A Dallas City Council decision on whether to rezone an aging North Dallas shopping center planned to be redeveloped into nearly 1,000 apartments will be delayed at least a month after a judge on Wednesday blocked the group from taking up the proposal.
The Save Pepper Square Neighborhood Association sued Dallas, its City Council and the City Plan Commission on Tuesday, arguing Dallas officials didn’t properly follow requirements for posting notice of a public meeting for the rezoning case. The group sought a temporary restraining order to stop the City Council from weighing in on a Plan Commission recommendation from August to rezone the Pepper Square shopping center, and Dallas County Civil District Court Judge Martin Hoffman approved the request Wednesday morning.
Dallas City Attorney Tammy Palomino told the audience at Wednesday’s City Council meeting a little after 1 p.m. the rezoning case was being postponed as a result of a hearing Wednesday and the judge’s order.
“There will be another (court) hearing on Nov. 1 in the lawsuit,” Palomino said. “And so today, we cannot hear the matter.”
She said the suit was filed Tuesday night. The City Council voted to postpone taking up the case until Nov. 13.
Anthony Ricciardelli, an attorney representing the association and a Plano City Council member, said he and his clients were pleased the order was granted and they planned to “continue asking the court to order the city of Dallas to follow its own notice requirements.”
“We believe that rigorously adhering to notice requirements is important in an open and transparent process so that citizens’ voices can be heard,” Ricciardelli said.
Developers plan to turn the around 15-acre site near Preston Road and Belt Line Road into a mix of retail, restaurants, apartments and green spaces, which they say will revitalize the empty storefront-filled property and the surrounding area. Residents who live in nearby single-family home neighborhoods have been leading the opposition against the redevelopment project, saying they fear it would increase traffic, density and crime, and negatively impact their home values.
Some area residents threatened to launch a recall campaign against council member Jaynie Schultz, who represents the area and has repeatedly expressed being open to redeveloping the shopping center.
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