PH COUPLE LEADS EFFORTS TO RAISE $55M FOR NORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK 8
APRIL 2017 I Vol. 13, No. 4 I prestonhollowpeople.com I phollowpeople I 214-739-2244
Condo Fire Rekindles Density Debate NEIGHBORS QUESTION PROPERTY’S FUTURE
R E A L E S TAT E Home of the month backyard feels like a vacation getaway 33
By Joshua Baethge
People Newspapers
SPORTS
JOSHUA BAETHGE
As cleanup efforts continue at the site of a Northwest Highway condo fire that left one dead and approximately 100 displaced, attention is now focused on the future of the prime real estate. The Preston Place Condominiums were nestled between two of the neighborhood’s tallest buildings. Owners have vowed to rebuild. What exactly they plan to construct remains a mystery. In 1947, the Dallas City Council created a special district called PD-15 to regulate development in the 14.2-acre area bordered by Northwest highway, Pickwick Lane, and Baltimore Avenue. This area includes the 29-story Preston Tower Condominiums, the 22-story Athena Condominiums, and several smaller residential buildings. The Preston Place condos were built in 1979 in a section designated as “tract 3” of the special district. Developers originally intended to make it a high-rise as well. Neighborhood opposition eventually convinced them to reduce the height to three stories. Under the guidelines of PD15, which was last updated in
ESD girls soccer scores 4th straight championship 24
A B O V E : The three-story Preston Place Condos where destroyed by a March 3 fire that killed one person and desplaced 100 residents.
“ T H E CAUSE OF T H E F I RE I S ST I LL U ND ET E RM INE D, AND WI LL MO ST LIKE LY STAY A S S UC H...” JAS ON EVANS DALL AS FIRE-RE SCUE
CAMPS
Area schools offer nifty summer options for children. 36
1980, development density of the area is limited to “present-day density plus the density of a proposed tower on tract 3.” With property demand in the area near all-time highs, owners may be motivated to build something larger. Any new construction would be subject to a public hearing and a traffic study. PD-15 also mandates a rate of 1.22 parking
SCHOOLS
Pen pal connections unite Lamplighter, Walnut Hill pupils 19
spaces per unit as well as additional parking options if the total number of units reaches 318. “I don’t know what I want them to do with the place,” said Mable Davis, who lives about four blocks away from the towers. “The buildings may have looked a little dated,
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S C H O O LS Mayor salutes PH Elementary UNICEF work 20
COMMUNITY
From Preston Hollow to Frisco, book explores sad Box family story 14