’Tis the season for gathering around the

CLIENT: Bella Vista

JOB#: BELA-17-001

Bella Vista Ad Resizes and rundown buildings — how’d you decide on it?

TRIM: 4.625" w x 10" h

BLEED: n/a

COLOR: CMYK

PUB: Advocate (Lake Highlands)

CONTACT: Catherine Pate cpate@advocatemag.com

RELEASE: 11/10/17

INSERTION: December

I initially had a bid on the Hearthwood property in the same area; this is the burned down complex on Abrams near Richland College. I showed up thinking I was the only one interested, but here’s three attorneys and they bid it up over $600,000 more, paid cash. So [my broker] found this space, which is perfect. It was covered in thick brush and inhabited by a tent city, with clothes hanging from trees, a ton of trash. When our workers began clearing the land they asked me what to do and I said to move the tents and clothing to the clearing, and when we did that, they left all of their trash behind, and moved up near the Chimney Hill neighborhood. The neighborhood watch [members] got rid of them immediately, threw away the tents. Me, I see both things. Everything these guys owned went in a dumpster, but homelessness is also just a huge, nuanced citywide problem. I would not want to be the one in charge of fixing that.

Do those issues concern you, as a builder in the neighborhood?

Entertaining family at home is a big part of what makes the holiday season special. We’ve been helping our neighbors create the perfect home for over 15 years. Whether you’re looking to spruce up with a remodel, or gift yourself with a new build in the new year, Bella Vista is here to make your holiday wishes come true.

I’ve attended neighborhood meetings [Chimney Hill] and have been impressed. They have a very active group that is quietly but surely keeping this whole area at the forefront. I think Urban Commons will help to continue to elevate and transform the area. I became a believer a long time ago in the way [beautification] can lift everything around it years back, the city was granting funds for home renovations; one project was a house on a street where everything was dilapidated and I thought, “What’s the point?” But a year later, every home on the block looked improved. And I saw the intelligence of the whole idea. I can afford to buy class-C properties [typically, locations that take extensive work to ready for development], which means things like deed restrictions and more problems to solve, in order to develop single-family residences.

Your husband mentioned you are against gated neighborhoods — why so?

True, I don’t believe in gating. It is an extra expense and it provides a false sense of security. Urban Reserve [west of Stults Road, east of Central Expressway] is open to cyclists, joggers and others passing through from surrounding neighbor- hoods to the White Rock Creek Trail [or DART rail station], yet there have been so few negative incidents. It will be the same at Urban Commons. People from outside will be welcome on the trail, at the parks. Certain design elements discourage crime — for example, with pocket parks in lieu of large front yards, everything is closer to the street. Everywhere else in Lake Highlands, you’re set back, which is nicer for a thief. [Urban Commons] homes will have front porches facing the parks, people are out, eyes on the street.

The signage is up, no construction yet. what sorts of holdups have you encountered?

I know [Urban Commons] is different and I understand the caution at the city level. It’s not something the city planners, especially those on the committees that deal with the nitty-gritty design elements, have seen before or feel comfortable approving, but I have my spiel ready. There are rules in place — and there should be, but it’s a Catch-22 because rules can promote mediocrity, and there are some that don’t mesh with my ideas, so we have to chart a path. Hopefully we can open the door for more creative development this way. I have been doing this a long time, I’m from the neighborhood, so I know the language and ins and outs of city code and planning — I think I have built some trust and relationships and I know how to compromise when needed. And, I don’t have this development machine, so I can go at my own pace. That’s a luxury the bigger companies don’t have.

When might we see houses going up? I’d like maybe May or June. We will build the first three near the entrance. I’d like it to move fast, for the sake of the owners coming in. I think when people actually see it, this will be a big eye opener. I would like to keep creating spaces like this, making something that will outlast me and promote a different way of living. It might not be for the masses; it is for a smaller group who thinks this is really cool.

Questions and answers have been edited for brevity.

Explore Urban Commons’ via an interactive map at urbancommons.live

Dallas Marathon Brings

Back White Rock Lake Loop

Tens of thousands of runners will fill Dallas streets Sunday, Dec. 10, as they tackle the BMW Dallas Marathon, formerly the White Rock Marathon. The inaugural 1971 race included two loops around its namesake pond, but the course evolved to accommodate a boom in participation. By 2012, when the name changed, Dallas marathoners ran but a few miles along the shores of White Rock Lake. Participants have subsequently complained about long uphill miles and a departure from the event’s historic origins.

Organizers announced recently that a large portion of the 2017 marathon route returns to White Rock Lake with a full 9.3-mile orbit.

“As one of Dallas’ most popular training spots, the lake will deliver a home field advantage for local runners and give our out-of-town participants a chance to see one of our city’s most stunning views,” notes marathon president Paul Lambert.

After a start at Dallas City Hall, contenders traverse Downtown Dallas, Vic- tory Park, Uptown, Highland Park, Lower Greenville, Turtle Creek, Lakewood, Swiss Avenue and Deep Ellum, offering fans and spectators plenty of options for revelry and cheering. Residents who deem the event an annoyance retain ample cause for customary grumblings about street closures, crowds and noise. Since 1997, the Dallas Marathon has benefitted Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, to which it has donated more than $3.9 million.