freewaytincan

i mean, my life almost ended because of explosive devices.

KBilly

Damn... sorry to hear it.

Too bad it wasn't my first thought... now that would have been a story, too.

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Smito

I wonder what happened to the Lake Highlands PID. Anybody know?

jelf

Sounds like Prescott is still 45-60 days from closing on the Skillman apartments and about 2 years from doing any building on the site (based on the meeting of the White Rock Valley Neighborhood Association last night, with Bill Blaydes and representatives from Prescott Realty present).

mrgrieves

I was driving on Medow between Greenville and Manderville, progress is moving rapidly.. They are trenching a big hole off Treehouse road.. Anyone know what the expected completion date for this project is, and if any changes to the plans have been made?

Thank you

vman

I went that way the other day to get out of N. Dallas traffic and I couldn't believe the number of apartments being demolished. I wasn't aware there was that much progress being made so quickly.

mrgrieves

Surprised me also.. I knew Manderville was going be changed, but was unaware of changes on Meadow and surrounding streets..

Elise

What is going on in that area? - I didn't know anything about it. Would love to hear or be directed to information on it.

Also, at the WRV meeting last night - any indication of why the closing is taking longer than originally thought. Did it still sound like it is going to happen?

jelf

They said that it was pretty much on track, though they said they had hoped to close on it earlier. I think they are still waiting for the zoning variance to be approved before closing (they did not say this directly, but mentioned that the zoning was the next step). They did not express any doubt about the deal going through. Both in terms of the closing and building they stressed that bureaucratic hurdles would slow them down--approval for the lakes/ponds by the Corps of Engineers, Dallas Plan Commission, etc. They also said that they are in the process of talking to retailers now.

Smito

Try this:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...nt.31c4f79.html

Random Traffic Guy

We strangely don't have a thread on the Valencia Assemblage, but it is mentioned starting on page 2 in this Vickery Meadows thread
But it is Not Lake Highlands, pending expansions of the lebensraum on their famous map.

__________________
Public transit's usefulness is determined by land use planning more than by transit planning. Jarrett Walker - Human Transit Blog

Smito

Elise wanted further information about Valencia and I remembered reading about this in the Dallas News. I posted the link. And nobody said that this was Lake Highlands. :look:

Elise

Thanks for the link and info. It's certainly very close to LH and can't do anything but help us. Glad to hear about it and glad to hear the Town Center is still on track.

jelf

I wonder if those who care so deeply about what is or is not Lake Highlands are as precise in their use of "Park Cities," "Preston Hollow," "Kessler Park" and "North Dallas." Sometimes people use those terms to describe general areas rather than technical boundaries.

KBilly

^ Am now ducking for cover under desk...

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LakeRidge

With all the tree droppings on my walkway and roof I think people should start calling my super-exclusive area "Pecan Highlands".

jelf

sounds picturesque.

LakeHighlands

You will hear a lot more about the PID this fall.




I have renderings of this development. I will post them as soon as I have time on the VM tread.


.................................................. ..............
And YES the LHTC is on track and doing fine.

__________________
"One of Dallas' strongest communities, Lake Highlands boasts a true sense of neighborhood spirit. Local stores reflect passionate support for Lake Highlands schools with school posters and signs. True to its name, the area features handsome traditional homes up and down rolling hills and charming, winding roads." --Lake Highlands People

mrgrieves

Yes thank you for the info.. this will certainly benefit us!

KBilly

A couple of things that I heard from a neighbor that attended the WRVNA mtg this past Monday. Blaydes and Jerry Allen, our new Dist 10 council member, were both there.

1) The mtg was told that the town center developer is trying to get City permission to remove and NOT replace a bunch of old-growth trees. Is this a fact?! :wazzap:

2) He heard the Blaydes, behind the scenes. was actively pushing to have White Rock Trl widened to 4 lanes and curbs/sidewalks put in to facilitate even more car access to the town center from White Rock Trl onto Walnut Hill. (Since Blaydes never answered a past email on this, I am fuming now, if true.) He heard that Blaydes is pushing hard on Allen to get on this side. He also said there was a lot of neighbor opposition. Is this a fact?! If so, there is going to be one hell of an uprising in White Rock Valley -- WRT is not a thoroughfare, nor should it become one.

I originally posed this very concern in the old LH thread in Jan/06 and txdore seemed to shoot it down. I -- and many neighbors -- would like to know if this WRT widening is trying to be re-sold again.

