It’s been almost a year since Lakewood residents organized to expand the area’s conservation district boundaries in an effort to protect the historic architecture of their homes.
It’s not a simple process.
Lakewood resident Summer Loveland and a committee of volunteers gathered signatures to petition for the change, and the group has been holding informational meetings twice a month since August.
Their final workshop session is set for Feb. 13. After that, city staff will draft an ordinance for presentation to the City Plan Commission and City Council.
Creating a Conservation District
The conservation district neighborhood meetings cover topics like architectural styles, demolition, and remodeling — and even technical matters like paint color.
Residents petitioning for the conservation district want to designate homes built by notable architects as “significant.” Such homes include those designed or built by Clifford Hutsell, Dines and Kraft, Bertram Hill, George Dahl, Charles Dilbeck, Verne Shanklin, and Hamilton/Meyer.
“There has been a general sense of agreement on many issues in the meetings, with the neighbors moving together with the same general purpose overall,” Loveland told daltxrealestate.com. “Of course, there is some disagreement on some issues, but overall we have been able to move in the same direction. The few neighbors who voiced opposition early in the process have not taken the time to show up and participate in the meetings. The vast majority of opinions voiced throughout the whole process have been in the same vein — preserving the character of the neighborhood.”
Much of the neighborhood meeting discussion centers around providing input on what they want to see in an ordinance.
The discussions get pretty detailed, Loveland explained.
“In the coming meetings, we will cover which homes will be considered architecturally ‘significant,’ which means they would be subject to a demo clause,” she said. “Based on what we discussed in the last meeting, neighbors reached consensus that a significant home would have to be in major disrepair with costs in excess of 80 percent of the value of the home — not including land — per [Dallas Central Appraisal District] in order to be approved by the City. We will also further discuss remodeling regulations, tree preservation, windows, and porches.”
The Lakewood Conservation District Moving Forward
There are a few neighbors on the 7000 block of Westlake Avenue who have said they don’t want to be included in the expansion area. We heard from some last fall who questioned whether the designation could negatively impact their property values and some who simply don’t want to be told what they can and can’t do with the homes they purchased.
“More than 50 percent of that [Westlake] block signed the petition in favor of expansion, and more than 50 percent of the homes are of ‘contributing styles’ — minimal traditional and Tudor,” Loveland said. “There are three somewhat vocal neighbors among the block, but none of them have come to any meetings beyond the initial meeting last May.”
Following the final meeting this month, Chief Planner Trevor Brown and his team will draft the ordinance, a process which could take up to 60 days, city officials said.
Neighbors then get an opportunity to review and discuss the draft ordinance before it’s placed on a City Plan Commission agenda.
The city will send information by mail to all homeowners in the expansion area. The neighborhood comments will be shared with the CPC. A similar process will occur prior to the City Council public hearing.
There are currently 18 conservation districts in Dallas. South Winnetka Heights is also in the process of creating a conservation district.
