“No-Brainer” Toll Brothers Project Passed by City Council

Third time is a charm I suppose.  Today’s city council vote wasn’t unanimous, but one vote shy didn’t matter.  I will give council member Philip Kingston credit for finally bringing it home.  After all the pros and cons were done he called the compromise a “no brainer” and urged approval.  I’ve certainly given him enough grief for diddling around with this and giving false hope to those wanting to stop it … and I stand by that.

As I’ve said to friends in recent days, it’s like you want to break-up with your boyfriend. Is it better to do that the day before Valentine’s Day or the day after? They’re hurt either way, but “after” they know they were a pity-date and the roses a consolation prize. So yeah, I think he could have brought this ship into the harbor quicker and spared some of that false hope.

That said, I’ll also say that while the Oak Lawn Committee did a great job navigating this project to get it to a point it was ready for city council, the last two months of dithering got a little more.  I don’t think it was make-or-break more, but more is more, and I respect Kingston for that. Certainly the affordable component was a welcome (last-minute) surprise in a city laughingly without any regulation on the issue.

Funniest quote from a council member, “I’m sure Amazon is watching us” because of their HQ2 deliberations. You probably heard me laugh across town. I’ve made no secret that the Amazon dog won’t hunt in Dallas. But I guess hope springs eternal.

For Toll Brothers, eternity is today.

Remember:  High-rises, HOAs and renovation are my beat. But I also appreciate modern and historical architecture balanced against the YIMBY movement.  If you’re interested in hosting a Candysdirt.com Staff Meeting event, I’m your guy. In 2016 and 2017, the National Association of Real Estate Editors has recognized my writing with two Bronze (2016, 2017) and two Silver (2016, 2017) awards.  Have a story to tell or a marriage proposal to make?  Shoot me an email [email protected].