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LakeRidge

KBilly,
I don't think you should be concerned. The White Rock Valley area is a hotbed of realty activity, as you know. The city of Dallas is seeing properties with a taxable value of 200,000 replaced with properties that have a taxable value of above $600,000. It would be a horrible business decision to harm the residential growth in the area at the benefit of commercial development. Roof-tops sustain store-fronts, right?

With the addition of the Park Lane development and the Meadow Rd development there will be fierce competition for retail dollars. Because LHTC will be further from 75 than the other developments it seems they will rely heavily on neighborhood traffic. Due to this it would be a poor business decision to (1) anger the neighborhood residents (2) add a thoroughfare that would decrease property values thereby decreasing the disposable income of nearby residents.

Finally, about the trees, how do other cities get developers to leave trees on development sites? For example, how does The Woodlands,TX get developers to keep the property's trees when they build a new gas station? I assume there is some sort of legislation that forces this behavior...

buddhaismissing

Developers have to replace trees in accordance with the gauge of the trunk they take out... i.e. if they take out a tree with a 6 inch trunk they have to replace it with a native tree with a six inch truck or say two 3 inch trunk trees... Now consider ALL those large trees on the the site of the LHTC with 30 to 40 inch gauge trunks. Its will be very expensive to replace all those trees and they have to find a place to put them.

jelf

It sounds like they were talking about not replacing the trees that are in the area where the lakes/ponds will be, but replacing the rest of them.

Yes, Blaydes mentioned during the meeting that he wanted White Rock Trail expanded to a four-lane undivided road. He said that he got a ton of neighborhood opposition, to the extent that people were acting like it was "holy land" (or some other religious-sounding phrase that Blaydes used). Blaydes also said that he thought this would not happen. I also would not want White Rock Trail widened, because I live in a house that sides to White Rock Trail. The house behind ours is probably worth over 600k and the other house on Eagle that was listed at 622 is also on the corner. In other words, I don't those with property close to the road would be much happier than the Parkies who fought the Mockingbird expansion. I like being able to see as many bikers and walkers as I do cars. The police cars that zoom by now are bad enough.

KBilly

Thanks on the tree stuff.

jelf... you have a PM. Methinks that Blaydes may still try and do this -- he's not on council now, and he's into real estate -- so he's no longer publicly accountable to us. I never trusted him then -- witness his total disregard to my emails on this subject last year -- and I do not trust him now.

I want to start mobilizing WRVNA -- Kathy Stewart is the prez and I know her well. We need to get and stay on top of Jerry Allen.

Thx

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txdore

I shot you down? Just a little constructive dialogue..

Seriously, I think others answered can answer those questions, I'm not that focused on that area lately. But I don't see why they would widen WRT except to accomodate a DART station on the south side of WH and the east side of the creek or possibly (far fetched) for storm water improvements. I think he's mistakenly fishing for votes.

__________________
What is the difference between Mechanical Engineers and Civil Engineers?
Mechanical Engineers build weapons, Civil Engineers build targets.

KBilly

You didn't shoot me down. You shot down that it could happen, which was good.

Thanks.

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RobertB

I don't guess this posting from Craigslist is going to be flagged as "Best Of" by any of the Lake Highlands folks!

$300 / 1br - FREE FULL SIZE WASHER & DRYER
Reply to: (removed) @YAHOO.COM
Date: 2007-05-25, 9:53AM CDT
http://dallas.craigslist.org/apa/337659394.html

CALL TODAY (214) xxx-xxxx ONLY $100 DEPOSIT ON ALL UNITS !!

*CONTEMPORARY STYLE LIVING
*15 MIN. FROM DOWNTOWN & MAJOR FREE WAYS
*9 FOOT CEILING
*ENCLOSED HALL W/ SKY LIGHTING
*WOOD BURNING FIRE PLACES
*GATED COMMUNITY

7610 SKILLMAN at CHURCH

cats are OK - purrr
Location: Dallas
it's ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Looks like a deal! I'm not sure the poster understands this Craigslist, thingie, though. Look at the last line -- he actually asks for spam! Probably misunderstood the anti-spam question. This is probably not the folks you want to call to ask why your outlets are wired backwards and ungrounded.

__________________
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

aggiechad03

FYI...The ad says $545 not $300.

