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Project Gaining Momentum

February 4, 2005

By LOYD BRUMFIELD
News Editor / Today Newspapers

A proposed upscale shopping destination has the potential to solidify Cedar Hill’s place as a destination station in the Metroplex, but only if the concerns of area citizens are adequately met, members of the Cedar Hill City Council said at a public hearing Jan. 24.

“Within a week of hearing about this development, we started meeting with various homeowners and neighborhood groups, and we were really pleased with the feedback we received,” Mayor Rob Franke said in reference to “Uptown Village.”

The “lifestyle center,” developed by Dallas-based MG Herring Group, will sit on about 73 acres of land and stretch from Pleasant Run Road to the north, Highway 67 to the east and FM 1382 to the south.

If completed, it will be home to several upscale stores, anchor stores such as Dillard’s and Foley’s, and restaurants.

The council unanimously approved two measures to move the development forward, one instructing city staff on the preparation of a zoning change from residential to retail, and the other instructing staff regarding amendments to the city’s major thoroughfare plan and land use plan.

Several residents, many of whom voiced similar concerns about the development’s effects on traffic and drainage at a Planning and Zoning meeting more than two weeks ago, spoke before the city council.

“I get a double whammy on this one,” Paul Nielsen said. “I not only live on Cedar Hill Road, I also own a multi-tenant business on the east side of Highway 67 near Pleasant Run Road.”

As a businessman, Nielsen said he appreciates more traffic near his location, but he also sees its adverse effects.

“Traffic is bad enough now, and this is just with Target,” he said. “We haven’t even opened Best Buy.”

Most of the comments were positive, even those against the development. Many who spoke out against it said they thought the development was a good idea but weren’t sure if the city was prepared to deal with its impact on nearby neighborhoods.

“Our concerns were brought up repeatedly (at the P&Z meeting), the developer responded … and it’s my understanding that there are no small differences between us and the developers,” said Daron Wade, who represented a group of homeowners on Balfour Drive.

Wade said concerns about traffic on frontage roads near the development need to be addressed and urged the council to approve study of the thoroughfare plan only with the inclusion of revisions to a traffic impact study suggested by the planning and zoning commission.

The Herring group also needs to kick in money for road improvements that fall under the city’s domain, rather than the Texas Department of Transportation, Wade said.

Greg Gorman of Balfour Drive said he was pleased to hear comments that the needs of his neighborhood will be addressed.

“I represent 79 families in my neighborhood, and we’re the ones who are going to bear the brunt of these quality of life issues,” he said, adding that rapid development has caused significant erosion that has contributed to major drainage problems.

“We need to slow the water down,” he said. “We need to make sure all of our calculations are right. One miscalculation could result in my house being under water, along with several others.”

Gar Herring, one of the project’s developers, thanked residents for their concern.

“We agree with a lot of the comments,” he said. “We realize there are a lot of traffic concerns at Pleasant Run and Highway 67, and we’ve consulted with engineers on how to solve those problems.

“We want people to get in and out as easily as possible.”

Some of the funding for road improvements around the development are out of the city’s hands, most notably areas around Highway 67 and FM 1382, which fall under TX-DOT’s jurisdiction.

“There’s one thing we need to pay attention to: The widening of 1382 and 67 are way off of TXDOT’s radar screen,” Franke said. “We’ve had meetings to see if there’s a way these projects can be made a priority, but that’s still a long way off.”

Franke said he realized the project was “a lot to get our arms around” and is worth it if four areas of concern could be addressed:

• Can traffic problems be fixed?;

• Can drainage issues be fixed?;

• Can the city get something in writing from the developers as to the quality of the project?;

• Can neighborhood concerns be answered?

The property was zoned commercially from about 1983 to 1991, Franke said, and the city just didn’t see it developing that way when it looked at the comprehensive plan.

“The fundamental question the council has to ask is, ‘Is this project good for the city?’” Franke asked.

The overwhelming answer was yes.

Councilman Greg Patton paid a visit to a similar shopping plaza developed by Herring in Mobile, Ala.
“I spent the better part of three days there talking to the developers, going into the stores, talking with tenants and talking with residents,” Patton said. “By and large the comments were very positive. It’s a beautiful place, the amenities are top-notch, and it’s a very warm feeling being there.”

Councilman Clifford Shaw said working with the Bentle Branch homeowners group and Herring is a pleasure.

“They have our points and we have ours, but in the end we are all well-served,” he said.

Councilman Wade Emmert thanked everyone at the meeting for participating in the hearing in an amicable fashion.

“I’ve heard no criticism of the developer or the project, and I’m thankful for that,” he said. “I think the project can actually be a catalyst to solving some of these traffic problems.”

Councilman Daniel Haydin appreciated citizens getting involved in their city.

“I can remember when Cedar Hill had two police cars, and now look where we are,” he said. “I understand that sometimes change is a scary thing, but it has arrived.”

Loyd Brumfield can be reached at cedarhill@todaynewspapers.net.

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