{"id":991,"date":"2016-01-03T22:40:57","date_gmt":"2016-01-04T04:40:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=991"},"modified":"2016-01-03T22:40:57","modified_gmt":"2016-01-04T04:40:57","slug":"neighborhood-alert","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=991","title":{"rendered":"Neighborhood Alert"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neighborhood Alert<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

We had about 100 people show up for the December 15th<\/sup> Planning and Zoning Meeting to express our concerns about the proposed development on the old Sam\u2019s site.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the Commission was advised by the City Attorney that by acting on an amendment to a motion they were in fact acting on the motion before them. This was wrong, so they have to have another meeting to reconsider the item that was on the agenda.<\/p>\n

Sue Halpern brought this to the attention of the Chairman and to his credit they are going to take corrective action to get the motion done properly.\u00a0 However, there is no guarantee that the same motion that they brought forward on December 15th will come forward at their next meeting<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The motion on December 15th<\/sup> passed by a 4 to 3 vote to recommend the proposed plan forward to the City Council with a positive recommendation with the stipulation that any dental or medical offices would require a special use permit.\u00a0 There was also something about not taking down the screening wall until the town homes along Beltway were constructed and that the apartments couldn\u2019t start construction until 50% of the town homes in the district were built. The amendment stipulated that the road access to Beltway Drive be changed from vehicular to pedestrian only.<\/p>\n

Now, this vote is subject to reversal unless we show up again <\/strong>and show our opposition and concern.\u00a0 We have been told that they are not opening the public input part of the meeting again, but just the deliberation of the Commission and the vote.\u00a0 This makes it extremely important for us to contact the individual Commissioners to express our continued opposition and concerns<\/strong> about this plan which is really not mixed use, because it is 97% apartments and condos.\u00a0 The new Planning and Zoning meeting will probably occur the first week in January, because they are trying to get the City Council to act on January 12th<\/sup> at their regularly scheduled meeting.\u00a0 We will need to show up in force for the City Council Meeting on the 12th<\/sup> after the Planning and Zoning Meeting, but more on that after we see what P&Z does.<\/p>\n

They are now saying the development could have up to 350 apartments, 180 townhomes and a 520 space parking facility.\u00a0 There is nothing on the south side of Beltline that is five or six stories tall from Midway all the way to Marsh, so this development is going to look totally out of place.\u00a0 The total number of parking spaces on the site will be over 1300 and, at some time, they will all be coming out on Beltway Drive.\u00a0 That isn\u2019t counting the people that will cut through from Beltline to Beltway to go south to avoid the Beltline\/Midway intersection.<\/p>\n

Sam\u2019s was actually a good neighbor for all these years, because we were successful in getting the wall erected, the green space as a buffer and there was no access to the store from Beltway, so we didn\u2019t have big trucks making deliveries.\u00a0 This plan would change all of that.\u00a0 Besides the cut through traffic and the residents coming and going on and off the site, there will be all kinds of delivery vehicles accessing the site.<\/p>\n

All the citizens that presented at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting were very professional in their interaction with the Commission and were well prepared in their remarks.\u00a0 This approach is the most difficult for elected and appointed officials to discount.\u00a0 We have very legitimate concerns that deserve to be addressed.<\/p>\n

It is important that we continue to show up for meetings and we will keep you informed about the when and where of that once they are posted. In the mean time we need you to contact the Planning and Zoning Commission Members and ask them to oppose the cut through to Beltway and ideally to table this plan and to work with the citizens to come up with a better one.<\/strong> This plan does not represent mixed use development.\u00a0 It is a high density residential development that provides little benefit to the people that already live here.<\/p>\n

We have to take responsibility for protecting our neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Your Neighbors\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Planning and Zoning Commission<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chairman \u2013 Skip Robbins\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0srobbins@addisontx.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

Vice Chair \u2013 Jim Robinson\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0jrobinson@addisontx.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

Jason Ennis\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 jennis@addisontx.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

Stacey Griggs\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 sgriggs@addisontx.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

Debra Morgan\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0dmorgan@addisontx.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

Tom Schaeffer\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0tshaeffer@addisontx.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

Randy Smith\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0rsmith@addisontx.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

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