Council Updates

Firehawk Aerospace Relocating to Addison from Florida

At a special meeting on December 8, the City Council approved a rezoning request from Firehawk Aerospace for the property located at 4550 Excel Parkway to add production, assembly, and distribution of hybrid rockets as a permitted use. Firehawk Aerospace, which was previously headquartered in Florida, specializes in the design and manufacturing of high-performance hybrid rocket engines and plans to use the site as their research and development headquarters. The leased area consists of 41,524 square feet. Nearly 30% of the suite will be used as office space and the remainder will be used for lab, warehouse, and production activity. It is anticipated that 20-50 employees will be at this location. 

You can watch the Council's Firehawk discussion here and read the presentation here.

Police Officers Recognized for Life-Saving Efforts

Four Addison Police Officers were recognized with Certificates of Merit at the December 13 City Council Meeting for their life-saving efforts. In September, Officers McDuffie, Sidwell, and Womer were the first officers at the scene of a shooting incident at a local hotel. They were able to work together to quickly stop the victim's bleeding by using tourniquets, gauze, and bandages until the paramedics arrived. The patient was transported to a local hotel where he survived his injuries.

Officer Meraz responded to a medical emergency at another local hotel in October and found a guest unresponsive in their room. He administered CPR until paramedics arrived to transport the patient to a local hospital. Incredibly, this person walked out of the hospital on their own.

In both instances, the calm, quick reactions of these officers saved the lives of others. Many thanks to Officers McDuffie, Meraz, Sidwell, and Wormer for their dedication to the Addison community.

You can watch the presentation here.

Advancing a Community Dialogue on Housing and Redevelopment

Following the Council's approval of several recent development projects that included multifamily rental housing, a group of residents expressed frustration with the Town's approach to its housing and redevelopment policy. At the December 13 Work Session, there was an agenda item to allow a public comment opportunity for residents to share their feedback with Council.

After the public comment period, Director of Development Services Ken Schmidt presented several options to continue the community dialogue regarding housing and redevelopment. Council requested that a separate community meeting be held in January 2023 to further discuss the topic with residents and postponed any decision on future actions until after that meeting. Once scheduled, details on the meeting will be shared on the Town's website and social media channels

You can watch the public comment item here. You can watch the Council's housing policy discussion here and read the presentation here.

Council Discusses Athletic Club Membership Requirements

Currently, the Addison Athletic Club requires residents to have a valid Texas Driver's License or Texas Identification Card with a current Addison address in order to become a member. At its December 13 meeting, the City Council discussed allowing a limited number of exceptions to this policy to accommodate residents with multiple homes and other issues that have recently arisen. Staff will research options to address Council's stated intent and bring an updated policy back to Council for consideration at a later date.

You can watch Council's Athletic Club membership here and read the presentation here.

Design for Outdoor Shade Structure at Athletic Club Approved

At its October 25 meeting, the City Council asked staff to explore additional engineering options for the outdoor shade structure that is part of the original scope of services for the Athletic Club renovations. Staff presented a new design for Council consideration at the December 13 meeting. Council approved the re-engineered structure at the meeting and approved the needed revisions to the project budget.

You can watch Council's Athletic Club shade structure discussion here and read the presentation here.

Council Discusses Legislative Priorities for Upcoming Legislative Session

The 88th session of the Texas legislature will begin in January 2023. In advance of recent legislative sessions, the Town has adopted legislative priorities to be used as a guide to protect and enhance the Town's municipal interests. At its December 13 meeting, the Council discussed the Town's current legislative priorities that will be used to communicate with state legislators. Some of the prominent topics included local control, revenue and expenditure caps, transportation funding, and education funding.

You can watch the Council's legislative priorities discussion here and read the presentation here.

Puttshack is Coming to Addison

At its December 13 meeting, the Council approved a Special Use Permit for Puttshack, an indoor 30,000-square-foot entertainment and restaurant venue that will occupy the former 24-Hour Fitness in Village on the Parkway. Puttshack is a technology-infused miniature golf experience that offers a full-service restaurant with a variety of cuisines as well as handcrafted cocktails. The concept first originated in Great Britain and has expanded to four locations in the United States with ten other locations currently under development, including the one in Addison. Puttshack anticipates opening by the end of 2023.

You can watch the Council's Puttshack discussion here and read the presentation here.

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