While no plans have been filed, Highland Park Mayor Will Beecherl has called a hotel on the Highland Park Village north parking lot in the 4200 block of W. Mockingbird Lane “a nonstarter.”
Beecherl was asked about the idea during an Oct. 27 joint meeting between leaders of Highland Park ISD, the city of University Park, and the town of Highland Park.
He explained that his understanding is that the potential project’s impetus was a parking survey that showed insufficient spaces around Highland Park Village. That led to the idea of a parking garage, then possibly a hotel to generate income.
“I think it’s a nonstarter,” Beecherl said. “When they came to us a year ago, we said, ‘you have to get neighborhood buy in.’ If you want to bring this to council, you better have neighborhood buy in before you ever bring it to council. Well, you see the signage, you see what’s going on. So the hotel is a nonstarter.”
Near the shopping center, signs can be seen that say “No Rezone No Hotel. Stop HP Village Expansion.” A neighborhood petition against the prospect has garnered hundreds of signatures, according to organizers. The concerns of neighbors opposed to the idea have centered around increased traffic and noise around the shopping center and its proximity to Bradfield Elementary.
No proposals have been officially submitted to the town for the lot, and a Highland Park Village spokesperson said there isn’t a timeline for doing so.
“Highland Park Village is committed to being a good neighbor and working alongside the Town of Highland Park on the best solutions for everyone,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
The open-air shopping center itself is zoned as a planned development district while the north parking lot and surrounding neighborhood are zoned for single-family residential uses, according to the town’s zoning map.
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