Linda Pelon
Piedmont-Scyene HOA


Dallas City Council Members
1500 Marilla St.
Dallas, Texas 75201

September 24, 2002

Subject: Council Agenda Item #36

Dear Councilmembers:

The first and most troubling issue with this zoning case is the failure of the democratic process. 

Volunteers have spent thousands of hours for over a decade working on the vision of a Lower White Rock Creek Greenway. It is a vision that arose from the original Trinity River Corridor Citizens Committee in 1994. 

Our coalition has been blocked from providing adequate input into this case by a council member who will not return phone calls and who ignores requests for meetings. 

Council member Thornton-Reese finds time to meet with the developer but neglects to meet with community leaders with legitimate concerns about the negative impact this zoning change will have on a previously identified "gateway" property into the Great Trinity Forest.  Mr. Carl Crawley, consultant to developer Frank Gies, assured the City Plan Commission that they would get with the community regarding our concerns. However, the developer and the city council member have disregarded requests to meet with representatives from a variety of involved organizations and area homeowners associations. 

The purpose of this letter is to appeal to your sense of fairness and request that this important decision be delayed until community concerns can be addressed.  

We are not opposed to the development of this site. We feel strongly there is a higher land use. 

Since the property is directly across Lake June Road from the DART Park and Ride (it will become a Light Rail Station in a few years) it has been identified as a priority site for mixed-use serving a transit center as defined in the North Central Texas Council of Government?s Regional Mobility Initiatives (website address for additional information is www.dfwinfo.com/trans/landuse/index.html ).

There is another compelling reason to seriously consider a mixed-use zoning for this property. It is adjacent to a most historic section of the Great Trinity Forest. The White Rock Heritage District and the Comanche Nation are working together to begin the process of nominating this parkland as a National Register Historic Landmark District with Traditional Cultural Properties. 

The mixed-use in this area should include a trailhead to the historic sites in the adjacent Great Trinity Forest. Since we are several years away from having light rail in SE Dallas, the Lake June Transit Station is the only station close enough to serve the patrons of Great Trinity Forest parkland who rely on, or prefer to use, mass transit. 

We have also identified developers who are interested in developing according to the regional recommendations for both "Developing Naturally" and for mixed-use around transit stations. This property has the potential to be a showcase for innovative and visionary development. It will be a disservice to the communities, organizations, and volunteers who have worked so hard to encourage this type of higher land use if you "rubber stamp" this controversial use of one of the key sites for tourism development, the preferred economic engine for the Lower White Rock Creek Greenway (recently re-named the White Rock Heritage District). 

In the one phone call that Mr. Gies returned, we offered to work proactively with him if he would consider mixed-use for this site. Although he agreed to think about it, he has not returned phone calls since then. This site has the potential to be a win-win situation for the developer and for the White Rock Heritage District. The economic development implications for this zoning case will also impact adjacent areas in Councilmember Chaney?s and Councilmember Hill?s districts.

We are appealing to the council to delay this zoning decision and provide citizen volunteers/stakeholders an opportunity to be heard. After our disappointing and disturbing experience with these advocacy efforts to date, we need your reassurance that democracy is alive and well in Dallas and we need your vote to ensure that all voices are heard before a decision is made.

Sincerely,

Linda Pelon

Environmental Issues Representative

Piedmont-Scyene HOA