After months of debate, a controversial mixed-use project at Preston Road and Royal Lane recently cleared an important procedural hurdle.
The project from developer Leland Burk involves building a hotel/residential tower up to 240 feet, or about 19 stories, another residential tower up to 210 feet, or about 18 stories, and an office building up to 190 feet. The maximum structure height allowed by the area’s current zoning is 54 feet. Burk and his team had previously reduced the maximum height proposed for the project.
The project had gotten pushback from some residents near the intersection, including from the group Preserve Preston Hollow and the newly formed coalition of North Dallas neighborhoods called D13 Together.
D13 Together includes representation from Bluffview, Wimberley Court, Preston Hollow, and Melshire Estates.
During an Aug. 4 press conference, the residents expressed concern about the height of the buildings, the potential traffic impacts of the project, and its proximity to schools like St. Mark’s School of Texas.
“We are in support, 100%, of this corner developing. It’s the height that’s the issue,” Doug Hazelbaker, who is involved with Preserve Preston Hollow and attended the D13 Together news conference, said at the Aug. 6 City Plan Commission meeting.
Megan Ratcliff said her sons attend St. Mark’s and, while she supports development of the corridor following the 2019 tornado that struck the area, she opposes the plan proposed.
“It’s hard to envision the kids walking along Preston-Royal on a game night, to grab a burger, to meet up with the girls, with three high rises worth of residents and employees added to the mix, and their cars. This is already a very busy intersection,” Ratcliff said. “We want development, but not this.”
Burk attended the City Plan Commission meeting and said he and his team had made it a priority to meet with residents and take their concerns into account.
“We have listened and we have made significant changes to our original design,” Burk said.
Some supported the development, saying it would add needed housing to the area.
Steven McCoy lives in the Preston Hollow area and said at the City Plan Commission meeting that he believes the project would provide additional housing options to the neighborhood.
“As aging families start to downsize from those large homes, they need alternative housing, and this project is going to provide some additional resources on housing to fulfill that need,” McCoy said. “But also the retail, the walkable retail and the restaurants that all the surrounding areas need (to) be more of a positive light in bringing energy back to Preston Hollow.”
After hours of debate, Dallas City Plan Commissioner Larry Hall made the motion to approve the rezoning. Dallas City Plan Commissioner Jack Kocks had proposed an amended motion that would allow no structure on the site to exceed 75 feet in height, but that motion failed.
The case will still need to go before the Dallas City Council for final approval. It’s unclear when the city council will take up the case or when the developer might begin construction if it’s approved.
Author
Rachel Snyder, managing editor at People Newspapers, first joined the staff in 2019. She’s covered everything from Dallas and University Park municipal government to business. Rachel began her journalism career at the daily newspaper The Express Star in Chickasha, Okla. She went on to work for the daily Duncan Banner in Duncan, Okla. the weekly Sand Springs Leader, and WFAA-TV in Dallas. She’s a fan of puns and community journalism, not necessarily in that order.
