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Lets Learn from Bishop Davis Experience

Editorial - Oak Cliff People 11/19/11

Last years Bishop Davis zoning initiative saw nearly 300 area acres rezoned to allow fornew uses and increased density. As we begin to consider similar zoning for 800 more

acres in the Oak Cliff Gateway, its practical to visit last year first.

Height- Plans were announced recently to build a 5-story mixed-use building on a vacanttract of land at Davis and Vernon. Across the street are well-kept 1-story homes and

duplexes. Last year, there was a residential proximity slope (RPS) of 3:1 in place that

ensured any new construction affecting them would be proportional in height. Now, RPS

has been removed entirely when cast across an existing street.

Of those turning in ballots to the city for Bishop Davis, a majority of those bordering thistract said no but their voices were drowned out.

Solution: Re-implement a 3:1 RPS for all of Bishop Davis like the rest of us enjoy or atthe very least, do so going forward in the Gateway.

No one would want such a disproportionate height directly across from his or her home.

Alcohol - There were 5 sub-areas in Bishop Davis and alcohol related establishments

became an approved use in all but 1. Only Winnetka Heights said no. The KesslerTheater was grandfathered.

Bars are coming to Bishop Arts that will reportedly be open until 2:00 am. One at Bishop

and Madison has added onto an existing house and will tear down another for parking.Both lots are behind Glorias where parking is already at a deficit and both are next door

to a single-family residence whose new next door neighbor will include a dumpster and a

parking lot.

None of us would want that either.

Most agreed last year they didnt want Davis to become Greenville Ave. but only whereit passes through Winnetka Heights is that potential averted.

Solution: City Councilpersons Angela Hunt and Pauline Medrano crafted an ordinancelast year that seeks to reverse the decline and decay that decades of 2:00 AM bars have

had on Lower Greenville. A large infrastructure investment is occurring there and

businesses will now need an SUP (special use permit) to stay open past midnight.

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This could be a pre-emptive solution. It would allow places like the Kessler - which

typically makes their revenue and close before midnight - and it would keep the Lower

Greenville problem from becoming our problem to clean up later.

Parking In 2001, parking requirements were lowered in the Bishop Arts District to

help the land-locked old buildings that were unable to acquire any additional parking.Popularity increased and co-existence with the surrounding neighborhoods remained the

norm even as the new reductions allowed the area to flourish.

Enter Bishop Davis seeking deeper cuts still. Glorias only needed 37 parking places for

an establishment that seats 369 people indoors and out forcing neighboring businesses

into contracts with towing companies resulting in unprecedented problems.

Towing wars threaten years of success in the one place that almost single-handedly

changed negative perceptions about our area. It did that by providing positive

experiences for those across the river and beyond. Jean Paul Gaultier was just there the

other day. It makes no sense to threaten all that just so somebody can get out ofproviding a few more parking places.

Solution Re-implement the parking requirements in place before that saw the rise of the

district, guaranteed a mix of uses and where traffic inconvenienced the surrounding

neighborhoods only on occasion.

Resident-only parking overlays would threaten day-to-day commerce and special events

by making them unattractive for customers and unsustainable for the merchants.

The Old Oak Cliff Conservation League endorses using the citys version of Form Based

Zoning in the Oak Cliff Gateway. If it had been used for Bishop Davis then a 5-story

building wouldnt be across the street from a 1-story house, only certain uses would beallowed adjacent to established neighborhoods and parking requirements could be

reduced yet functional.

Over two years were spent creating that code which took into account many scenarios in

which it might one day be implemented. The task force charged with writing it was made

up equally of folks from both the residential and development community including

OOCCL. They worked with well-educated capable city planners paid for with our taxdollars. Neither the residential community nor the development community got

everything they wanted but their work represented a compromise that the City Council

passed unanimously.

The citys Form Based Code in the Gateway would keep Oak Cliff on the path to

continued success by doing density correctly and by not creating more unintendedconsequences.

Michael Amonett

President, Old Oak Cliff Conservation League

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president@ooccl.org