Photo courtesy of the G. William Jones Collection at SMU.
In 1971, the Dallas City Council approved the rezoning of a property for the Electronic Data Systems headquarters.
The 170-acre property, which was the Forest Hills Golf Course, was located at the corner of Forest Lane and Hillcrest Road.
The rezoning was approved after a year of debate among neighborhood residents and Ross Perot, who founded Electronic Data Systems (EDS). Perot died in 2019 at his home on Strait Lane. His company was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2008.
WFAA covered the rezoning, and the report is available via the G. William Jones Film Collection at SMU on YouTube.
According to the clip, many homeowners weren’t in favor of the rezoning.
“I think now that he’s got the zoning, that we’re going to rely on Mr. Perot to keep his word with the neighbors about keeping a beautiful place and interfering with the neighborhood activity as little as possible,” one neighborhood resident said.
The rezoning came with deed restrictions. Perot and his company agreed that for 20 years, the outer parts of the property would remain a golf course. And they also agreed to dedicate and pave streets through the property.
Watch the clip below. It lasts until the 1:42 mark.
