More than nine months ago, developers with Ojala Holdings proposed a high-rise apartment tower on a lot currently occupied by Shoreline City Church, which is adjacent to the Lochwood neighborhood of East Dallas.
Dozens of neighborhood meetings have been held since then. Extensive changes to the original plan have been made. The need for affordable housing has been acknowledged on both sides. Dallas Plan Commissioner Michael Jung and District 9 City Councilwoman Paula Blackmon have been thoroughly engaged.
And the majority of the neighbors still don’t want a mixed-income multifamily development in their backyards.
A final gathering of developers and about 70 neighbors was held Thursday night at Harry Stone Recreation Center, an opportunity to share information and answer questions before the Plan Commission votes on Ojala’s rezoning request on Sept. 15.
The Dallas City Council is expected to hear the item on Oct. 26.
The Proposal
The site currently is zoned R7.5(A) single-family residential, which allows churches, among other things. Shoreline City Church is relocating and selling the property to Ojala Holdings. The developer is requesting the site be rezoned to a planned development for multifamily use and is pursuing a contract for 51 percent affordable housing to be rented to households that earn 80 percent of the Area Median Family Income.
Daniel Smith, managing director of Ojala Holdings, said the Standard Shoreline development also would house the local workforce — teachers, police officers, and firefighters — who earn $50,000 to $70,000 per year.
“This is not project-based Section 8 vouchers,” Smith said. “This is workforce housing. We call it attainable housing. This is not a homeless housing shelter. This is a Class A mixed-use, mixed-income development. Half of our folks are going to be higher earners, where we’re trying to get the highest rent possible. The other half of the folks are going to be rent-controlled because we are in the middle of an affordable housing crisis in North Texas.”
Background checks and credit checks will be performed, Smith explained.
Lochwood residents acknowledge there’s a need for affordable housing.
“This issue isn’t about whether or not affordable housing is necessary — because of course it is,” states information on the Lochwood Neighborhood Association website. “The issue is how affordable housing should be implemented — especially with single-family zoned developments next to established residential neighborhoods. A massive, 60-foot-tall, four-story, 300-unit development with incredible tax breaks for the developer that will encroach upon established residents is not OK … The city needs to work to find a happy medium that encourages housing developments that meet the needs of the workforce community, while respecting the neighborhoods where such developments are considered. It can be a win-win, if handled correctly.”
Ojala representatives described the project as 3,000 square feet of creative office space with an art park and 25,000 square feet of open space in addition to the 300 apartments, which include 18 lower-density townhomes.
“In an effort to respect any privacy concerns associated with the adjacent single-family [development], we have made a number of design modifications including reduced height and density, enhanced visual buffers including townhomes, a 15-foot landscape barrier, and privacy fencing, lighting restrictions, and a ban on short-term rentals,” Smith said. “It’s no secret that we are in the midst of a housing and affordability crisis. We believe that the Standard Shoreline will be a truly unique, mixed-use, mixed-income project that will assist in improving the northern section of the Garland Road Corridor while providing much-needed housing, jobs, and community amenities.”
Ojala officials shared a drone video that shows the view from above the Shoreline site, displaying what’s visible of the surrounding neighborhoods at that height.
“From the fourth floor, you cannot see into the backyards,” Smith said. “Not only that, there’s two-story townhomes that are going to be built in this section; there’s enhanced landscaping, and there’s privacy fencing.”
Garland Road Vision Task Force
The 10-member Garland Road Vision Task Force was split in a 5-5 vote on the rezoning proposal on Sept. 1 and declined to provide a recommendation.
Thomas Buck, who oversees communications for Lochwood Neighborhood Association, said if Ojala representatives were looking to rally public support at Thursday’s meeting, they might be disappointed.
“We feel Ojala’s leadership believes not having a GRV Task Force recommendation in favor of the build hurts their standing with the council,” he said before the gathering. “We believe this meeting is a last-ditch effort for them to gain public support before the plan commission review next Thursday. We must make them realize a small art park and creative center does not compensate for a 60-foot, four-story complex only 18 feet away from our neighbors’ properties.”
Public Comments
The Sept. 8 public meeting got a little heated. Some residents appeared frustrated and scoffed at data presented by Ojala on school capacity and traffic counts.
Smith and Ojala partner Matthew Vruggink attempted to answer residents’ questions, but it’s clear their presentation wasn’t likely to change the minds of most of the attendees.
Scott Robson, president of the Lochwood Neighborhood Association, said only about one in 10 of the neighbors support the rezoning.
“Nobody wins,” he said. “The only winner here is Ojala.”
Resident Alison Milam pointed out concerns after the meeting about tax incentives and the reference to “attainable housing.”
“Ojala started out referring to this complex as ‘affordable’ housing and tonight they called it ‘attainable’ housing,” Milam said. “When I questioned how much the rent would be, I was shocked to find out that it’s really no different from any other apartment complex in the city. In other words, it didn’t seem ‘affordable’ or ‘attainable’ to me.”
She further observed that Ojala representatives appeared evasive when asked about tax incentives provided to those who build affordable housing.
“Shouldn’t we be holding the city accountable for further explanation as to why $2,000-plus rent is considered ‘affordable’ housing?” she said. “It was my understanding that the city was doing this because there is a desperate need for affordable housing. And now even the developer is referring to their project as ‘attainable,’ so how and why should they qualify for this tax break?”
In a separate conversation, Buck said the guidelines for converting a single-family-zoned property next to a neighborhood should be treated differently than rezoning a commercial or industrial property in the same spot.
“If you’re buying a house that is adjacent to a commercial- or industrial-zoned lot, it’s a ‘let the buyer beware’ situation,” he said. “There’s a level of expectation that development could occur on that lot. With a single-family-zoned lot, there’s a level of expectation the single-family property will remain a single-family-zoned property.”
