Robert Edelman’s Drexel Park Hollow hogs virtually every inch of dirt
Guest post by C.C. Allen
I attended the meeting Dallas City Councilman Lee Kleinman set up at the University Park United Methodist Church on May 28th. The purpose of the meeting was to have Transwestern update the community on its proposal to redevelop Town House Row, a street of twelve town homes that runs just east of Preston Road and is in the “Pink Wall” area, and an apartment complex . Interested parties were allowed to speak at the meeting, many of whom came from considerable distances outside the Pink Wall area. Lee Kleinman had to ask the “No” crowd, which exhibited frequent shout-outs that interrupted speakers, to show the speakers respect and courtesy. Some of the “No” speakers accused Transwestern of a lack of transparency and an undisclosed agenda, which seemed particularly out of place since the developer has had over 500 meetings with homeowners during the last year and has, from our view, exhibited a genuine sensitivity to the desires of residents of the area.
Such rudeness can be understood in view of the emotionalism displayed by many of the “No” residents, yet was unfortunate and unnecessary.
The main issues voiced by those who oppose any redevelopment outside the current zoning of MF-1(A) are those of privacy and density/traffic impact. I’d like to address these issues from the perspective of a resident of the Pink Wall area and as a long-time real estate professional:
-The current zoning for the general area was instituted about 60 years ago. A few farm homesteads in the middle of fields existed in what is now Preston Hollow. Lovers Lane was really a lover’s lane. No one with the city of Dallas could predict at that time that Preston Center, which is defined by the intersection of two state highways, would become such a vital hub. Nor could it be anticipated that Dallas’ population would grow to the extent that we need more housing for those who want to live close to one of the most important centers of Dallas.
-Under the current zoning, a developer could build right up to the setback requirement, and could have three stories of efficiency apartments looking down into single family homeowners’ yards to the north and the east. This type of apartment would likely attract a very different, and more transient, dweller to the Pink Wall area. The Transwestern plan includes a 70’ landscaped public park as a buffer between the proposed construction and the closest single family home. The park, plus the trees surrounding the new development, will surely go a long way toward providing privacy to the neighbors to the north.
-Have the homeowners in North Dallas forgotten that the residents of the 29-story Preston Tower and the 21-story Athena are tall enough to look down into properties for many blocks to the north and south of those buildings, and have done so for decades? Some of the residents in high rises have telescopes! When one lives in the neighborhoods of Southeast and East Preston Hollow, one also has neighbors with windows overlooking adjacent yards. True privacy is rare in the city under the best of circumstances.
-Most of the condos in the Pink Wall area were constructed to residential standards common more than 50 years ago, and were predicted to last about 50 years. As these properties continue to age beyond their anticipated lives, they require more and more funds to keep them in good repair. The majority of most of the HOAs in this area are composed of owners who don’t want to put any funds into updating of the common areas, and are willing only to be specially assessed for those items that affect the residents’ safety and comfort, such as roofs, plumbing, electrical, pool decking and tiles, and heating/air conditioning. This explains why the Pink Wall area looks like it does, and is why the home values are so low compared to areas immediately to the north. Preston Tower and The Athena, both high rises, were constructed to commercial standards and have a much larger resident base over which to spread the cost of maintenance, repairs, and improvements. These two buildings have done a good job of keeping their buildings maintained and the common areas updated. It could be argued that the overall condition of the Pink Wall residential construction has had a negative impact on the property values of the buildings that have updated their common areas and systems.
-All of us who use Northwest Highway and the roads that intersect it between Central and the Tollway have noticed the significant increase in traffic and much longer waits at lights over the last 18 months on these roads, as well as on roads all over Dallas. Some of the speakers at the meeting expressed a concern that the net addition of cars onto Preston Road at the Northwest Hwy intersection will result in substantially increased difficulty with traffic and more accidents. Patti Niles, a resident who lives on Averill Way, counted the number of cars from 8 AM to 8 PM on a weekday. She found that 40 vehicles per minute, which is 28,800 in a 12-hour period, moved into this intersection from the east and the west. Ms. Niles stated that the Transwestern proposal’s stated addition to the traffic, at 600-800 trips per day, would be a “drop in the bucket” compared to the amount of cars now using that intersection daily. Transwestern has generously offered to use part of its property and its funds to install turn lanes in order to facilitate the flow of traffic. We also understand that Jennifer Gates has taken on the task of working with the Park Cities to synchronize traffic lights, which should result in much greater ease in traffic flow through the area.
We see no real arguments against the Transwestern proposal, which has been developed with sensitivity to the privacy of the surrounding homeowners and with concern for the aesthetic appeal and amenities typical of most Preston Hollow properties. Transwestern has given commitments for sections of its valuable land, plus substantial funds, to alleviate privacy and traffic concerns. The traffic issues exist now throughout Dallas, and must be dealt with using the knowledge that more density is required as a city grows. Dallas is growing quickly. We must do what we can to get TXDOT, who maintains the highways, and the City of Dallas to find ways to alleviate an already-serious traffic problem in Dallas.
Perhaps the “No” people will realize that all of us who’ve weighed in on this issue love Dallas and our neighborhoods, and that we all want the inevitable change to result in growth that enhances the area’s best aspects. We’re fortunate that the Town House Row residents chose a developer who understands the character of this lovely area of Dallas and wants to maintain it. If we discourage such a quality developer, the new construction we might get under the current zoning may make all of us wish we’d rolled out the welcome mat to Transwestern.
