City Council Approves Lower Greenville Plan

On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council unanimously approved the Lower Greenville Plan. The presidents of all surrounding neighborhood associations showed up in support, along with long-time property owners and business owners.

The new permit requirement for businesses open past midnight takes effect in 8 months (giving business owners enough time to obtain a permit). The city will be holding an informational meeting soon to explain the process.

Streetscape improvements from Bell to Alta will start in July and take about 10 months.

Solutions to the Lower Greenville problem have eluded us for years, and it is only the unprecedented unity of support that has allowed us to develop a real plan to transform this area.

Special thanks go to all the neighbothood association presidents and community leaders who have worked so hard on this for over a year – Stephen Melendi, Pat Carr, Diana Souza, John Scarborough, Michelle Love, Will Short, Selena Urhquart, Ted Thompson, Darren Dattalo, Erica Jones, and Bruce Richardson.

A sincere thank you also goes to major property owners Marc and Roger Andres of Andres Properties as well as Susan Reese, Larry Vineyard, and Jon Hetzel of Madison Partners. The Reeses and Andreses have owned property here for decades and their support has been instrumental to the success of this plan. City attorneys John Rogers and Melissa Miles, along with DPD Chiefs Golbeck and Genovesi and Lt. Martinez have also been critical to this effort. And last but certainly not least, District 14 Plan Commissioner Bill Peterson did an exceptional job gaining his colleague’s unanimous support.

It has been a pleasure working with you all to improve Lower Greenville, especially my fellow Councilmember and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano who shares my passion for the area.

I look forward to the months to come as we transform Lower Greenville together!

City Council to Vote on Lower Greenville Proposal on Wednesday

Last month, the City Plan Commission unanimously approved a plan to require Lower Greenville businesses to get a permit from the city to operate after midnight. On Wednesday, January 26, the City Council will hold a public hearing to vote on the plan.

This effort enjoys broad, unprecedented support from all neighborhood associations, major property owners, business owners, the Dallas Police Department, and City Councilmembers Angela Hunt and Pauline Medrano. PLEASE SUPPORT THIS EFFORT AND HELP US CLEAN UP LOWER GREENVILLE by doing the following:

• EMAIL the City Council at Juanita.Ortiz@DallasCityHall.com and encourage them to vote FOR this proposal. Let them know how important this is for our neighborhood and for the future of Lower Greenville. Give them your name and address.
• ATTEND the City Council hearing at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 26 at Dallas City Hall (1500 Marilla St., Council Chambers on the 6th Floor). Even if you don’t speak, your presence shows important support.
• RETURN GREEN REPLY CARD in support to the city by noon Tuesday (if you own property within 200 feet of Lower Greenville, you will have received a reply card).

Sincerely,

• Steven Melendi, Belmont Neighborhood Assn. President
• Patricia Carr, Lower Greenville Neighborhood Assn. President
• John Scarborough, Lowest Greenville West Neighborhood Assn. President
• Will Short & Selena Urquhart, Vickery Place Neighborhood Assn. Presidents
• Ted Thompson, Greenland Hills Neighborhood Assn. President
• Michelle Love, Hudson Heights Neighborhood Assn. President

A FEW FACTS….

Why is this being proposed?
Lower Greenville has lost its balance: too few restaurants, neighborhood pubs, and merchants open during the day and evening, and too many bars open only late at night. Nearby residents put up with the crime, noise, traffic, litter, and other problems that this over-saturation of problem bars brings to our neighborhood. Taxpayer dollars and city resources are thrown away in a losing battle to keep the area safe and under control late at night. Worst of all, YOU have few places to shop and spend quality time with your friends and neighbors. The retail mix does not reflect the surrounding area’s makeup.

Why not just crack down on the “bad bars”?
The legal processes that the city has at its disposal to address this imbalance of businesses are not enough to fix the problem. When the city is successful in auditing a bad bar and persuading a court to close it down, another bad bar just takes its place. The process starts over. This piecemeal approach to enforcement has been tried for years and is never going to fix Lower Greenville. This proposal allows citizens to have input about who is open late at night, and holds bad operators accountable.

Are you trying to shut down Lower Greenville at midnight and close all the bars?
No! The goal is simply to bring some balance back to Lower Greenville and reduce the impact of businesses that operate late at night, not close down all bars or eliminate all nightlife. No businesses will be shut down as a result of this proposed permitting process. All businesses may continue to operate until midnight with no permit.

What other changes are envisioned for Lower Greenville?
If this permit requirement is approved, the city will spend $1.3 million of 2006 Bond Funds for an extreme makeover for Lower Greenville. Starting THIS SUMMER, the blocks between Bell and Alta will be repaved with wider sidewalks, street trees, antique lighting with matching trash bins and benches, parallel parking, and improved pedestrian crosswalks. The rest of the street from Belmont to Bryan will be redone in the 2012 Bond Program.

Who supports this proposal?

• Belmont Neighborhood Association
• Lower Greenville Neighborhood Association
• Lowest Greenville West Neighborhood Association
• Hudson Heights Neighborhood Association
• Vickery Place Neighborhood Association
• Greenland Hills Neighborhood Association
• Lakewood Heights Neighborhood Association
• Major property owners
• Business owners
• The Dallas Police Department
• City Plan Commission
• City Councilmembers Hunt and Medrano