KBilly

I wonder how many major, free ways there are to get to downtown from there? I wonder if there are any major, paid ways, too? And, perhaps, some minor paid, or free ways, to get downtown, also.

Eats, shoots and leaves.
Eats shoots and leaves.

One is gun-toting idiot in a bar, and one is a panda.

__________________

buddhaismissing

On the subject of White Rock Trail and the overhead door company

Interesting article from Sharon Boyd's blog...I guess Mr. Blaydes really is a very bad man...

http://www.dallasarena.com/n070523.htm

"5/23/7 Sometimes, the good guy wins!

For some reason, I tuned into the council meeting today after lunch. Can't remember when I last listened to them. There was a time I would not miss listening to a council broadcast for anything. It was a good day to revisit an old habit.

When I turned them on, Angela Hunt was talking about having a problem with the case they were discussing. She said they were being asked to take away one man's business so someone else could develop his property. She said a lot more, but I left my notes at the office, so I'm working from memory.

Either she or Mitch Rasansky were questioning Bill Blaydes' victim, an older man (Mr. Pierce), about his business, Hollywood Overhead Doors. You know them. Almost everyone has an attic door, or a garage door or something in their house from Hollywood Overhead Doors. They've been in business in the SAME LOCATION since 1936. They once were out in the country in their White Rock Trail location, but progress and developers have changed their neighborhood. As, Bill Blaydes would repeat later like a mantra, "Things change."

Mr. Pierce said his father started the business, and his son works with him now. Three generations.

Councilman Mitch Rasansky was clearly outraged that Mr. Pierce had been forced to come before the council to defend his right to continue to operate his 70 year old business on his own property where the business had existed since 1936. Mind you, Mr. Pierce's property is properly zoned to do what he is doing.

Councilman Bill Blaydes had decided to change the zoning on Mr. Pierce's land. "Things change."

The Mayor sets the council agenda, unless 5 council members sign a motion to get an item put on the agenda. Because I'm working from memory, the people who signed Blaydes' land grab motion were Linda Koop, Steve Salazar and Ed Oakley. Besides those three and Blaydes, the 5th signature was probably Ron Natinsky. I surmise this because Mayor Miller asked to hear from each of the people who signed the resolution to get the land grab onto the docket, and one of the people she called out was Natinsky.

They talked about "process". Linda Koop seemed to say she signed it because Blaydes asked her to do so. Neither Salazar nor Natinksy said anything particularly compelling to justify assisting Blaydes. All three are already elected.

It was not quite so comfortable for Ed Oakley, who is in a mayoral runoff. He started out by saying "I know we are not supposed to be doing zoning here ...." Then, he went on to do just that. He recommended to Mr. Pierce that he get a PD (Planned Development District) on his property. Mr. Pierce indicated he did not know what Ed Oakley was talking about, and clearly in front of the city council was hardly the place to educate him on the intricacies of Dallas zoning. Ed told him a PD would allow him to do what he was already doing, and Mr. Pierce could thereby show he was not interested in doing any other type of business allowed under CS zoning. Mr. Pierce told him he was already using almost all of his property now for his current operations and had no room to do anything other than what he was already doing.

Ed then told Mr. Pierce that if he didn't want his property rezoned it would take 3/4th of the council to override his objections, and assured Mr. Pierce that would never happen. Mitch Rasansky was incredulous later when he talked about the way the council operates these days. He said if a council member wants something in his district, no one is going to go against the councilman. Except today!

Bill Blaydes was very self-righteous in defending his attempt to steal Mr. Pierce's land for someone else's benefit. He kept saying, "things change", and it was what his constituents wanted him to do, that Mr. Pierce's business did not fit in with the new people and development in the area.

Think about it a minute. You invest in some property, build a home, live there a long time. New people move into the neighborhood, build on vacant lots or tear down old houses to build new ones. Their houses are fancier than yours, and they want your house gone. Now, I'm not too sympathetic to the Preservation Nazis who don't want new houses built in old neighborhoods. By the same token, I would oppose a movement by the McMansion people to condemn smaller, older homes.

Mr. Pierce does not have a business that is a blight on the area. His business is not a safety hazard. His business has been in operation right where it is for 70 years!

Blaydes referred to $300K+ homes that have been built in the area, as a reason why Mr. Pierce's Hollywood Overhead Doors should go. As Mitch Rasansky pointed out, those homes were built right up next to Mr. Pierce's property line without an alley even separating the houses from his business. Not only did the developers not seem to worry about Mr. Pierce's business, the people who bought the $300K+ homes didn't seem bothered either.

