Rendering courtesy of Crosland Group
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It seems that almost everywhere we look, Preston Hollow is receiving pressure from new development and, in its wake, a reputation for saying, ‘no.’
There’s the highly contentious Transwestern project at the northeast corner of Preston and Northwest Highway, the Katy Trail apartments approved at the City Plan Commission last week, the 12-story senior living towers coming near NorthPark Center, and the Trader Joe’s-anchored Preston Hollow Village under construction at Central and Walnut Hill, to name a few.
Now, there’s the Highland House, an enormous luxury apartment community poised to become Preston Center’s tallest building.
To recap our first report back in early April, Crosland Group wants to construct a 316-foot residential tower at 8215 Westchester in the middle of Preston Center to create a “24/7 presence” in the commercial district. The 250 units would be large and expensive — monthly rents begin at around $4,000 — and geared toward wealthy empty-nesters. The plan includes 26 stories above grade and two below grade.
The site is home to a three-story medical office building, and Crosland needs a zoning change that would allow for a maximum height of 29 stories and 260 units.
Neighbors filled the Northway Christian Church sanctuary Tuesday night for a town-hall meeting with the developers, TXDOT, District 13 Councilwoman Jennifer Staubach Gates and city staff. In addition to the typical Q&A period, pre-approved speakers from the community took the stage to voice their concerns, which centered on the traffic, the height and the potential impact on Highland Park ISD’s record-high enrollment.
Laura Miller, our former mayor and a Preston Hollow resident, criticized the project, calling for a moratorium on all re-zoning cases around Preston Center until the city conducts a study of the area and its challenges.
“Preston Center needs a lot of help,” Miller says. “What I’m asking is for Councilmember Gates and Commissioner [Margo] Murphy to please request that the CPC open up the two PDs and do a study of what’s there now and what can be there in the future.”
The statement received resounding applause from the audience, and a partial standing ovation.
The meeting also included a few familiar faces from the Transwestern battle brewing on the other side of Northwest Highway, including Claire Stanard, a block captain from “behind the pink wall.”
“As much as I’m against the Transwestern project, I’m for this project,” Stanard says. “These are two entirely different projects. One is in a residential area, and one is in a commercial area.”
Some have disputed Crosland’s traffic study, which concluded that as many as 1,666 people come and go from the existing medical building each day, and that Highland House would generate 1,181 trips per day — a 29 percent decrease. Neighbors who have watched the area, including a dentist who practices there, say there’s just no way that many people are visiting the “sleepy” building.
Miller adds, “I’ve never seen a engineer saying anything other than that the traffic will be wonderful,” referring to the fact that the traffic studies are funded by the developers in re-zoning cases.
Improvements to several intersections along Northwest Highway between Midway and Central Expressway are set to begin in August (stay tuned for more details on that).
Terry Haines of Windsor Park, who is no stranger to zoning battles, pointed out that traffic has been a problem in Preston Center for 20 years. He suggested that neighbors proactively organize to help fund infrastructure improvements rather than simply opposing every high-density development that comes along.
“Let’s put our money where our mouth is, and let’s make a change,” Haines says. “We’re not going to be successful if we just say ‘no.’ ”
Margot Murphy, the city plan commissioner for District 13, declined to comment on the case until it reaches the City Plan Commission next Thursday, May 22. The public hearing begins at 1 p.m. It’s worth noting that Robert Abtahi, the vice chair of the CPC, recently wrote an op-ed for the Dallas Morning News, calling for “a real discussion about density.” He writes, “It’s time for people to stop fearing those rezoning signs and realize what they really are. They’re a chance for a mulligan, an opportunity for us to have a discussion of what we want our city to look and feel like.”
Councilwoman Gates is keeping an open mind about the Highland House.
“Saying ‘no’ would have never gotten us here.”
