Resident: Knox Henderson Development 'Too Much Stuff On A Small Lot'

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas City Council on Wednesday could decide the fate of a newly proposed development that would bring new office space, restaurants and shops to the Knox/Henderson area.

Council rejected the initial plan back in December and wanted to give the developer more time to make adjustments to ease concerns.

In order for the proposed retail center to be built, the lot would need to be rezoned. The property in question is on Henderson Avenue, in between Glencoe Street and McMillian Avenue.

"It's too much stuff on a small lot," said Bruce Richardson, a nearby resident.

Richardson has called the area home for 30 years and lives right down the street from the potential development.

"We're talking about compounding an existing problem," said Richardson.

He and other residents in the area are petitioning city council to reject a rezoning request that would allow the proposed development to exist.

"It's absolutely traffic," said Richardson. "Fully and completely about traffic."

At least three of the nearby neighborhood associations are concerned the retail plaza will push the increased traffic into their quiet, residential roads.

"More traffic is more traffic man. It has no place to go. We don't have flying cars," said Richardson.

The developer insists the lot will not stay empty forever, something will eventually be built on the property. He believes the question is, what kind of traffic do people want?

"I think that PD (planned development) is outdated and when they did it, no one thought that the City of Dallas was going to become the city that it is today," said Mark Masinter, the found of Open Realty.

Masinter said he has worked to reduce the size of the buildings and has included green space to allow the lot to breathe.

He has spent years trying to come up with something interesting and different that would add to an area already full of apartments and bars.

"The unintended consequences of our plan being defeated is you're going to end up with an Uptown effect," said Masinter. "More apartments, more bars, more traffic."

Residents like Richardson disagree and say he would much rather have a complex that fits within the current zoning guidelines rather than retail.

"It's a very smart design in the Henderson plan and we should not seek to upset it," said Richardson.

Council is set to discuss the rezoning request Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. at Dallas City Hall.