Subject: Chris Bowers

• In East Texas, Further Efforts to Keep Neches River Water Out of Dallas

  The City of Dallas has maintained for years that it needs the proposed Fastrill Reservoir in East Texas to meet the city's future water needs; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and environmentalists looking to protect the Neches River disagree. Hence, the lawsuit filed by the city in January 2007, a big hunk of which U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis threw out in July. Above is the proposed reservoir as identified by the city in a March 2005 presentation to the council's Health Environment &

  December 30, 2008

• City, Texas AG's Office Close to an Agreement Concerning W.W. Samuell Land, Trust Fund

  View Larger MapOn Wednesday, the Dallas City Council is expected to get a look at the Texas Attorney General's Office's findings concerning its yearlong look into how the city manages the W. W. Samuell Permanent Foundation, the Samuell Trust Fund and the properties willed to the city by the physician and philanthropist upon his death in 1937. So says First Assistant City Attorney Chris Bowers, who today tells Unfair Park that several Dallas city attorneys are going through a rough draft of the a

  April 6, 2009

• Downtown Dallas at the Crossroads

  The city's effort to clean up downtown could cost us important parts of history.

  January 22, 2009

• Oak Cliff Businessman Says the City Reneged on Zoning Rules

  November 8, 2007

• Get lost with Jim Schutze while canoeing the Neches River and find the wildlife refuge Dallas wants to dam to secure its water supply

  April 23, 2009

• Up the Crick

  To Deep Ellum's problems, add this: an underground raging river of poop

  June 24, 2004

• City Tells 508 Park Avenue Owners: Clean Up or Pay Up ... A Small Fortune, Every Single Day

  As promised here's the city's complaint brought against Colby Properties today in Dallas County District Court. In the complaint -- and the request for a temporary and permanent injunction against the owners of 508 Park Avenue -- the city is seeking $1,000 per day for every listed violation of both the Dallas City Code and the Dallas Fire Code. And the city is maintaining that there are numerous violations -- everything from "sharp protrusions" to "an accumulation of combustible waste material."

  July 1, 2009

• Plethora of City Attorneys Unable to Push New Demolition Ordinance Past Committee

  Sam MertenCity plan commissioners Neil Emmons (right) and Robert Ekbald (left) watched as Katherine Seale of Preservation Dallas spoke this morning to the Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee.Much to the chagrin of the half dozen city attorneys attending this morning's Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee meeting, members voted 5-1 to postpone a decision on a new ordinance regarding the demolition of structures in historic districts. The motion to postpone, made by vice-chair Ann Bagley, also urg

  July 16, 2009

• Once Again, the Mayor Had the City Attorney Rewrite Rules for Council, Public Speakers

  Natalie Dee​I see Rudy's already posted his item about tomorrow's vote on Dallas City Council rules changes, which showed up earlier this week on the addendum for tomorrow's meeting. (It's Item No. 2.) But what he doesn't get into is why the council will vote on reducing and, in some cases, eliminating public speakers' open-mike time -- or why the council will vote to take away some of its own power, no kidding.Among the rules being voted upon tomorrow is one that says a single council member

  August 11, 2009

• Razing Hell: City, Preservationists Still Arguing Over How to Tear Down Dallas's History

  ​We've written extensively about the yearlong battle between city attorneys and preservationists over a proposed ordinance that would expedite the demolition of historic structures, both residential and commercial. Last time we got to this was a whole two weeks ago, when the Landmark Commission raised a host of new objections to the ordinance -- much to the surprise of city attorneys who thought they'd hashed out this sumbitch way back in March. But, yet again, the subject will get an airing a

  August 20, 2009

• If This Goes On Any Longer, Maybe Dallas's Historic Structures Will Just Raze Themselves

  Sam MertenKatherine Seale speaking to ZOAC last monthRepresentatives from Preservation Dallas and the Landmark Commission met yesterday morning with the Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee and first assistant city attorney Chris Bowers to hammer out the details of a proposed ordinance aimed at expediting the demolition of historic structures, but once again, the committee voted to delay the item -- this time until September 10. Committee members disagreed on three issues, the first of which is

  August 21, 2009

• City Misses Samuell Trust Reports Deadlines; Texas AG Threatens Dallas With Legal Action

  Once a popular hangout at the Samuell Farm, the Pavillion is a rotting, open-door shell of its former self.​Long story short: Since March 2008, the Texas Attorney General's Office has been investigating precisely how well the city of Dallas is taking care of the park properties and money left to the city by physician and philanthropist W.W. Samuell. In March of '09, we first caught wind of the specifics of the investigation, which included a long look-see at the much-fought-over Samuell Farm -

  August 28, 2009

• Ain't Gonna Work on Samuell Farm No More? Per City Docs, Four Options for the 320 Acres.

  The Pavillion at Samuell Farm, which the city is considering tearing down -- unless a gust of wind beats it to the punch​Last Friday, we broke the news that the Texas Attorney General's Office is threatening to take control of the W.W. Samuell Trust if the city of Dallas doesn't turn over by September 11 documents that were due July 15. What the AG wants: an accounting of "current operations of all Samuell Park Properties [and] a future plan for the Samuell Park Property known as Samuell Farm.

  September 2, 2009

• Don't Raze Me, Bro: Considering the Latest Ordinance Allowing for Historic Demolitions

  ​Tomorrow morning, the Dallas City Attorney's Office will present yet another version of its ordinance that would allow for the demolition of buildings in historically designated districts. Surely you know what this is all about -- we've been down this road since, oh, August 4, 2008, when the the city council's Public Safety Committee was first briefed on the subject of making it easier to take the wrecking ball to structures in historic districts deemed "an Imminent Threat to Health or Safety

  September 9, 2009

• Zoning Committee Amends Historic Demolition Ordinance: Houses Only, If You Don't Mind.

  Back in August 2008, this was among the houses depicted in the council committee briefing regarding the need for a new teardown ordinance.​Speaking of vacant downtown buildings ... When Mayor Tom Leppert unveiled his list of Central Business District buildings that needed to be brought up to code or else, preservationists fretted that he had his sights set on razing, oh, the Statler Hilton or 508 Park Avenue, for starters. It made a certain amount of sense -- because, after all, just two mont

  September 10, 2009