Dear Editor,
Katy Jane Halpin’s letter offered a sincere perspective on Compass School and Northway Christian Church, but several facts may not have been known to her when she wrote it.
A History of Restrictions
When Northway sold the land for Boone Elementary to HPISD in 2016, Northway recorded a legal deed restriction explicitly prohibiting Boone from operating a preschool while Northway’s own Day School operated next door. In 2017, Northway granted one narrow exception: a single special education classroom required by federal disability law. In 2025, Northway granted a second exception permitting a staff preschool program for the children of HPISD employees. In our opinion, this change was due to Texas Legislation pending at the time, which did become law.
The general preschool prohibition remains fully in force. As of June 23, 2026, 20 children sat on Boone’s preschool waitlist because of the restriction.
The restriction was not incidental. It was negotiated, recorded, and enforced. In our opinion, Northway’s own documents show it believed competition between the two adjacent schools was harmful, a belief that does not disappear because the Day School is closing.
The deed also bars Boone from operating middle school grades, while the proposed permit would allow Compass to enroll students through eighth grade.
Northway is now asking the city to approve a school on the same parcel, overlapping with Boone at every grade it serves, including preschool, while that restriction remains in place.
Removing the restriction now would not make the two schools compatible. Nine years of legal protection against Boone proves the conflict exists.
The High Legal Bar
Under Dallas Development Code §51A-4.219, the City Council cannot legally grant a Special Use Permit (SUP) unless it makes four mandatory findings, all of which must be met. The Commission is required to find that the proposed use contributes to, enhances, or promotes the welfare of the adjacent property — Boone Elementary. Northway must prove the legal standard has been met.
Who Owns the SUP
The SUP is requested by Northway (the applicant), not from Compass. Compass is a proposed occupant. As confirmed by the Northway zoning representative: “Zoning runs with the land, not the tenant. The SUP will remain in effect for the period granted.” If Compass relocates, another school could occupy the parcel under the same permit without community notification or a new compatibility review. Our neighborhood is not evaluating Compass specifically, but what the city is being asked to permit on this parcel — now and for the future.
Traffic Reality
The traffic concern deserves a real answer. Under Dallas Development Code §51A-4.219(a)(3)(C), the Commission must find the use will not be detrimental to public health, safety, or general welfare.
A licensed engineer documented eight deficiencies in the applicant’s initial Traffic Management Plan. The neighborhood requested a 45-minute stagger to let Boone’s students clear before Compass parents arrive. On July 1, HPISD Superintendent Mike Rockwood’s letter asked the Mayor and City Council for a minimum 30-minute stagger between dismissals. The applicant’s revised plan (dated June 24) was filed with the City July 8 with the same 15-minute stagger the Superintendent called insufficient.
No hearing has been set. What comes next will affect Boone and this neighborhood for years to come.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Jones, on behalf of neighbors who oppose the granting of the SUP as currently written
Submitted on July 11, 2026
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