2024 DMCA JOURNAL Final - Flipbook - Page 31
Garland Chamber of Commerce
Another addition to the
City of Garland is Al
Raymond as the Managing
Director of Development
Services, which houses the
Building Inspection, Code
Compliance, and Planning &
Development departments.
Development Services work
with developers, business
owners and the residents of Garland to plan and facilitate
development while also working with the community to
ensure properties are well maintained. The Development
Services team will transition to a new permitting/
development software that will provide customers with
an updated and easier to navigate portal. Raymond joins
the City of Garland with more than 36 years of experience
working with several architecture and engineering firms
along with two hotel development firms.
Nabila Nur joined the City
as Director of Planning &
Development in October. Nur
has extensive experience in
management and leadership,
long-range and current
planning, development
projects of various scales,
working with elected
and appointed officials,
continuous process improvement, development reviews,
public hearings, comprehensive plans and development
code updates, both in public and private sectors. The
Planning Department also conducts Feasibility, Inquiry
and Timeline (FIT) meetings. The FIT meeting is intended
to provide developers feedback on construction and
development proposals. During the meetings, applicants
can meet with City representatives from Planning,
Engineering, Fire and Building Inspection. The FIT
meetings are extremely helpful in guiding the applicant
toward a successful application. FIT applications can
be found on the City’s website and must be submitted
electronically via email to pre-submittal@GarlandTX.gov
or fax to 972-205-2474.
Managing and enhancing
the City’s vast network of
street infrastructure is an
immediate priority and
strategic focus area. Streets
in the industrial corridor pose
a unique challenge since
roads must be designed
to sustain the weight of
large trucks. To spearhead
the assessment and maintenance of transportationrelated infrastructure, the City hired Tony Irvin as Street
Director in June 2023. Irvin brings more than 20 years of
experience in public works and engineering, with most
of this experience attained in the public sector. Irvin’s
experience includes managing large-scale projects in
drainage, alley, street and utility infrastructure, with a
special focus on street transportation projects. Irvin is a
graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in
civil engineering. He is a licensed Professional Engineer
in Texas and Florida and is also a Certified Floodplain
Manager.
When deciding which streets to improve, staff consider
several factors since funding is limited. The department
must make selections that accomplish the following
goals: (1) extending the street’s service life and (2)
optimizing the use of available funding. The City of
Garland is nearing completion of its first pavement
condition study conducted using a standard approach
recognized in the pavement management industry.
The City hired a vendor in spring 2024 to conduct this
study. The vendor assessed all streets and assigned
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page 23
DCMA Business Journal
