Over the objections of their Park Cities neighbors, the Dallas City Council voted this afternoon to approve a zoning change that will allow for the construction of a new luxury mid-rise apartment building on Cole Avenue site currently occupied by the Saltillo Apartments.
A group of Highland Park residents, their mayor and their attorneys showed up at the meeting to again voice their disapproval for the change, which they complained would cause traffic and parking issues in addition to sullying some Highland Park residents' view of the Katy Trail.
Proponents of the new development lauded its increased density and the concessions made in its planning to maintain the feel of the Katy Trail. The building will feature increased setbacks from the trail and a wedding-cake design the brings the proposed building, except for its north corner, inline with the 3 to 1 proximity slope standard required elsewhere in the city.
In making his motion to approve the development, Philip Kingston tried to strike a conciliatory tone.
"Why would I meet with Highland Park?" he asked, talking about meetings he held with Highland Park officials to try to reach a compromise about the development. "Because they're our neighbors."
While an agreement wasn't reached between the cities, Kingston said that he hopes Highland Park knows that it will be heard in any future interactions with Dallas.
Mayor Mike Rawlings, while acknowledging that they wouldn't be happy with the decision, let the opposition know that he feels we're all in this together.
"There are some great things that come with the growth of Dallas," he said. "Sometimes there's a cost to that."
