Former City Council member Philip Kingston and his wife, Melissa Kingston, current Plan Commission member for District 14, have applied for three variances for a property they own at 6045 Velasco, located within the Belmont Addition Conservation District (BACD). The property is at the northwest corner of Velasco and Skillman.
The conservation district was originally championed by the Kingstons and other residents in 2004 in an attempt to minimize building alterations so neighborhood properties continued to retain the original architectural significance of the neighborhood.
The conservation district boundaries are Llano to the north, Skillman on the east, Belmont on the south and Greenville to the east. There are approximately 443 properties in the BACD.
The Kingstons’ application notes their intention to redevelop the existing duplex on the site. The remodeled structure would still house two units but would violate existing BACD limitations on side-yard setbacks and lot coverage.
The Kingstons are asking for a side-yard setback of 3 feet on the west side of the property abutting another residence — the current setback requirement for the property is five feet. On the east side of the property, abutting Skillman, the Kingstons are seeking a 3-foot, 9.5-inch side-yard setback — the BACD requires 10 feet.
You can read the Board of Adjustment agenda listing the 6045 Velasco application, which includes a site plan and a detailed letter about the property changes written by Philip Kingston
The submitted site plan for the remodel shows lot coverage of 4,057 square feet on an 8,070-square-foot lot for 50% coverage. Maximum lot coverage in the BACD is 45% for original (1945 or earlier) structures.
The requests will be heard by the Board of Adjustment, the City Commission empowered to grant variances and special exceptions to City ordinance requirements. Each City Council member and the mayor appoint a member to the Board. The standards for granting relief are in the Development Code. The Board has the power to grant relief, provided the variance:
- Is not contrary to the public interest.
- Is necessary to permit the development of a specific parcel of land that differs from other parcels of land by being of such a restrictive area, shape, or slope.
- Is not granted to relieve a self-created or personal hardship.
The irony of Kingston, who helped create the original BACD, now wanting to change the rules for their property is not lost on some BACD neighbors.
Geyden Sage and her husband have lived in the Belmont Addition since 1997, before the Conservation District was formed. Sage says she wasn’t heavily involved in the initial adoption of the BACD, but she chaired the Committee that worked from 2019 to 2021 to develop changes to BACD rules, such as fence regulations and front-yard setback measurements.
Sage has not taken a position on the Kingstons’ Board of Adjustment request but says she believes they should follow established rules to change the BACD if it needs changing. The process is laid out in the Dallas Development Code and includes forming a neighborhood committee and gaining approval from 58% of the real estate or 58% of the owners in the District.
“It seems this request is creating a roadmap for getting around the BACD rules,” Sage said.
Jon Schulz, another Belmont Addition resident and member of the committee that amended the BACD, says he opposes the request for many of the same reasons.
“The Board of Adjustment request undermines the whole idea of a conservation district,” Schulz said. “Owners sidestepping the Conservation District defeat the history and heritage the District was designed to protect.
“In the case of the Kingstons, it rules for thee and not for me,” Schulz said.
The Board of Adjustment hearing is scheduled for Panel B at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13. Interested parties can attend in person, by phone, or online. Instruction can be found here in the Panel B box.
