HomeMy WebLinkAboutUPUMC Lloyd DenmanLloyd B. Denman
2928 Westminster Ave.
Dallas, Texas 75205
(214) 368-1881
May 2, 2005
Dear Mayor Holmes and Honorable City Council:
I would like to present three brief points for your consideration prior to Tuesday's vote on the
University Park United Methodist Church rezoning.
Please recall the STRATEGIC GOALS for University Park that you adopted just last
December. Goal #3, Sense of Community, is "to enhance our sense of community which values
the importance of the common good over special interests." The church is the common good in
this issue. Strong local churches and strong local schools beget a strong local community. This
is especially true in University Park. The few adjacent neighbors in opposition to this zoning are
thinking only of special interests. Specifically, the special interests are a perceived decrease in
property values and a perceived increase in traffic on the 4000 block of Colgate.
Those opposed to the church's request to re-zone its own property claim that adjacent
PROPERTY VALUES will decline. Simple internet research of the Dallas County Appraisal
District (DACD) records negates their claim. Some of the most valuable homes in University
Park are on the 3800 block of University Boulevard adjacent to a church! Less than five
minutes of DCAD research are required to determine that the church has owned the homes on
the south side of the 4000 block of Colgate for a long time. That fact has already been absorbed
into the property values on the north side of the street. Check the DCAD data for yourself!
And, as any realtor will attest, the two primary factors that affect the value of a house are the lot
size and the square footage of the structure upon the lot. Being adjacent to a church or school
makes very little difference.
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Those opposed to the church's request to re-zone its own property claim that they will
experience additional TRAFFIC. First, please remember that Colgate is a public street on
public right-of-way and no one has a right to "less traffic" on a public street than anyone else.
Second, common sense negates their claim. The 4000 block of Colgate will actually experience
less average daily traffic due to the fact that only half as many homes will remain on the street.
There will be only half as many vehicle trips generated from that particular block as before and
only half as many visitors. Third, consider that Southwestern carries over 5000 vehicles per
day. (As counted by the City's traffic consultant for the Lovers Lane construction project.) The
existing daily traffic on Colgate is definitely less than 5000 vehicles per day. But, the average
property value on the 4000 block of Southwestern ($840,000) definitely exceeds that of the 4000
block of Colgate ($660,000)! Check the DCAD data for yourselP.
So, please vote in support of the City's Sense of Community, of the common good, and in favor of
private property rights by approving the University Park United Methodist Church's request to
rezone their property.
Sincerely,
HPHS Class of 1983
Member of Park Cities Presbyterian Church
Owner of the "K-Life House" located at 4221-23 Emerson that serves our high school students