The northeast corner of Mockingbird and Skillman

The northeast corner of Mockingbird and Skillman

Developer Moran Capital LLC has bought up some property at the northeast corner of Skillman and Mockingbird where two gas stations once operated, but at this point Moran isn’t sure what it plans to do with it, says partner JD Robertson.

Sign up for our newsletter

* indicates required

For a while, Moran was also eyeing the apartment complex right next door, the Wilshire on Mockingbird. The company hoped to buy the complex and get a zoning change from residential to commercial, according to nearby neighbor Magda Girgis.

Wilshire on Mockingbird

Wilshire on Mockingbird

In the last couple months, Moran has met with nearby neighbors at least three times. Girgis was present at all the neighborhood meetings, and she says Moran faced stiff opposition from neighbors for a zoning change for the apartment complex, although Girgis says some neighbors were interested in working with Moran.

“There were some neighbors who were in support of the idea,” she explains, “and then there was a group of us who opposed it — not necessarily because of the business that was involved but because of loosing the residential area.”

The group that supported the zoning change hoped that working with Moran would give them more say on what Moran could or would build on the corner, Girgis says. But she says most of the neighbors would rather see the strip of land kept as residential, rather than changed to commercial.

After meeting with neighbors, Moran recently withdrew its application for a zoning change, according to councilman Philip Kingston. Robertson declined to comment as to whether or not Moran is still interested in purchasing the apartment complex.

If Moran does reapply for a zoning change, Kingston says he will “carefully evaluate comments from all of the neighbors and planning staff’s analysis,” but he added, “it will be hard to convince me that changing residential zoning to commercial is good for the neighborhood.”