When Mayor Miller weighed in on Mr. Pierce's side, she was the Old Laura Miller. She was awesome. She asked Mr. Pierce leading questions to let him re-state his case. In response to Ed Oakley's deceptive promises to Mr. Pierce, she said when someone from the government tells you they want to help you, "you better take your wallet and head out of town". She concluded that in Dallas we don't take people's property to give it to someone else to develop. Unfortunately, we do. Victory is a prime example. We stole Intervest's land and property to give it to Ross Perot, Jr. and Tom Hicks to develop.

While the Mayor was questioning Mr. Pierce, she got him to repeat his story about his communications with Bill Blaydes over this attempted land grab.

Mr. Pierce said the first he had heard about any of Blaydes' plans was when he got the notice of the council hearing to call a Plan Commission hearing to rezone his land. He said he called Bill Blaydes, and said 'I don't even know you why are you doing this to me?' Blaydes told Mr. Pierce he hadn't accepted any of the offers to buy his land, and this council action was to get his attention. Mayor Miller asked Mr. Pierce if developers have been trying to buy his property, and he said they had but he had declined because he wanted to continue to use the property just like he was currently doing.

A Plan Commissioner could have requested a hearing to rezone Mr. Pierce's property. All the council was doing today was to consider sending the matter to the Plan Commission to consider the rezoning. There would be no guaranty the Plan Commission would vote to rezone the land. Mayor Miller asked Blaydes' Plan Commission appointee why she had not done so herself. She advised that she had refused Blaydes' request because she thought it was wrong.

Blaydes is not the first politician I have backed who turned out to be really bad, but he may be the ultimate worst. The guy just has no soul. He is a tyrant and a bully.

Ed Oakley knows he looked as bad as Blaydes today. You could hear it in his voice when he was talking with Mr. Pierce. Rather than answer Mayor Miller's question as to why he signed the resolution to rezone Mr. Pierce's property, he tried to play a "positive" image of finding a solution to Mr. Pierce's problem -- a problem that Mr. Pierce didn't have until Ed tried to assist Blaydes in stealing Mr. Pierce's property.

Mitch Rasansky said it best. Changing the zoning on Mr. Pierce's CS zoned property would be lowering its value. When he would be forced to sell and relocate his business and his 45 employees, long-term employees, Mr. Pierce would take a terrible loss. You know who else would take a loss? Dallas taxpayers. Mr. Pierce would very likely move his company out of our city limits, with his 45 jobs. Some other city would get the sales tax generated by Hollywood Overhead Doors. Some other city would get the tax on his equipment and buildings.

Unfortunately, the sound system between City Hall and WRR went haywire just as they were reading out the vote. So, I can't report who voted against Bill Blaydes and Ed Oakley. Must have been enough to kill the deal, because Blaydes' motion failed.

Today was a good day for Dallas.
It was a good day for the good guy, Mr. Pierce.
It was a good day for Angela Hunt and Mitch Rasansky, who spoke up loudly and firmly.
It was a good day for Laura Miller.

It was not a good day for Bill Blaydes, and it was even worse for mayoral candidate Ed Oakley. No campaign piece from Tom Leppert could have done more to expose Ed's ruthlessness and desperation when he realized his predicament."

Milkman Dan

Yes, Sharon Boyd is completely rational and not ever prone to making gross exaggerations about anything. She has a lot of friends and they love confiding in her about Dallas city politics. She is truly "in the know"...

Don't worry Blaydes - next week Boyd will have another rant about someone else being the worst human shes ever known.

buddhaismissing

I think its sh!ty that Blaydes is trying to run out Hollywood Overhead Doors using zoning as a weapon when Hollywood Doors is doing nothing wrong other then the fact that Prescott Development doesn't want a light manufacturing site on the other side of the creek from their $100 million dollar development. Who do you think is pushing Blaydes to change the zoning? Who do you think wants White Rock Trail increased to handle more traffic?

LakeHighlands

:afire: :afire: :afire: :afire: :afire: I wish people would know the whole story before they (Sharon Boyd) post such rubbish. Under the current zoning the site CAN BE operated as a SEXUAL ORIENTED BUSINESS!!!!! Blaydes has been worried about this for a long time. SOBs have lots of money and if Overhead Door was to ever sell, a SOB could move in. I’m sure that would help the properties values in WRV. Could you image a strip club in WRV?!!! Blaydes is trying to get the site rezoned in a zoning that Overhead Door could still operated and a SOB can not.

