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Controversial North Lake plan advances to council vote
Dallas: Panel backs development, to dismay of Coppell and Irving
08:03 AM CST on Friday, December 16, 2005
By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News
Despite strong opposition from Coppell and Irving officials, Dallas' Plan Commission on Thursday
endorsed a controversial residential development near North Lake and passed it on to the City Council
for a vote.
Commissioners recommended that the council approve Billingsley Co.'s
request to allow for denser zoning for its Cypress Waters project in
northwest Dallas.
The vote followed a tense exchange between Coppell and Billingsley
officials over actions each side has taken leading up to the vote, including
threats of condemnation from the suburb and the company's request to
potentially fill its land with more houses, apartments and shops.
The fight over Cypress Waters is far from over. While the zoning request
moves forward, specific development plans must be presented to Dallas
officials before Billingsley starts building.
Coppell Mayor Doug Stover was disappointed with the commission's
decision, but he said he remains confident his city can reach a compromise
with the developer over the project's size and density. Mr. Stover and Irving
Mayor Herbert Gears also have met with Dallas Mayor Laura Miller about
the project.
COURTNEY
PERRY/Special
Contributor
Coppell Mayor Doug
Stover addressed the
Dallas Plan Commission
on Thursday. He was
disappointed with the
decision but planned to
continue seeking a
compromise.
"We haven't abandoned hope," Mr. Stover said after the vote.
Neighboring Coppell and Irving oppose the developer's plans, saying the project is too big and would
diminish quality of life and potentially cause traffic problems. The property borders Coppell and Irving,
and most of the land is in the Coppell Independent School District, where officials say such a large
project could lead to overcrowded schools.
But Dallas officials support Cypress Waters because it would boost their city's tax base. Commissioners
followed suit, voting 11-1 Thursday to forward the matter to the City Council.
Many commissioners expressed support for Billingsley's plans, saying it's the best use for the land.
"I'm hopeful that ... at some point in the future we can all co-exist and enjoy this development," Bill
"Bulldog" Cunningham said. "I can't see anything that's any better for that land."
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Before the vote, Coppell officials issued their harshest words yet about Billingsley's plans and offered
impassioned pleas to commissioners, encouraging them to halt the zoning request and allow the three
cities to talk about revising the project and developing long-range plans for the area. Several dozen
people from Coppell, including city staff members and city officials, attended the meeting.
Mr. Stover called Billingsley's revised denser zoning request an "ill-advised charade" and outlandish,
saying it was in retaliation for separate condemnation petitions his city and school district filed to seize
parts of the company's land.
"We all know it cannot and will not work," Mr. Stover told commissioners.
Billingsley attorney Kirk Williams said Coppell officials were throwing around "a lot of
misinformation" and taking part in legal posturing.
"Their interest is not in long-range planning," the attorney told commissioners. "Their interest was in
being sure that this case did not go forward."
Developer Lucy Billingsley, who says the revised zoning request wasn't retaliatory, told commissioners
her company is enthusiastic "about the opportunity to bring an amazing new development ... an
important development to Dallas."
While the commission wasn't focused on the density of Cypress Waters, the topic came up frequently.
The city has given Billingsley the go-ahead to request denser zoning so that Dallas can generate enough
tax revenue to provide Cypress Waters with utility and public safety services. Coppell and Irving say
they'll withhold those services unless a compromise is reached.
But Billingsley representatives say the suburbs' density concerns are premature. The company will have
a better idea of the density when it issues its development plan to Dallas officials.
There were other skirmishes on Thursday. Some commissioners questioned whether Coppell's
opposition to the development was fueled by worries that Cypress Waters students might negatively
affect the quality of Coppell schools.
Coppell city and school officials say they're concerned about the number of children who would attend
their schools, not the makeup of the student body.
E-mail eaasen@dallasnews,com
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