First, we recommend getting familiar with the history of this site and the owners’ request. Once you do, if you have a strong opinion, have your say at the Dec. 14 meeting where the Dallas City Council will decide whether to approve a rezoning application that would allow the Extended Stay America on Vantage Point near Greenville Avenue, owned by hospitality equity group Three Wall Capital, to be turned into actual apartments.
We dubbed the place “hotel from hell” after attending the October meeting to discuss Three Wall’s request. No one from the company was in attendance.
Dallas Police Lt. Brian Payne, who oversees the Northeast Division’s Project Safe Neighborhood team, told us about all the drug trafficking, sex crimes and murder that has been happening there, including a drug ring involving the staff.
For the past year the address has been an official Habitual Crime Property, which makes it subject to regular inspections from Dallas’ community prosecutor’s office.
The owners were unaware, misinformed by their management and therefore not culpable in the crimes happening on the property, said DPD’s Payne.
But several neighbors said they blamed the owners for turning a blind eye and District 10 council rep Adam McGough agreed, said he thinks they should have known what was going on. “I don’t get a great feeling that they are going to do the right thing,” he added about the landlord’s plans for the future.
Even though the rezoning would potentially make the zone safer, neighbors are resistant about giving such bad landlords their way.
Since it’s a hotel, inhabitants do not undergo background checks or sign leases. The addition of those processes would be one potential benefit of the proposed zoning change that would allow conversion of the property from hotel to multifamily, McGough pointed out at the meeting.
“In theory, if you turn this into multifamily, and you manage it appropriately, get the proper security measures in place, it’s better than it is now,” McGough said.
However after hearing neighbor feedback, McGough said in a missive today that he has “heard strong opinions from neighbors asking for accountability to be earned.”
“The vast majority asked me to deny the zoning change and ask the owner to show good-faith efforts to improve the community before granting a zoning change,” he notes. “Based on what I’ve heard from the community so far, most neighbors support denying zoning privileges to the applicants until they prove they are serious about being good neighbors.”
McGough says he will continue to listen to neighbors’ feedback between now and next Wednesday and encourage all with an opinion to speak at the meeting. “This is an important zoning case with the potential to impact the quality of life of surrounding neighbors and the overall safety of the entire community.”
Neighbors can register to speak at the meeting (in person or virtually). The deadline to register is 5 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 13.
