A newly formed coalition of North Dallas residents has requested that City Council member Gay Donnell Willis move to pause progression of a slate of contentious development projects.
During a news conference on Tuesday, Aug. 4, the residents threatened to initiate a recall effort if she doesn’t do so. Organizers of the news conference said the coalition of neighborhoods, called D13 Together, includes representation from Bluffview, Wimberley Court, Preston Hollow, and Melshire Estates.
D13 Together called for a pause on movement on the Preston-Royal rezoning case, which would allow for the construction of a residential tower of up to 240 feet, or about 19 stories, and another tower of up to 210 feet, or about 18 stories.
The maximum structure height allowed by the area’s current zoning is 54 feet. Developers had previously reduced the maximum height proposed for the project.
The City Plan Commission will consider the zoning change on Aug. 6. If the commission recommends approval, the city council will still need to greenlight the plan before it moves forward.
Margaret Chabris, who is also involved with the group Preserve Preston Hollow, attended the Aug. 4 news conference and said a petition against the Preston-Royal rezoning had garnered 4,500 signatures as of the morning of Aug. 4.
“We’re for development, just not high rise,” Chabris said.
The coalition is also seeking to pause for 120 days movement on a zoning case that, if approved, would rezone an approximately 3.8 acre property at the intersection of Walnut Hill Lane and Betty Jane Lane. The property would be changed from R-16A single family zoning (16,000-square-feet lots) to allow for 41 patio homes, the majority of which neighbors say would be three-story and reach 36 feet. The Walnut Hill zoning case could come before the Dallas City Council on Aug. 12.
John Wimberley said he lives next to the Walnut Hill Lane site and alleged that Willis had “refused to act as mediator” between the residents and the developer in that case.
“She is certainly not living up to her promise of neighborhoods first,” Wimberley said.
The coalition also called on Willis to not support relocating Dallas City Hall from its current I.M. Pei-designed building downtown.
“We need a vibrant downtown,” Katherine Seale said. “City Hall could serve as a great civic space, a true public space … do not take your citizens for granted, because we have a choice in who we elect.”
Doug Hazelbaker, who is involved with D13 Together and Preserve Preston Hollow, said the neighbors support development, but not “growth at any cost.”
“Many of us supported Councilwoman Willis, and she promised to support neighborhoods and protect them. That promise is unfulfilled,” Hazelbaker said. “We support controlled development, but not growth at any cost.”
If the group does initiate an effort to recall Willis, doing so would require a petition signed by 15% of the total number of voters eligible to vote in District 13 during the last municipal election.
Willis noted in an email sent after the meeting that the zoning cases the group discussed have “changed substantially from where they started,” and there have been numerous meetings regarding them.
“Across these two cases there have been public meetings, small group meetings, phone calls and hundreds of emails exchanged — all of those requests have shaped the projects into what they are today,” Willis said. “The discussion around City Hall will continue during August with the City Council continuing to review the cost of repair, renovation and modernization in addition to learning more about downtown options that we already know could be hundreds of millions of dollars less in cost. Due diligence on these options has been taking place over the past few weeks so Council can have the information necessary to make the best decision for Dallas taxpayers.”
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