Proposed construction that would cut nearly 50 parking spots at the Lakewood Country Club has prompted a neighborhood petition to install sidewalks along La Vista Drive.
Changes to the club include renovating two porte cocheres and building an 80-square-foot guard house and a 500-square-foot pro shop, according to an application for a minor amendment to a planned development district. The application also requests permission to install a new entrance on Gaston Avenue and to revise the internal road layout, which will reduce 47 parking spots.
Proposed construction at the Lakewood Country Club.
The country club already has a parking problem, with vehicles parking along La Vista Drive when no spots are available. Some neighbors worry that with fewer spots, La Vista will become even more crowded and make it difficult for walkers, runners and bikers to maneuver along the popular thoroughfare.
More than 65 neighbors had signed a petition Wednesday afternoon to install sidewalks along La Vista between Brendenwood Drive and Abrams Road to protect pedestrians who frequent the route.
The petition will be presented at 1:30 p.m. Thursday when the City Plan Commission meets to consider the changes. City code requires approval if the proposal meets the standards for a minor amendment.
Sidewalks are continuous down La Vista until they reach the country club. The only sidewalk anywhere along the property is the stretch between La Vista and Gaston along Abrams, as well as a short segment on La Vista adjacent to the 15th green. However, in 2021, the City of Dallas may add sidewalks on the south side of La Vista from the 6500 to 6800 blocks, according to the Infrastructure Management Program.
If it weren’t for La Vista’s speed bumps, the walk along the golf course would be treacherous for pedestrians, Advocate reporter Keri Mitchell wrote in a 2015 article that detailed her trek along the busy street. Her walk was made even more difficult by construction in which the club expanded its pool, built underground parking and reconfigured its tennis court area.
“Walking allows much more time to ponder why the City gave the club permission to build what is essentially two stories of tennis courts atop a parking garage without requiring it to construct sidewalks along its property for the good of all of its neighbors, rather than simply the few who can afford to fork over tens of thousands of dollars annually,” she wrote.
