Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Rezoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hillcrest residents urge council to deny H‑E‑B rezoning at LBJ over traffic, flooding and precedent concerns
Summary
Neighbors and property managers told the Dallas City Council the proposed rezoning of a 10‑acre site at Hillcrest and LBJ to "regional retail" would overwhelm neighborhood streets, worsen flooding and set a precedent for intense uses next to homes; they urged enforceable deed restrictions or denial at the Dec. 10 vote.
Residents near Hillcrest and LBJ urged the Dallas City Council on Dec. 3 to reject a request to rezone a 10‑acre parcel from neighborhood office to regional retail, saying the change could bring heavy traffic, late‑night deliveries and uses inappropriate next to homes.
"Regional retail opens the site to, among other things, a concrete batching plant, an electrical substation, or heavy equipment sales that do not belong centered in a residential neighborhood," said Tori Agnidge, a Hillcrest Forest resident, urging council to require ironclad, enforceable deed restrictions if rezoning is approved.
Lucy Ann Abendanza, a member of the Hillcrest Preservation Coalition, told council members the site is too small for a typical H‑E‑B and that rezoning would create a citywide precedent developers could cite to push intense commercial uses into quiet neighborhoods. "If the promises aren't enforceable, if the conditions aren't realistic ... approving this rezoning simply shifts permanent risks onto the residents," she said.
Kathy Kaufman, who lives in District 11, highlighted predicted traffic impacts and the limited ingress/egress for the site, noting the applicant’s plan would allow an 80% lot coverage and "no parking minimums." She told council that within 2.5 miles there are already 14 grocery stores and called the rezoning unnecessary.
Property manager Tim Morehead cited a traffic review by Lambeth Engineering and asked that the proposal be returned to the planning commission or processed as a planned development. Among the consultant findings he summarized: wait times at the nearest signal could grow from about 1½ minutes to as much as 10 minutes during peak times; H‑E‑B traffic was estimated at roughly 56,000 trips per week; and up to 80% of those trips could route through a private drive that serves nearby office buildings, creating safety and access concerns for medical and neighborhood businesses.
Speakers asked council to ensure any protections are "ironclad" and negotiated with neighbors, not left as informal commitments. The council did not take a vote on the rezoning request at the Dec. 3 meeting; staff told council the matter is part of the Dec. 10 agenda for formal consideration.
The council will consider the rezoning item during its Dec. 10 meeting; neighbors asked members to deny the application or to adopt deed restrictions enforceable against future owners.
