has enacted good common sense policies for minors’ sections: librarians review materials, identify mature content, and relocate mature content—either the parenting section or a new YA+ section, depending on age. These policies are a good foundation, and John will continue to work with library staff on common sense policies to support community standards in our libraries.

Short term rentals are frequently a nuisance to the surrounding neighborhood, bringing parties, noise, and excessive traffic from visitors who have no reason to care about the community they disrupt. STRs operate as hotels (they even collect Hotel Occupancy Taxes!) but without needing to be zoned appropriately. John is working with code enforcement to strengthen Irving’s STR regulations. If reelected, he will continue this work to ensure neighborhoods are protected from nuisance STRs.

Irving’s Heritage District is at a critical point: experienced property development teams are showing interest in Main Street and the surrounding area. The city has been encouraging redevelopment and beautification with building and facade grants and prioritizing businesses that residents are asking for: retail, restaurants, and family entertainment. But much remains to be done: the area needs more density to provide the population to justify those stores. The city will play a pivotal role in guiding these developments.

Irving has tremendous public safety departments. John has been a staunch supporter of the police and fire departments on Council. He supported raising fire and police pay to the 80th percentile. This has allowed Irving to out-compete nearby cities when hiring and ensures we hire the best candidates available.

The fire department currently has most stations below industry standard staffing levels. Irving’s firefighters will be faster and safer with adequate staffing on each truck. If elected, John will pursue a committment to upgrade staffing levels at two stations per year until all stations have 4-person crews.

The police department is also in need of additional resources. As crime trends evolve, the police department adapts. This will mean more officers are needed to adequately protect the residents. John is committed to providing the police department the resources it requires to keep Irving safe.