As for Overhead Door, that is a BLIGHT needs to go!!!! Once upon a time it was out in the country, but things have changed and that site no longer fits in the community with its current zoning. There is not any other industrial zoning in the area. There plenty of space for them to relocate in the industrial area in LH or Garland. Looking at property values, the city would make a lot more money with this site developed.

I strongly support Bill Blaydes on this issue. You get em Bill!!!

Low-end blighted shopping centers and apartments, homeless shelter, SOB, drug paraphernalia selling convince stores, and blighted industrial all need to go. Over the years Lake Highlands community has made its position crystal clear on these kinds of establishments. People should be use to it by now. The majority of people do not want this stuff in Lake Highlands and Blaydes knows this. Things are only going to get worst for these kinds of establishments as the community will not back down and step up the pressure. This is what happens when a community says it will not run, and will not accept the way things are. We are staying and are going to flight and get our community back. These things are like a disease on our community and need to be eradicated, which will happen!



:realmad8: More rubbish!!!! I heard from people in the company that THEY DO NOT SUPPORT WIDENING WRT and are NOT behind that effort!!! The people I know are all highly reputable people. Also it closer to 400M than 100M!!!

__________________
"One of Dallas' strongest communities, Lake Highlands boasts a true sense of neighborhood spirit. Local stores reflect passionate support for Lake Highlands schools with school posters and signs. True to its name, the area features handsome traditional homes up and down rolling hills and charming, winding roads." --Lake Highlands People

Bferris

What will become of the old PT's club on Northwest Highway and Lawther? It seems like a good place for a restaurant.

buddhaismissing

At least be honest with yourself you really believe that. That is just an excuse for the real objective. You really think Blaydes is worried about an SOB business moving in there. Where in Dallas, that is not already third world, are there any SOB in a location like that so close to schools and homes.

LH_Newbie

I struggle with this one. A company that has faithfully paid it's taxes for 70 years shouldn't be pushed out without the city offering the property owner an alternative. I would hate to see the city of Dallas lose a multiple generation business operated in it's city's boundaries. Has an alternative site been proposed to the property owner? Maybe one in which there is a financial incentive for the owner? They have been a tax paying member of the city for 70+ years - that's the least we can do for them.

Urban Interest

I've driven by the Overhead Door Company, and in terms of blight, it's (maybe) a tiny blip on the radar screen compared to the dozens of crappy apartments that are in the core of Lake Highlands. As a resident, I would much rather see Bill Blaydes continue to focus his efforts on eradicating the apartment blight and sexually oriented business before worrying about a family owned business that never seemed to be an issue until the rumored WRT expansion and the Prescott development came to the forefront.

If Blaydes was so worried about this being zoned for sexually oriented businesses, why didn't he just come out and say as much?

While I think Sharon Boyd is a little off her rocker, this still just doesn't pass the smell test.

KBilly

Ditto. He didn't say anything because he's going to be in heavily involved again in LH and WRVNA real estate when he's gone in another 30 days. :smokecld:



Well then, how about we all call rubbish on this, too? For your rant is every bit as disingenuous in some parts as some of Sharon's writings can be. Blaydes' SOB red herring is just that, and he is an old SOB for trying to sell it that way.

And please don't be carrying Blaydes' water here on this -- it's very underneath you. We all know that there is no way in hell an SOB would ever be permitted there. Witness the outpouring in south Dallas last Fall that caused one to move before it was built. It JUST WON'T HAPPEN. It's a Blaydes smokescreen and he was called on it, a mere 30 days before he has to go peacefully into the night.

Secondly, Hollywood Door is not a blight and it does not have to go. I really hate to break this to you, but everything that you do not agree with is not a blight, nor is it truth, justice and the American way. The people I talk to all around WRV take no notice of Hollywood Door. Period. Full stop. They have, however, now taken notice of this thread, Hollywood Door, Blaydes, under the sheets re-zoning requests, and a bunch of other stuff with respect to Blaydes and WRVNA's areas. Jerry Allen is going to be on top of everyone's contact list and this is good. And it has become very easy to put 2+2 together around all this in the past 10 days.

