The Dallas City Plan Commission last week greenlit a mixed-income housing development within walking distance of the Walnut Hill DART Station.
The Asana Partners project calls for up to 1,740 apartments and the redevelopment of an area desperate for a facelift.
Watch the full discussion on zoning item 8 at the Aug. 3 CPC meeting here.
The rezoning was necessary “to allow modified development standards primarily related to permitted uses, setbacks, floor area ratio, height, lot coverage, density, parking, signs, urban design, and mixed-income housing to continue the use of the existing shopping center while allowing for mixed uses including multifamily,” according to the staff report.
Transit-Oriented Development For Walnut Hill DART Station
North Carolina-based Asana Partners is planning apartments on a 19-acre tract along the north line of Walnut Hill Lane between North Central Expressway and Manderville Lane.
Asana managing partner Welch Liles appeared before the CPC in last week’s meeting.
“I feel like what we are presenting is a strong plan to improve the neighborhood,” Liles said. “It allows us to meet the goal of creating an inclusive 18-hour destination and converting what is now a suburban, surface-park shopping center into an urban mixed-use environment.”
Asana specializes in managing and curating neighborhood and retail experiences, the developer said.
“At The Hill specifically, the intention is to maintain the existing restaurants and retail while adding density over time that would allow for more depth, merchandising mix, and create a live-work environment,” Liles said.
The project is broken into phases focusing on DART connectivity, improved pedestrian access, and contiguous open spaces, according to the developer.
Mill Creek Residential will develop the first phase of housing.
Several members of the advocacy group Dallas Neighbors for Housing spoke in support of the development at last week’s meeting. The proposal, in Dallas City Council District 13, now requires approval from the City Council.
City Plan Commission Recommendation
District 13 Plan Commissioner Claire Stanard made the motion to recommend approval to the City Council. Her motion included several stipulations including a conceptual plan, a development plan, a tree preservation plan, a pedestrian improvement plan, and numerous conditions. All related documents are posted here.
Stanard said the development is a “dream-come-true project.”
“I hope that everything we’ve envisioned comes true,” she said. “I’ve heard the planners here talk about ‘live where you work,’ transit, all these theoretical concepts about housing, mixed-income, reduced parking, walkability, environmentally friendly. All of a sudden we’ve got something that is going to be what has been envisioned in urban planning. A lot of times we haven’t looked at Dallas in this way. I feel proud to have been a part of this.”
Stanard’s lengthy motion included technical criteria that drew opposition from District 10 Commissioner Tipton Housewright because it was outside the scope of the CPC, he said.
Housewright said he liked that the proposal deals with upgrading the “least attractive” part of the shopping center but couldn’t support a motion that dictates landscaping technicalities, gives the transportation director authority over lighting, and deals with the color of a roof.
“Our building code will already direct us in that direction as well as best practices,” Housewright said, referring to the roof color. “I just think it’s beyond the scope of our work on this commission … I think we need to stay in our lane on cases like this. I support the case in general but I’ve got some issues with these details.”
Residential Density
District 9 Commissioner Michael Jung brought up the issue of residential density, which has been the subject of a local policy debate in recent months.
“In the eight years I’ve been on the commission in recent history, every multifamily applicant that I’ve talked to has told me we need greater residential density in Dallas,” Jung said. “My response has always been the same: yes, we need greater residential density in Dallas where it is appropriate, and we need to not have greater residential density in Dallas where it is inappropriate. I think this site is a poster child for a site where greater residential density is appropriate. It is well-serviced by the existing street system. It is truly adjacent to a DART station. An additional very positive factor is that this is not adjacent to — and therefore not capable of disrupting — any surrounding low-density residential neighborhoods.”
It was unclear at the time of publication when the proposed development adjacent to the Walnut Hill DART Station will go before the Dallas City Council.
“I think it’s going to be vibrant,” Stanard said. “I look forward to a future there.”
