For more than 65 years, a property east of White Rock Lake in Dallas has been zoned for single family use. A church has occupied it for the last six years but now wants to sell it to a developer, much to the dismay of some neighbors in the area.
Greg Wolchansky lives on Yorkmont Circle, a street with a cul-de-sac that dead-ends on the backside of Shoreline City Church on Garland Road. He believes his peaceful street in Dallas, east of White Rock Lake, would be in trouble if a four story development goes up next door in the church’s lot. The proposed development, by Ojala Partners, would be a mixed-use development with 300 units.
“The street is serene, quiet. It’s a place that we really enjoy living and I think that bringing this particular project in here is not going to be advantageous for us in any way whatsoever,” Wolchansky said.
Wolchansky wants you to come by and listen to his neighborhood in the Lochwood area of Dallas, the way it is now.
“I don’t hear anything. And it’s always that way here,” Wolchansky said.
Scott Robson has been the president of the Lochwood Neighborhood Association for 20 years and shares Greg’s concerns, saying this proposed development would be visually intrusive and an invasion of privacy. There are concerns that future apartment residents could see into people’s backyards, because of the height of the building that’s proposed. He said this project is a loss for his neighbors who have nothing to gain from the deal. He believes the only success would come from Shoreline seeking a new buyer.
“It’s just a lose-lose,” Robson said. “We welcome new units being built if they’re built sensibly, properly. We’re open to new development, we’re open to good neighbors, we’re open to transparency.”
Some neighbors are upset Shoreline City Church, which has outgrown the current space off Garland Road, is planning on selling the property. Ojala Partners is seeking to rezone the lot to a Planned Development District for multifamily uses. The problem is the lot is currently zoned for single-family uses. The Garland Road Vision, a guideline for future development intended to “protect residential neighborhoods from commercial encroachment,” calls for mixed-use developments to be only three stories. An online petition representing the neighbors who are against the rezoning of this property has gained nearly 1,200 signatures. No date has been set for this zoning request.
“Go back to the drawing board. Let’s have a conversation about what works for this neighborhood, what works in accordance to the Garland Road Vision and what works in accordance to the comprehensive plan,” Robson said.
In mid-April, Lochwood neighbors heard directly from the developer and Shoreline City Church at a town hall-type meeting with more than 100 attendees. Developer Daniel Smith took the podium to combat some misconceptions floating around, but the residents stood their ground. A statement sent to Spectrum News states that this project is still in the early stages, and that substantial design modifications have taken place in an effort to respect the neighborhood.
The Shoreline City Church staff member who attended was called out by the public for what they believe was “selling out.”
“We prayed about this. We thought about it and we considered the best decision and path for our church,” Daniel Poku with Shoreline City Church said.
“You sold us out!” yelled a Lochwood neighbor to Poku.
Wolchansky, like many of his neighbors, is also concerned for property values if the deal goes through. He will not stop fighting the development unless it becomes amendable for everyone.
“I’ve actually had some of my neighbors threatened to move if they build this. And that’s unfortunate because they’ve been here 20 years, and they’ve been nothing but good people and hardworking people,” Wolchansky said. “We enjoy our peace and quiet and we’re gonna lose it and it’s so unfortunate and it’s so sad. I don’t want that to happen. So whatever I can do, I’m gonna do.”
Shoreline City Church sent a statement about its excitement for the project, even after the pushback received at the meeting with Lochwood-area residents.
“We are incredibly excited about all that is happening in East Dallas and in our church family. Our church started meeting in CC Young retirement center, moved to a small church building on Northwest Highway, and then to Garland Road. We’ve seen families from East Dallas and beyond join Shoreline City and the mission to make it on earth as it is in Heaven. It’s been amazing to watch this beautifully diverse and loving church family give so much time, service and resource to the local community and beyond.
Over the last few years, we’ve outgrown this location and will be moving to 10805 Walnut Hill Lane. Highland Oaks Church of Christ has agreed to sell their building to Shoreline City as both churches continue their mission to love, serve and give back to the DFW community and the world. As we contemplated what to do with our current property, Shoreline was approached by a developer to build a beautiful multi-family community with a 3,000 square foot art space and 20,000 square feet of green space. This new development is positioned to attract families and professionals, both young and old, from all over to beautiful East Dallas. The plans and conversations with the developer have painted a picture of added life and strength to the area. After conversations and seeing the new development plans, we are excited to see this Garland Road location go from a spiritual home to a personal home for many.”
Below is the statement sent to Spectrum News from Ojala Partners when we inquired about the project.
“The Standard Shoreline is a proposed Class A, mixed-use development that includes traditional multifamily rental units, two-story rental homes, 3,000 square feet of creative office space, and over 20,000 square feet of open green space. We are in the early stages of the City Plan Commission process and have held over 20 meetings with various Lochwood residents, the Garland Vision Road Task Force, and the Casa View Alliance. We have made substantial design modifications in an effort to respect the neighborhood, local architecture, and general design guidelines set fort in the Garland Vision Road Plan. We are excited about this development and the opportunity to listen and collaborate with the local neighborhoods and design organizations.”