And quit yelling that "wanting our community back" crap and "we are not going to take it anymore" nonsense. Is the Alzheimer's home next, because you don't want Depends-wearing octogenarian's in small apts bringing down values?! Puuuuuuuuhlease stop such bolded nonsense. We are all adults and do not need such bolded scare tactics typed back at us. This is not the end of the world.

Hollywood Door is not a crack house -- it's a respectable family business. Leave it alone. People are watching now... very closely.

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galore

Can the city just re-zone a property and force the owner to move?

I was under the impression that the only tool a city has to force a land grab is eminent domain.

I thought that existing use is grandfathered-in. Like in Oak Lawn where a lot of land with single family homes is nowadays zoned for multi-family homes but those single family homes don't get torn down by the city and replaced by condos unless they are sold...

Auburn

LakeHighlands, I don't know your heart, so I don't want to say that you are intentionally misleading the people of this forum, but, I smell a rat. There is no way I am buying the excuse regarding a SOB. Furthermore, Hollywood is in no way a blight. It looks like a business will look when it is in the business they are in -- and for 70 years! I think the majority of the folks in LH value things that have a little patina; we don't need new studs and a stone facade for something to have value. I don't see trash around Hollywood's property or junk lying around. Please tell me why it is a blight? This is just plain snobbery. If the facts as stated in the blog above are based in truth, I have lost repect for BB, and, frankly, LakeHighland's post above has made me suspicious of all of his/her previous posts.

This also makes me wonder about the family horse stables in WRV -- is this also a blight?

As someone else stated, we need to focus on the true problem in LH -- apartments owned by absentee landlords who care nothing for their property or the people who live there.

Regarding widening WRT -- I really don't understand why widening would be necessary. WRT goes to NOWHERE except if you live in WRV, or consistently break the law to cut through Flag Pole Hill and hook up with NW Hwy. I can't see this (widening) being a "real" concern.

KBilly

No, they can't. He tried a fast one. His own City Plan appointee even nixed it before this, because they did not think it was right.

Blaydes tried to pull a special procedure. A procedure that he did not tell anybody about, including those who questioned him about H-Door rezoning in public mtgs a week earlier in WRVNA. He did, however, tell rep(s) from Prescott Realty -- this I know for a fact. Blaydes got called for it at the Council mtg by Mayor Miller and others. Blaydes is now less than 35 days on council and he tries to pull this stunt? Claiming district support and the "need for change?" Nobody I have talked to since the WRVNA mtg supports anything to do with H-Door rezoning.

Think about that for a very long minute.

Think about how Blaydes slammed a private business family, out of the blue at a council mtg. Think about what Blaydes is going to do as a private citizen back in real estate. Think about his contacts with Prescott Realty and LHTC just across the tracks. Think about the "good ol' boy network" Blaydes always plays. Read an article in the Observer tomorrow about the city and deals by Jim Schutze.

Then think about that again for a very long minute.

I'm not trying to be obtuse, but that's as far as I can go right now. There's a lot of disingenous crap being tossed out here about this whole WRT/LHTC/Hollywood Door/rezoning thing, and the entire neighborhood here is not about to see it go down that way.

And Auburn... you are on to something very real with your post's first paragraph... don't let it go. :smokecld:

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UrbanHope

I think your new councilman lives two streets from hollywood o/h doors and blaydes lives nearby on the other side of Walnut Hill (Kingsley)...watch this deal.

__________________
Founder of dallasprogress.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/dallasprogress

KBilly

Yes... thanks much!

Pegasus News has picked this up now.

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jelf

Blaydes better have that good ol' boys network going for him if he thinks that the new houses in WRV are going for 300k or that existing houses range in price from $100 to $125 a square foot, as he said in the neighborhood association meeting.

Maybe he thinks that if he buys the Hollwood Door property he can turn it around and sell it for a good $25,000 an acre to a developer.

KBilly

Hmmmmmmmmm.... Read Auburn's last post, first paragraph, and then get out your 2+2+2 workbook.

Here's Schutze's story in today's Observer. I'm sending a letter of support to H-Door's Mr. Pierce tomorrow. May respectfully I suggest that all I have had personal contact with lend simlar support, plus continue with your other "neighborly" efforts.

The Good Laura
Or, how Bill Blaydes locked up the Bastard of the Year award

This guy owns a business that has been in his family since 1938. Since the 1950s the business has occupied a series of metal barns on nine acres down in a hollow near Walnut Hill and White Rock Trail, in a little leftover remnant of countryside swallowed up by the city.

