Woodard Paint & Body

This Thursday, the Plan Commission will hear the case for Woodard Paint & Body's Special Use Permit. It's a given that the Loser will make a motion to deny their SUP, probably with prejudice. At that point, the case will get appealed to city council, and it will be interesting to watch what Councilwoman Angela Hunt does to this long-time East Dallas business.

There's been a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth this week because a property owner demolished a one story 1950's office building on Turtle Creek Blvd., a building which they owned. Sudden demolition of 1950s Dallas office building shocks preservationists (By KAREN AYRES SMITH/The Dallas Morning News, 4/20/8). The building has been empty for a some time. Nobody wanted to use it for an office building. So, no employees lost their jobs. No business was forced to relocate or close.

Sudden demolition of 1950s Dallas office building shocks preservationists (By KAREN AYRES SMITH/The Dallas Morning News, 4/20/8)

Former City Council member Veletta Forsythe Lill, one of many who later came to see the destroyed building, said she knew the demolition was legal but was still disappointed.

"They don't even have a plan that is approved by the city," Ms. Lill said. "We could lose this building for nothing but a vacant lot. What we're all so worried about is that we will continue to see the demolition of these midcentury buildings." ...

Bill Berrong, who lives in a complex next to the site, said he met with the developers to hear about their proposal and likes their ideas. Plans call for a restaurant, hotel and condominiums.

"I'm glad it's gone," Mr. Berrong said of the older building. "I didn't think it was an attractive building."

Several of his neighbors said they felt otherwise, describing the squat structure as a piece of history. The building, designed by architect Harwood K. Smith, had served as an insurance office.

The irony here is that it was Veletta Lill and the Loser who promised Al Woodard that his business would be protected if he didn't fight the Ross Avenue overlay. If Lill is disappointed because an abandoned building was demolished, you can just imagine how disappointed Al Woodard is that he might lose his business. And for what? The Ross Avenue overlay is a plan waiting for some action. Right now, there are more than 15 vacant lots on Ross Avenue. If Lill and the Loser have their way, there will be even more.

I want to take a minute to talk about this "midcentury buildings" stuff. This is such new propaganda that they can't even get their stories straight. The propaganda had 2505 Turtle Creek building designed by Howard Meyer. Then it turned out the designer was Harwood K. Smith, a very successful architect but apparently not as revered by the preservationists.

What about the over 30 year old building where the Woodard Family employs over 40 people? Many of those men have worked for Woodard all of their lives. Don't they matter? Don't they have a history?

The late John Woodard, Al Woodard's dad, sold the land where their original business was located to David Fox of Fox and Jacobs, so Bryan Place could be built. That was in the early 70's when John Woodard built their current building at its Ross Avenue location. John Woodard was the glue that kept that part of East Dallas together, when most in Dallas had written it off as a dead zone.

Dozens of Bryan Place residents have written letters in support of Woodard Paint & Body's SUP, but their Executive Board has voted to oppose the SUP. A handful of elitists want to put 40 people out of work.

You can't expect the Loser or Princess Velveeta to care about 40 working people because neither of them have a real job.

We can only hope the rest of the Plan Commission will finally stand up to the Loser. Where is their sense of fair play? How can they go along with the Loser, when they see him screwing up stuff week after week?

It's interesting that Dallas Observer's Jim Schutze is not interested in the plight of Woodard Paint & Body. He wrote a great story about what Bill Blaydes tried to do to Tom Pierce and Overhead Doors. Blaydes had decided there was a better use for Tom Pierce's land than the way Mr. Pierce was using it. So, Blaydes tried to get the zoning changed on that land, zoning that would force Mr. Pierce to either close down his business or relocate it elsewhere. The council wisely rejected Blaydes' brazen land grab. Schutze totally supported Tom Pierce and painted Bill Blaydes as the bad guy, which he was.

Now, Jim Schutze has gotten all defensive about the Loser. Apparently, Schutze only has righteous indignation when it's Republicans doing wrong. When it's a Democrat like the Loser, it's OK for a business owner to be forced out of business because City Hall insiders and some elitists would rather see another vacant lot on Ross Avenue than a thriving business with a strong customer base.

I don't understand it. For that matter, I don't understand why Councilwoman Hunt refuses to call down the Loser. He is hurting her reputation as much as he is hurting the Woodard family.

If 8 Plan Commissioners do the right thing Thursday and grant the SUP for Woodard Paint & Body, then a very great wrong done by the Loser and Princess Velveeta will be corrected. If the Loser prevails, he will put Councilwoman Hunt in a very bad spot when the case goes to council. She will be faced with denying the SUP for a long-time East Dallas business or approving it. If she denies the SUP, her detractors will have more ammunition to paint her as anti-business.

Let's hope she does the right thing by Woodard Paint & Body.

sb

Sudden demolition of 1950s Dallas office building shocks preservationists (By KAREN AYRES SMITH/The Dallas Morning News, 4/20/8)