Kroger wants to build its largest grocery store in Texas.
The developer wants to build a shopping center.
DART wants to build a train station.
And residents around the old Dr Pepper plant at Mockingbird and Greenville want to know how all of those things are going to fit into their neighborhood.
As the discussion about the future of one of the last undeveloped pieces of land in East Dallas moves into its fifth month, there are plenty of proposals, a little action and a lot of unanswered questions.
Kroger already has started clearing nine acres of warehouses adjacent to the plant in preparation for construction, which should begin within 60 days.
Kroger real estate manager Terry Evans describes the planned store as “the largest Kroger store in Texas,” and says it will be similar to the Kroger at 1200 E. Parker Road in Plano.
Officials from Dal-Mac Construction, meanwhile, which owns the remaining land, say the company plans to renovate the historic site to accommodate “low-density commercial retail.”
The company initially sought a demolition permit for the 1940 art deco structure following purchase of the 15-acre site in May, but voluntarily withdrew that request in favor of the current plan when historic preservationists objected.
DART real estate manager Tom Marking says his agency plans to build 750 parking spaces and a station for passengers of the light rail system being constructed beneath North Central Expressway. DART owns 16.5 acres in the area, including 11 acres on the Dr Pepper site.
All of these plans have left many neighborhood residents – who acknowledge the need for more retail and mass transit – wondering how an already congested street system will be able to handle the 25,000 weekly customers Kroger expects.
“While people in the neighborhood favor progress, there is a lot of concern over dumping more traffic on Mockingbird,” says Karl Stundins, the president of the Lower Greenville Neighborhood Association, whose group borders the Dr Pepper site.
“On sites like this,” he says, “you need to look at the impact of development and of traffic – especially with the upcoming construction on Central. It needs to be looked at in advance, before Kroger starts building. After that, it will be too late.”
Dal-Mac President Tony Toro told a meeting of residents, preservationists, City officials and Kroger representatives that Dal-Mac plans a low-density retail center “unlike any local mall or high-rise office building.”
But Karen Bradshaw of Dal-Mac said later that “low-density” is a relative statement considering the land’s mixed-use zoning.
“The existing zoning would allow us to build just about anything, including high-rise,” she says. “But we’ve spent a lot of time trying to retro-fit (the Dr Pepper building), and we are planning on using only a small fraction of its potential.”
Bradshaw says Dal-Mac is conducting an economic survey of possibilities for the site, and though some retailers have expressed interest, none has committed yet.
“Our primary intention for the site has been to produce an income-providing property,” she says. “As to how that will happen, it was never decided, and it’s still not decided.”
