District 13 Dallas City Council member Gay Donnell Willis has said she will ask for the postponement of the City Council hearing for the controversial zoning case at the southwest corner of Preston Road and Royal Lane, citing traffic concerns.
The project proposed there from developer Leland Burk involves building a hotel/residential tower up to 240 feet, or about 19 stories, another residential tower up to 210 feet, or about 18 stories, and an office building up to 190 feet. The maximum structure height allowed by the area’s current zoning is 54 feet. Burk and his team had previously reduced the maximum height proposed for the project.
Willis announced Oct. 9 that she will ask for the City Council zoning hearing on the case to be postponed until Nov. 10. The City Plan Commission gave the OK to the rezoning on Aug. 6, and it was previously set for a City Council hearing on Oct. 14.
“Traffic is the number one concern neighbors of this project have encouraged me to address. Additional traffic improvements will reduce wait times at the lights and ensure an improved flow of vehicles. I am pushing for a solution that extends beyond the immediate intersection and encompasses more of the east and westbound traffic to make a greater overall impact on traffic flow. The engineers at Kimley-Horn need additional time to recommend meaningful and effective plans to do this,” Willis said in a statement. “Hopefully, this additional time will result in recommendations that can be incorporated into the zoning requirements for the developer, who will bear the expense. This postponement also aligns with the delay some neighbors have requested for further study of the project.”
Some residents at the Aug. 6 City Plan Commission meeting and before had expressed concerns about the height of the building proposed and the potential traffic impacts of the project.
“We are in support, 100%, of this corner developing. It’s the height that’s the issue,” Doug Hazelbaker, who is involved with Preserve Preston Hollow and attended the D13 Together news conference, said at the Aug. 6 City Plan Commission meeting.
Others, like Steven McCoy, who lives in the Preston Hollow area, said at the City Plan Commission meeting that he believes the project would provide additional housing options to the neighborhood.
“As aging families start to downsize from those large homes, they need alternative housing, and this project is going to provide some additional resources on housing to fulfill that need,” McCoy said. “But also the retail, the walkable retail and the restaurants that all the surrounding areas need (to) be more of a positive light in bringing energy back to Preston Hollow.”
The developer, Burk, also attended the City Plan Commission meeting and said he and his team had made it a priority to meet with residents and take their concerns into account.
“We have listened and we have made significant changes to our original design,” Burk said.
Author
