Redevelopment of Dallas’ contested Pepper Square shopping center set for Thursday vote

The City Plan Commission is slated to vote Thursday on a rezoning case that would allow Pepper Square, a Far North Dallas shopping center, to become a mixed-use development that could house nearly 1,000 apartments.

Developer Henry S. Miller submitted updated plans to city staff late last month that now call for a maximum of 984 units. The complex would include 116 units designated for retirement housing and another 116 units for mixed-income. Roughly 35,000 square feet of the project must be set aside for retail or personal service businesses under the new request.

City staff recommended the project be approved subject to a conceptual plan, a development plan and other recommended conditions.

Votes on the project were postponed in June and July as Henry S. Miller refined the proposal. The Dallas developer wanted zoning for up to 1,550 units in earlier proposals.

Attempts to rezone the Far North Dallas shopping center began in 2022 and residents opposed to the project have been vocal in recent months at public meetings.

In a recent survey of homeowners associations near the retail strip, about 91% of the 1,100 responses said a development with 400 or more apartments is “not acceptable.” The survey was conducted by the Pepper Square Neighborhood Coalition, a group with members from roughly 20 homeowners or neighborhood associations concerned with the proposed redevelopment.

District 11 Councilwoman Jaynie Schultz, area residents supportive of the redevelopment and others involved in the project have questioned the validity of the group’s survey.

Natalie LeVeck and other residents near the shopping center who opposed the project previously told The Dallas Morning News that they don’t support it for several reasons, including concerns about other planned apartment projects and increased traffic near Preston and Beltline roads.

Michael Morris, transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, previously told The News that traffic simulations show only a slight increase in traffic if all planned apartments in the area are built.

A March traffic analysis submitted by project consultant Masterplan found the development could be successfully incorporated into the roadway network. The analysis also recommends roadway improvements near Pepper Square.

Sean Jensen, president of Prestonwood Trail Neighborhood Association, previously told The News that he’s optimistic about the redevelopment plan. The combined apartment and retail space could breathe more life into Far North Dallas. The project could also be a key in linking city trails, he said.

The News will update this story following Thursday’s meeting. A link to the meeting can be found here. The public meeting starts at 9 a.m. and the board is expected to take up the matter later in the afternoon.

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