A small equestrian center is near him, as is a DART train track and a creek called Jackson Branch. You could pass this place a thousand times and never know it's there.

Across the DART tracks from him, major development plans are afoot. The guys doing the developing want this guy's nine acres. Offered to buy him out. He said no. Not interested.

Jack Pierce's business, Hollywood Door, makes garage doors, but its main business is the hand manufacture of huge, very heavy industrial overhead doors. His product is expensive to ship because it's so heavy. Over the last seven decades, his family has developed a good regional trade based in part on having the business right where it is.

He does not want to move, at least not at the prices being offered. The location is worth more to him than its real estate value. This company employs 40 people, and it makes a product, which it actually sells to other people.

Makes stuff. Sells stuff. This is what used to be called a "business," as opposed to insider grease-ball political land-flipping, which is what some people think is a business today.

Got it so far? Developers offer. Business owner says no.

Then he gets a letter. An official letter. A City Hall letter. It appears that Bill Blaydes, the council person for that area, wants to call a hearing to see whether the city should yank the man's zoning out from under him, which would force him to sell.

Pierce, part owner with his brother and sister of Hollywood Door, told the city council last week: "The first time I became aware of this item was when I received notice in the mail.

"I called for additional information and was told that Councilman Blaydes had placed this item on the agenda. So I spoke to Mr. Blaydes.

"I was informed that it was time for our company to move out. I was informed that since I had previously rejected discussing the sale of our property, they decided they might get my attention by putting this item on the agenda.

"I was informed that the process which starts today will end up removing us from our property. This was the first time I ever spoke to Mr. Blaydes."

Stunning, what? But get this. Blaydes doesn't even deny it. With Pierce standing down there at the microphone, quaking in his boots like Charlie Chaplin in front of Big Brother, Blaydes gives this speech that is Gomer-Pyle-meets-Tony-Soprano:

"Mr. Pierce is threatened," Blaydes says. "There's no doubt about the fact that he's threatened, because that's his livelihood. We're not asking to close it. We're asking to move it."

I mean, are you still with me here? The guy's been on the property since the 1950s. His business is almost invisible from the road, emits no smoke or noise, generates very light traffic. But Commissar Blaydes comes along with his letter and pretty much tells him to get the hell off his own property.

And even worse in my book: While Pierce is standing there at the microphone looking up at the mighty councilpersons with his life and his family's business in his hand, Councilman Ed Oakley, one of two candidates for mayor in the June 16 runoff election, launches into this big, sleazy package of lies aimed at pushing him into giving up.

http://www.dallasobserver.com/2007-...the-good-laura/

It gets much, much better.... go read it all.

It's funny... I hear crickets everywhere now. Wonder what happened? Not a crack house anymore?? Bluff called??? Smokescreen gone???? Prescott caught with hand in cookie jar????

Is the Pope Catholic?! :smokecld:

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Urban Interest

You know, it's one thing to say that Sharon Boyd sometimes exaggerates, but you don't question Schutze. I may not always agree with his editorials, but the man knows his facts. This is absolutely appalling.

UrbanHope

This procedure shouldn't be used for companies that have no history of complaints or code violations. For an industrial guy, he seems like a good neighbor that employs a good amount of people.

Man, why didn't Blaydes do this for some of those crime-infested motels in his district near 635. Just a thought.

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txRNGr

DING DING DING!!! Correct galore! Jesus you would think the sky is falling from all the paranoia on this thread. Everyone screaming "doomsday" is simply a victim of a reporter's scam at creating a story out of nothing. Let me repeat that again...THERE IS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. Even if the zoining is changed, zoning only dictates what can be BUILT and has nothing to do with existing structures. So, Hollywood Overhead Doors will still be in the same location for another 70 years until Hollywood Overhead Doors decides to sell it. The only thing Blayde's efforts would accomplish is to ensure any future building be more uniform with the surrounding neighborhood. So now we can all stop hijacking this thread to rant on Blayde's, Prescott, LHAIA or whoever the villian of the week is and get back to "Lake Highlands: Projects + Constuction".

I'll start....

I have thought this for some time. It would be awesome to see something like Ozona's on Greenville with outdoor patio's under the canopy of trees from the White Rock creek area.

txRNGr

And for the record, do your remember what used to be at the site of the future Walmart at Abrams and LBJ?