Some North Dallas residents opposed to high-rises in development project
DALLAS - Some North Dallas homeowners are making a last ditch effort to convince city leaders to rethink a development project that includes two high-rises.
They're rallying at city hall ahead of a controversial vote.
Back on March 3, 2017, a fire at the Preston Place Condominiums claimed a life and the homes of about 60 residents.
"After that fire did happen, we saw this massive influx of developers wanting to over develop," said Bill Kritzer, president of Citizens Advocating for Responsible Development, or CARD.
Kritzer said that an agreed upon plan was already in place to redevelop parts of the neighborhood at Northwest Highway, near Preston Road.
But he said that plan went up in flames with the fire, and he feels residents' concerns about new plans are falling on deaf ears at city hall.
"In my opinion, this is developer-run," Kritzer said. "And I strongly believe we have not been given a correct opportunity, as this has been a developer-run issue, not a homeowner-run issue."
He and other members of CARD say they support re-development, but oppose a re-zoning amendment that would allow for the construction of six new buildings, with two of them as high as 28-stories.
The other four would be eight-story buildings, creating another 600 units on the 14-acre parcel of land.
"We looked in Uptown. I didn't choose Uptown, I chose here," nearby resident Carla Percival-Young said.
Percival-Young said they worry about increased traffic, and other issues - like flooding and inadequate infrastructure - should be addressed before squeezing in hundreds of new homes.
"Our biggest fear is we don't know what we are going to get. We are not privy to that and we won't be," Percival-Young said.
"This has been a two-and-a-half-year process. We have had multiple meetings and multiple opportunities to be heard, and they have been heard," Dallas City Councilwoman Jennifer Gates said.
Councilwoman Gates represents the area, and supports the new development, having just won a heated re-election on that issue against former Dallas Mayor Laura Miller.
Gates said she understands concerns over the height of the proposed high rises and plans to recommend an alternative.
She's also recommending a development impact review to address traffic and infrastructure concerns.
For now, it's unclear if the two sides will find a way to coexist.
"We are a big city and there are some areas, particularly between two high-rises, where density is appropriate," Gates added.