Park Cities Residents Prepare For High-Rise Apartment Fight
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - There are concerns about congestion and larger crowds near the Park Cities in Dallas, because of a proposed new high-rise apartment building.
Developers want to build the new 29-story tall building near Northwest Highway and the Dallas North Tollway.
Developers are asking for a zoning change to turn what's now a medical office building into the high-rise residential tower.
Some homeowners say the building and influx of residents would be too much for an already congested, two-lane street.
Park Cities resident Susan Cox said, "I was absolutely shocked that someone would propose or think it's desirable to have a 29-story building in Preston Center west."
Cox lives near the proposed luxury high-rise and says the additional traffic congestion is her overriding concern. "I'll sit at least three traffic lights to get through Preston and Northwest Highway during peak traffic times."
The proposed apartment building falls within Dallas city limits; but would be in Highland Park school attendance zones.
Resident Jill Fawcett is also opposed to the apartment building. "Our school district has told us that it won't significantly affect enrollment at High Park school district -- so I would say that is a small concern, but primarily the traffic and the safety, as well as the privacy are my primary concerns."
As spokesperson for the developer, executive vice president Rick Williamson of Crosland Group, sent a statement to CBS 11 News saying the company is not dismissing homeowners' objections. It read, in part -
"A lot of their concerns are very reasonable… as one would generally think that a big building means a lot of people and a lot of traffic. But, our analysis indicates that residential use would reduce traffic."
Dallas city councilmember Jennifer Staubach Gates said there's a lot of talk about the building. "There's fact, and I'm sure there's fiction being spread about the project."
Gates, a councilmember from Dallas District 13, says she's hosting a Tuesday night town hall meeting to allow stakeholders to get accurate information about the project and to let everyone share their concerns.
"HPISD is going to be there. We're going to have people from TxDOT to talk about the Northwest Highway improvements that they're going to be making over the next 12 months," Gates said. "And then I think it's a fair opportunity for the developers to really present their project."
The town hall meeting will take place Tuesday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Northway Christian Church on Northwest Highway.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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