Public Meetings Kick Off Aug. 31 in Bid to Expand The Lakewood Conservation District

Residents can comment on the proposed Lakewood Conservation District project — and talk to city officials about what the measure would mean for the future of their property and the affected Monticello and Westlake neighborhoods — in a series of public hearings kicking off Aug. 31.

Signatures supporting the proposal were collected from far more than the required 58 percent of the 275 homeowners in the affected area, so it’s safe to say there’s widespread support for the conservation district. But not everyone is sold on the idea. 

CandysDirt.com covered the effort of Lakewood residents who want to preserve the character of the neighborhood — and we heard later from those on the other side of the issue.

“If the new district keeps with the framework of the existing ordinance, the architectural style of your home will impact what you can or cannot do,” Rita Randolph wrote to CandysDirt.com. “The following is a list of styles from the existing district: Colonial Georgian Revival, French Eclectic, Spanish Eclectic, Tudor style. If your home does not fit one of these styles you are classified a non-conforming structure. I do not support restricting this neighborhood to these four styles of homes … It is my understanding that putting additional restrictions on any property will reduce the market who will be willing to [purchase] within a restricted area.”

Slowing The Ramp up of Teardowns

As referenced by Randolph, Lakewood already has a conservation district, applied in 1988 to 323 homes in Country Club Estates. 

The impetus for the current proposal came from a committee of 10 residents led by Summer Loveland. She lives in a historic Clifford Hutsell home that is in the area proposed for a conservation district.

Hundreds of the original homes on Lakewood, Lakeshore, Avalon, Tokalon, and Westlake are not within the conservation district. The current conservation district starts at Abrams and does not extend east of Brendenwood or Copperfield, Loveland explained. 

“We want to protect against the ramp-up of teardowns that have happened over the past year and a half, and we have a desire to keep the historic character of the neighborhood — that’s what people fall in love with when they move to Lakewood,” she said.

There are 50 Hutsells in what Loveland refers to as the “unprotected” area, proposed for inclusion in a conservation district. In less than two years, five historic homes in Lakewood have been torn down. Some neighbors say they are concerned about what will happen if a new owner builds a structure that doesn’t conform to the existing neighborhood character. 

“It’s truly about maintaining architecture,” said Realtor Nancy Wilson, who explained that a typical one-story ranch home can become functionally obsolete and lose value when it’s nestled between two massive, towering homes with twice its square footage. 

Preservation Dallas Executive Director David Preziosi has supported the measure, calling conservation district status “one of the best tools to help preserve neighborhood character while allowing changes to take place to historic structures in an appropriate manner to suit modern needs.”

Neighborhood Meetings

A series of neighborhood meetings will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Samuell Grand Recreation Center starting Wednesday, Aug. 31, to discuss the conservation district standards. 

Future meetings are set for Sept. 14, Sept. 26, Oct. 12, Oct. 26, Nov. 9, Nov. 15, Nov. 30, Dec. 7, Dec. 14, Jan. 4, and Jan. 18, but it is not known yet if all 12 meetings will be necessary. 

Neighborhood leaders issued a survey to homeowners to gauge their concerns about the proposal. The surveys are due to the committee Friday, Aug. 26, and at press time, 55 responses were completed. 

Mailers were issued by the city last week to those in the affected area, providing notice of the Aug. 31 public meeting and outlining criteria that would be imposed on homeowners if the conservation district is approved. 

Following the public meetings, city staff is expected to craft an ordinance that will go before the City Plan Commission. 

A pre-application meeting was held in May to review the process of creating a conservation district. 

“The goal is not to stop new construction or remodels, but simply to ensure that projects blend in with the original neighborhood character and to prevent the furthering of architecture which diminishes the historic importance and value of our neighborhood,” states information at love-lakewood.org. “We have all seen this starting close by, and the construction has ramped up in recent months. If we are going to preserve the character of our area of Lakewood, we must do something now, as many of our wonderful homes approach their Centennial. Let’s save the charming vintage feel of our blocks for generations to come.” 

Conservation Districts 

Dallas defines a conservation district as a zoning tool to help communities protect certain characteristics in their neighborhood. They have existed in the city since 1988 when the 323 homes in the Country Club Estates subdivision of Lakewood got their designation. 

There are 20 conservation districts within the city limits. 

It prevents owners from making certain changes to the appearance of their homes, but those on the other side of the issue have said that they purchased the home and therefore have the right to do what they want with it. 

“Houses in Lakewood are expensive,” Mike Starcher wrote to CandysDirt.com. “Do we not trust those capable of buying one are NOT capable of maintaining or enhancing their very own investment? Or should we let a board of 10 make those decisions for the ‘not-so-smart homeowner’?”