Developer Scott Beck Wants a ‘Neighborhood Service District’ at Royal Lane and Tollway

A well-known Dallas developer cleared a hurdle last month as the City Plan Commission recommended rezoning a single-family lot to a “neighborhood service district” to allow light retail and office uses. Apparently, all the developer wants to do is turn right from Royal Lane onto the Tollway.

Scott Beck, who put the property under contract more than three years ago, lives two blocks away on Royal Crest Lane. The 0.39-acre site on the corner of Royal Lane and Dallas North Tollway has been vacant for at least 16 years, minus a year that it was a temporary Dallas Fire Station. 

“I drive by this corner at least twice a day,” he said. “There seems to be an issue related to not having a turn lane there. One of the reasons I got involved is I think there needs to be a turn lane at this location. The best way I could see getting a turn lane here was to buy the property.” 

Neighbors who opposed the rezoning said they were concerned about traffic congestion from what they feared would become a dense retail site. But Beck, along with property owner Danna Morguloff-Hayden and representatives from Stantec Consulting, agreed to deed restrictions and limited, low-impact uses such as a doctor’s office. 

Plans for the 17,149-square-foot site are outlined in the CPC’s case report. The proposal will now go before the Dallas City Council. 

In addition to a dedicated turn lane on Royal, the applicant agreed to add landscaping and an 8-foot masonry fence. Beck also agreed to a deed restriction prohibiting a restaurant on site. 

Commissioner Larry Hall Explains Royal Lane Zoning Change 

It’s rare these days to see an area designated for housing be approved for something else. Plan Commissioner Larry Hall, who represents the Preston Hollow district, explained how the rezoning came about. 

Hall pointed out that while neighborhood service zoning allows more than the property’s existing “R-16” residential designation, there are similarities. The community wanted to eliminate nail salons, gas stations, and other specific uses, which were agreed to by the applicant, Hall said as he made the motion to approve. 

“I believe I’ve made the right and best decision regarding land use for this site,” he said. “I also know that I’ve disappointed many of the community members.” 

Opponents organized a website and letter-writing campaign asking Hall to vote no and Dallas City Councilwoman Gay Donnell Willis to publicly oppose the rezoning.

The site at 5807 Royal Lane, located at the southwestern edge of a residential neighborhood, has long been deemed unsuitable for residential development, Hall said. The current ForwardDallas comprehensive land use plan, approved in 2006, encourages neighborhood service uses in residential community areas, primarily on significant roadways or at key intersections. 

“This is the situation that we have today before us,” Hall said. 

The case was held under advisement three times to allow for community input and negotiations between the applicant and neighbors. The likelihood of this property being turned into residential is “next to nil,” Commissioner Melissa Kingston said. 

“If that was going to happen it would have happened by now,” she said. “If somebody wanted that to happen they could have bought it and turned it into a residential site. I do share [Hall’s] view that doing something with this property is better than doing nothing. Doing some mild or less-dense neighborhood-serving use is a good way to turn what is otherwise vacant property in our city into something that benefits the community, enhances our tax base, and keeps it from being a negative in our city.”