Dallas officials unanimously approve a step toward rezoning Pepper Square for a mixed-use development, despite resident opposition.
DALLAS — A contentious rezoning fight over the Pepper Square Shopping Center in far North Dallas passed a long-awaited hurdle Thursday when officials unanimously approved a step toward rezoning the property for a mixed-use development that would include a high-rise building.
The proposed redevelopment would transform the 23-acre site into a mixed-use development featuring nearly 1,000 housing units, including a 12-story high-rise building, alongside refreshed retail spaces. The property is located on the corner of Beltline Road and Preston Road.
The conflict between developers and residents opposed to the plan escalated to unusual lengths, with lawsuits, hours of public comment and developers placing Apple Airtag tracking devices on zoning notice signs after they repeatedly “disappeared” from the property.
“It’s 23 acres in the heart of north Dallas. The site is just yearning to be set free,” said property owner Greg Miller, who described his vision as “a really nice, first class, mixed-use multi-family and retail property.”
Janet Marcum, president of the Northwood Hills Homeowners Association, is among those voicing opposition to the scale of the proposed development. “We feel like we’re losing something so that the developer can gain something,” said Marcum. “It’s not a matter of no we don’t want the site revitalized, we just want it done in a careful and measured way.”
The development has sparked intense community engagement. Miller said his group helped “no less than 12 town hall meetings” were held, which he said “got increasingly larger and increasingly more hostile.”
Marcum said the topic had become “explosive” among some of her neighbors opposed to the project. “Unfortunately the fervor has grown,” she said.
While Miller points to existing tall buildings in the vicinity and frames the project as “simply progress,” residents remain unconvinced. Despite Marcum’s plea to “delay approval” at Thursday’s meeting, the proposal advanced out of the City Planning and Zoning Commission (CPC) unanimously.
One CPC member, Melissa Kingston, said she wishes the proposal included even more housing — arguing the infrastructure at the busy intersection could tolerate it.
“All the communities in the city are going to have come to terms with the fact that the city is growing and density is going to be put in places,” she said.
The final decision on the Pepper Square project now rests with the Dallas City Council. Marcum indicated that opposition efforts will continue, “Definitely not giving up, there’s too much at risk for our residents.”
Miller expressed optimism about the project’s eventual reception, saying, “Our hope is that they’ll be super proud once this is all said and done.”
