Fort Worth Avenue Development Group Follow 431

TOWN HALL MEETING
THIS EVENING

The Fort Worth Avenue Development Group will hold a town hall meeting TONIGHT to discuss the proposed Sylvan 30 development on TONIGHT, September 13, from 7:00-9:00 pm at Salon las Americas, 1004 Fort Worth Avenue.
 
This meeting will have limited seating, so please arrive early to secure your seat. The presentation will begin promptly at 7 pm.
 
Topics for discussion will include the developer's zoning change application, securing performance, roadways and rights-of-way, the importance of urban form, and the economics of development.
 
The Fort Worth Avenue Development Group looks forward to your attendance, so our community may have a better understanding of the issues related to the Sylvan Thirty development and the impact on our neighborhood of the proposed zoning changes which would allow among other things an increase in height on this site from the presently allowed 40 feet and three stories to 95 feet and eight stories.

There seems to be some confusion in the community as to the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group’s position on the Sylvan/Thirty development, which we all as a community are eager to see launched.

The Sylvan/Thirty project has the potential to be a flagship development for our neighborhoods, and FWADG has worked very hard alongside the Oaxaca team for several years to bring this project to fruition. FWADG worked diligently to assist in the land parcel acquisition and was a primary player alongside Oaxaca Interests in the 2009 charrette that helped define a new look for Sylvan Avenue from the I30 intersection to Singleton Ave. and the adjoining properties to the north, south, east, and west of Sylvan.

View the Sylvan/Thirty Project Site Plan.

In February of 2005, the Dallas City Council approved and passed a new PD for the area bordering Commerce Street and Fort Worth Avenue along the north and south of these thoroughfares. This Special Purpose District, PD 714, was conceptualized and created over a period of several years by some truly visionary individuals—all members of our North Oak Cliff/West Dallas communities. The PD was created in an effort to redefine the area and open the door for mixed-use development in a safe, pedestrian-friendly, and bike-friendly manner including residential, retail, office, and light industrial business applications. The PD defines zoning and code issues such as building setbacks on properties, height restrictions, sidewalk widths, landscaping requirements for new and existing development, residential proximity slopes, parking, and a vast array of other topics most of the general public cares little about at face value, but these issues have a crucial role in defining the character of any given development and its effect on the surrounding neighborhoods.

By law, PD 714 disallows massage parlors, dance halls, tattoo parlors, body piercing establishments, cell towers, outdoor amusement parks, bingo parlors, and other land uses that the community does not wish to see along the corridor.

We at Fort Worth Avenue Development Group are the stewards of PD 714. FWADG does not dictate who can move into our community or how their development or site plan should be organized provided that their development is compliant with the zoning, code, and form concepts outlined in PD 714. Just as with the U.S. Constitution, occasional amendments are created to PD 714 when new, intelligent, urban ideas are created, and we feel that it is clearly in the best interests of the community to allow these changes. We have a very good track record of discussing potential projects with developers who are interested in bringing their visions to our community, and when applicable, we assist the developers in promoting these innovative concepts and ideas.

PD 714 was in place years before the Sylvan/Thirty land parcel was acquired; in this case, the developers were well aware of the PD’s urban-form requirements. FWADG has every hope that the developers of Sylvan/Thirty will comply with the requirements, form, and spirit of PD 714. We continue to stand ready to listen to all sides of the issues at hand and are willing and ready to negotiate a positive outcome that will benefit our community provided that the developers of Sylvan/Thirty are willing to sit down and address these issues and follow the form and spirit of PD 714.

FWADG and the community at large have a tremendous interest in seeing the Sylvan/Thirty development thrive and become a model for future development within our boundaries and perhaps greater Dallas.

Sincerely,
David Lyles, President, Fort Worth Avenue Development Group

Spare pARTS June 11, 2011 at the Belmont Hotel 

The Fort Worth Avenue Development Group is seeking area artists' help in protecting and renewing life on Ft Worth Ave.  We are holding our annual silent auction fundraiser, and this year we are dedicating 50% of all proceeds to public art projects on the Ave.

