LH Press Library
Not so Fast, Wal-Mart Foes Say, but Councilman Defends
Pace
Lake Highlands: Some residents fighting plan up for council approval
The Dallas Morning News, by Bob Pittman
October 23, 2005
Less than three weeks before the Dallas City Council considers plans for a new Wal-Mart SuperCenter, some Lake Highlands residents remain convinced that the store would generate traffic and crime problems.
The Dallas Plan Commission recommended approving Wal-Mart's proposal on Sept. 29, and it will be presented to the City Council on Nov. 9. The SuperCenter is planned at the northwest corner of Abrams Road and Forest Lane near Interstate 635 in Lake Highlands.
The Lake Highlands Area Improvement Association, an alliance of neighborhood groups, held a community meeting last week about the issue attended by Wal-Mart officials and Dallas City Council member Bill Blaydes.
The council member responded to criticism that the proposal has been "pushed too fast" during the planning process.
"We have been talking about this since I took office," said Mr. Blaydes. "Not only in town hall meetings – every neighborhood association has been talking about this project. I'm not trying to hide anything or make light of what it means for the district."
He said it would bring in new tax revenue, stimulate economic development in the area and offer new shopping options. Moreover, he said, Wal-Mart's site falls within Dallas zoning guidelines for so-called big box stores and is located near a main traffic artery – LBJ Freeway.
"So, I will be supporting this program," Mr. Blaydes said. "If it wasn't supported by the majority of Lake Highlands residents, I wouldn't be supporting it."
During a question-and-answer session at the meeting's end, many comments from residents centered on potential traffic problems. A study has estimated that the store will generate 13,000 trips to and from the store by motorists.
A group calling itself No Big Box No Way has organized to fight the Wal-Mart proposal. Julie Noel is one member of the group, and she noted that four schools operate close to the proposed store.
"The SuperCenter will be open for 24 hours a day," she said. "Will we be solving problems or creating new ones?"
Other residents who live southeast of the site said they worry about increased vehicle and pedestrian traffic through their neighborhood – particularly on Meadowknoll Drive and Whitehurst Drive. These two streets connect to major streets to the east such as Skillman Street and Audelia Road and could serve as a cut-through route to the new store. Others said that because there is no frontage road to connect the store to LBJ Freeway, traffic is certain to be a problem.
Aaron Carter, a district manager for Wal-Mart, said his company is going beyond zoning and planning requirements for the store, designing a brick and stone facade with awnings, distinctive roof elevations, planters and a sprinkler system for the site's landscaping. He added that the store would bring 300 to 400 jobs to the area.
Earl Slocumb, who lives on Mill Ridge Circle, said he learned of Wal-Mart's plan in August, when his neighborhood association informed him. For him, it's not specifically crime or traffic concerns that figure in his opposition.
"I've lived in this neighborhood for 29 years, and it has been a good neighborhood," Mr. Slocumb said. "It's an emotional thing. I don't want my neighborhood to change."
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