Board of Adjustment reverses revocation of Contender/Champions certificate of occupancy with conditions

The Dallas Board of Adjustment Panel A voted 4–1 on Sept. 16 to reverse the building official’s April revocation of a certificate of occupancy for the Contender/Champions social club at 17776 Dallas Parkway, granting the applicant’s appeal on the condition the club close the property’s vehicular and pedestrian access to Bridal Grove Lane and install an eight‑foot solid fence matching the existing perimeter wall.

The decision came after a hearing that lasted most of the day and drew hundreds of in‑person speakers. The board heard legal arguments from the applicant and city attorneys, testimony from city planning staff, and repeated, often emotional statements from nearby residents who opposed an operation they said would bring gambling, heavy traffic and crime to a residential neighborhood adjacent to an elementary school and churches.

The reversal restores the previously issued CO unless the condition is not met; the board’s motion explicitly made the applicant’s compliance with the fence and the closure of the Bridal Grove access a condition of the approval. The motion required the applicant to permit and construct the closure and fence in compliance with all applicable local, state and federal laws and safety requirements.

Why the board acted

The board’s discussion repeatedly returned to three issues members described as central: the…