Hello Everyone,

As you may recall, Councilman Scott Griggs spoke at the WNNA General Meeting on July 21, wherein he provided an update on the proposed Seniors project for the Parks at Wynnewood.  At that meeting, the majority of the residents voiced their continued support for the proposed senior housing project.  However, after the meeting, Councilman Griggs advised the City Housing Department that he was not in support of the project.   Since that time, further discussions have taken place between Councilman Griggs and Banc of America (“BOA”), so we thought it was a good time to provide you with an update as to the current status. Please note that no agreement has been finalized, and to date, the City of Dallas has not provided BOA with the letter of support necessary for BOA to move forward. The deadline for City approval is Sept. 9^th. If no agreement is reached by that date, the project will not move forward.  

On August 11, the WNNA Board met with Councilman Griggs to discuss the current status of the seniors project and to discuss design issues.   Councilman Griggs advised the Board  that BOA is losing money on the property, and he felt this would be a good opportunity to get the right development structured in order to positively impact the future of the community, our property values and the long term sustainability of the area. The following issues were discussed with Councilman Griggs:  

1.       Release of the LURA – BOA and Councilman Griggs are working on an agreement wherein 24 acres of the current 48 acres would be released for mixed market use development.  The remaining 24 acres would stay under the Land Use Restriction Agreement (LURA) and would be developed as low-income housing.  The release of the LURA on the 24 acres is contingent upon approval by the TDCHA, and would be released in phases.  For example, once the seniors project is built, 8 acres for mixed use development would be  released under the LURA.   Future phases are based upon BOA being awarded future tax credits by the TDCHA.  It is contemplated that there would be a total of three phases.  The first phase would be the proposed seniors component.  The second phased may be multi-family with the possibility of including mixed use development, and the third would be another senior component. Senior housing has been identified as a positive deterrent of crime as well as a source of healthy community based programs.  
 
2.       Phase I acreage - Councilman Griggs agreed to keep Phase I of the senior housing component to eight (8) acres with the hope of reducing the parking requirements below the 1.0 city standard in order to increase park land and green space.   The overall idea is to maintain the 8 acres but "pour less concrete" leaving ample acreage for lush landscaping and natural areas. He agreed to work with the developers to get a variance on the parking, and overall,  the City of Dallas staff to get the ordinance revised on how much parking is required for senior housing developments across the city.  
 
3.       Phase I  Proposed Building Height -  In discussions with BOA, Councilman Griggs had proposed BOA condense the seniors project by building the property up to four (4)stories high.  This proposal was of tremendous concern to the Board.  During our discussions with Councilman Griggs, he agreed that the proposed project would be no higher than three (3) stories and would front Zang Blvd.   The buildings closest to our neighborhood would remain at two stories in height.  Councilman Griggs also agreed that he wants ample green space,  wide, pedestrian friendly sidewalks, to save as many trees as possible, and to place parking in the rear of the buildings.
 
Things seems to be headed in a positive direction that will enhance current and future land development. We hope there is a continued communication stream between Wynnewood North, the neighborhood most impacted by this development and all parties involved. We are also hopeful of creating a project that will benefit Oak Cliff and provide an economic stimulus that will enhance the prospect of Wynnewood Village. We appreciate the work of City staff, Banc of America and Councilman Griggs and will keep everyone updated as information is available.