Please submit artwork of a recycled/repurposed nature that reflects the attitude and spirit of Oak Cliff and recieve a complimentary ticket to the event catered by Smoke and featuring the musical stylings of the King Bucks  Direct all submissions to Art@fortworthavenue.org.

The Ft Worth Ave Development Group is an organization that advocates for sensible development that encourages biking, walking, greenspace, and respect for the community (It deals with wonky zoning and code issues that seem abstract until you see that they make the difference between a new road with six lanes of fast cars, or four lanes, a bike lane, and a wide tree-lined sidewalk.)  Check us out and learn more at www.fortworthavenue.org.

Details

Submissions: Art@fortworthavenue.org
Please send your contact info, a brief bio, and a description of your idea or a picture if you have it made.

Submission Deadline: June 1st, 2011

Art Drop-Off: June 4th, 11am-2pm.

Art Criteria: This is a carry-it-home event, so please keep all work under 36x36 or so, and 50 pounds or less.  Again, all work should be recycled, repurposed, reused, upcycled, found objects.. whatever you want to call using old stuff to make art.

Silent Auction June 11, 2011 from 8:00-10:00 P.M. at the Belmont Hotel
Tickets $35
fortworthavenue.org

Three area business groups supporting the CityDesign Studio plan for a prime area of West Dallas are holding an information session about that plan for area residents. Their goals ‐ answer questions about the plan and encourage nearby property owners to urge their city councilpersons to approve it when it goes before the Dallas City Council in early March.

The informational session takes place from 6 – 7 p.m., Thu. Feb. 17, at the Salon las Americas at 1004 Fort Worth Avenue. Sponsoring the session are the West Dallas Chamber of Commerce, the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group. Representatives of the Fort Worth Avenue TIF board will also be on hand.

At the meeting, the CityDesign Studio will first provide a brief overview of its overall plan for the area. Then, the business groups will briefly explain why they support the plan and provide the audience with the tools they need to ensure its passage by the Dallas City Council. The presenters will then break into small groups so those attending can obtain more details about the plan from the CityDesign Studio or the business community.

The CityDesign Studio plan, 18 months in the making, provides a framework for spurring development to an area bounded by Sylvan Avenue on the west, Interstate 30 on the south and the Trinity River on the north and east. It calls for preserving the La Bajada neighborhood in the north, helping existing buildings to take on new uses (such as cafes and art galleries), creating a dense urban corridor along Herbert Street south of Singleton and focusing new development at nodes throughout the area (including Sylvan Avenue and Fort Worth Avenue and Beckley Avenue and Commerce Street).

A companion report from the business community urges the city council to approve the CityDesign Studio Plan and designate the area the Dallas City Council Urban Innovation Zone. It also asks the council to charge city staff to return in less than six months with a menu of new incentives and changes to current regulations that will help the area becomes a magnet for urban development.

The CityDesign Studio formed in October 2009 as part of a grant to the city of Dallas from the Trinity Trust Foundation. Its work has been overseen by world‐renowned urban planner Larry Beasley, whose previous projects have included urban plans for Vancouver, British Columbia, and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The plan is the outgrowth of more than 30 community meetings in West Dallas and Oak Cliff, involving homeowners, business owners, developers and other stakeholders. The meeting is free of charge; however those planning to attend are asked to RSVP at www.westdallaschamber.com.

FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Randall White: 214.457.0615, randall.white@elettore.com
Victor Toledo: 214.755.9905, vtoledo62@yahoo.com
Bob Stimson: 214.942.4569, bstimson@oakcliffchamber.org
David Lyles: 214.587.4776, lylesphoto@gmail.com

The Mission Motel is currently undergoing transformation as mixed-use live/work spaces. Amanda Cross and Victor Balas are redeveloping the units to be 500-, 600-, and 800-square-feet units ideal for small start- up businesses.

Amanda and Victor are well aware of PD 714 guidelines and are doing everything they can to remain compliant in their renovation. The city is currently reviewing their plans, and they hope to be renting by spring of 2011.