Standard Shoreline. Rendering courtesy of Ojala Holdings.
East Dallas neighbors gathered one last time to discuss a proposed multifamily development before the Dallas City Council votes on the rezone request.
The council was supposed to vote on the rezone to make way for the Standard Shoreline in October, but District 9 City Council member Paula Blackmon asked for a deferral until Nov. 9, as neighbors requested.
For months, residents in Lochwood and nearby East Dallas neighborhoods have been meeting with developer Ojala Holdings, Blackmon, District 9 City Plan Commission member Michael Jung and others to discuss the four-story multifamily project planned for the Shoreline City Church site.
The plan commission unanimously approved the rezone request in September.
With just days before the council vote, the Lochwood Neighborhood Association called a meeting to urge residents to oppose the rezone, whether it be by speaking at the meeting, sending emails to council members or signing the online petition.
No representatives from the city or the developer were able to attend the meeting.Â
Lochwood communications chair Thomas Buck led the meeting. One of his main points was that they are not attacking any individual or business; rather, they are attacking “the system.” By that, they mean the zoning process, especially when reviewing public facility corporation developments involving public dollars.
“The issue is how affordable housing should be implemented, especially with single-family zoned developments that are next to neighborhoods,” Buck says.
As laid out in their presentation, neighbors in opposition think there should be more transparency throughout the process. For example, they say the Dallas Public Facility Corporation should share the financials of developers who are authorized as partners, and that the property sale price should be disclosed.
Their central argument can be found on the Lochwood neighborhood website: “A massive, 59-foot-tall, four-story, 300-unit development with incredible tax breaks for the developer that will encroach upon residents is not OK.”
That’s the gist of what was discussed at the meeting. Attendees questioned whether the 50% of units available to people earning 60%-80% of the area median income were actually “affordable.” They questioned the finances of the project, including whether a 75-year property tax abatement was fair.
And they brought up other grievances about the project, regarding parking, traffic, sight lines into neighboring properties, consistency with the Garland Road Vision Plan, drainage and negative reviews of the property management company. All of these topics have come up in previous months.
The Advocate will be covering the upcoming vote. Sign up to speak at the council meeting by 5 p.m. Nov. 8.
