Over the past several months I’ve sort of followed the whole development-teardown-McMansion-neighborhood stabilization deal in East Dallas. Just before I left my previous gig several folks from the Maplewood neighborhood (apologies to those whose calls went unreturned–it was my last day on the job) contacted me to plead their case after the most recent District 9 (Neighborhood Stabilization Overlay) face-off.
In the East Dallas NSO stories I’ve covered (Gastonwood-Coronado Hills, Casa Linda, Stonewall Jackson, etcetera) passionate people on both sides of the issue offer compelling arguments supporting a stance. But in many instances, the boundaries of reasonable debate are violated. Good people, often wholeheartedly dedicated to their community’s welfare, turn on one another because they have different ideas of what constitutes the best thing for the neighborhood.
I think we can get so caught up in a good fight that we lose sight of the big picture. We are only fighting because we are part of something worth fighting for – and that’s a GOOD thing. This contribution to the DMN from one of our neighbors helped me to take a fresh look at the whole thing.
