Theresa O'Donnell, director of Sustainable Development and Construction for the city of Dallas, confirms: Sylvan Thirty's zoning ordinance won't go before the City Plan Commission till October 6, a month later than originally scheduled. The delay is due, in part, to a request made by the Belmont's Monte Alexander on Monday, in which he writes that "more time is needed to evaluate the case."
This, of course, follows revisions to the ordinance requested by the CityDesign Studio, as detailed in the item below. They involve, among other items, making the development caddy-corner from the Belmont more "transparent" (which is to say, the buildings have more windows) and more accessible from Sylvan Avenue -- better able to "activate the public realm," in the words of CityDesign Studio head Brent Brown.
But while the city waits for the revisions, which we may have shortly, letters of support for the project continue to roll in -- not just from the West Dallas and Oak Cliff chambers of commerce, as we've noted this week, but from the likes of state Rep. Rafael Anchía, Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia and state Rep. Eric Johnson. O'Donnell also forwards one from Jason Roberts, who writes in his letter of support that "as designed, Sylvan Thirty advances the sense of community that it vitally important. It is highly pedestrian oriented and integrates well with Sylvan Avenue and Ft. Worth Avenue." (Update: Roberts followed up with a note to O'Donnell enumerating several concerns with the original zoning ordinance. It follows in full in the comments.)
Anchía, Garcia and Johnson's letters follow.