Dear Neighbors:
Preserving our neighborhood, our homes and our investment through the Maplewood Overlay is worth the effort. Interestingly, the opposition is only now becoming mildly vocal, as apparently they underestimated the neighborhood’s feelings towards the overlay’s goals:
· Allow homeowners to have a modicum of control over how Maplewood matures & develops, instead of leaving it all up to the builders.
· Maintain the equity in our homes as well as in the value of our land.
· Ensure that the inevitable changes/new homes coming to Maplewood don’t destroy the charm and feel of our little community.
Now that the petition-signing part of the process is over, here are the next steps:
1. November 30th – The City of Dallas will mail out ballots to the entire neighborhood announcing the proposed overlay and the City of Dallas Planning Commission hearing. It is IMPERATIVE that you fill out the ballot, mail it back immediately, and voice your support for the overlay. The City Council considers only these ballots, not the number of petitions submitted last month, when making their decision. Check SUPPORT!
2. December 13th – 1:30 pm in the downtown City Council Chambers. The City of Dallas Planning Commission Hearing will review the Maplewood Overlay to determine approval for submission to the City Council. If at all possible, please make arrangements to attend this meeting as a show of support. We will be coordinating carpooling down to the meeting, so please contact me if you would like us to provide transportation. We anticipate the opposition to make a lot of noise. Your attendance is CRUCIAL!
3. DATE TBD – The City Council Meeting in which the Maplewood Overlay will be decided is determined after the Planning Commission gives its approval. (It is most likely to be after the holidays.) However, it is important to remember that the City of Dallas will go through the same exact process leading up to the City Council meeting – ballots will be distributed again prior to the meeting, and your prompt response and attendance at the City Council meeting will be crucial one last time.
Ever since our neighborhood was successful in securing the petitions needed to establish an overlay, the opposition has begun a full-force mudslinging campaign rife with outrageous claims and downright false information. In fact, they submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act to gain access to all the signed petitions, so they now have a list of everyone in the neighborhood who does & does not support the overlay. And they have been using it to their advantage, trying to get proponents to reverse their well-founded decisions.
If it was ever appropriate to follow the old adage of ‘Don’t Believe Everything You Hear,’ now is the time.
To clarify and emphasize the TRUTH:
CLAIM: Some realtors say an overlay would be bad.
TRUTH: Some realtors are in bed with the big builders. As the saying goes, “you don’t ask a barber if you need a haircut.” A realtor who works with the big builders has the potential of making a commission 4 times on one single property if he represents the seller, the buyer (builder), the new seller (builder of the McMansion) and the new buyers, possibly representing up to $100,000 in commissions.
CLAIM: 10 homeowners decided on the overlay.
TRUTH: The neighborhood decided on pursuing an overlay based on the majority results of the neighborhood survey taken in July - a survey in which the opposition helped to create. The parameters of the overlay were determined strictly by the survey results, by the wishes of the neighborhood.
CLAIM: “Schoolchildren were paid 50 cents per house to take overlay measurements.”
TRUTH: More than 20 man-hours were involved in securing the measurements of EVERY home in the neighborhood. All of the measuring was executed by Ryan Berube and another neighbor who has a Construction Engineering Degree from Purdue and formerly worked for a renowned master planner and construction expert as a field engineer. It is important to note that the measurements being called into question by the opposition make NO DIFFERENCE as the parameters of the overlay ended up not being determined by the measurements themselves.
CLAIM: Barely enough people signed the petition to continue the process.
TRUTH: We received 61 signed petitions representing nearly 70% of the neighborhood’s support. Even more telling is that the majority of those people who signed the petition also felt strongly enough about the overlay to contribute towards the $2,450 processing fee.
CLAIM: Nobody can say an overlay is beneficial.
TRUTH: Overlays may be fairly new, but McMansions are not. Their effect on neighborhoods and property values has been well documented and quite visible. What no one can argue with is that upon the introduction of maximum-sized homes on lots in established neighborhoods, the land value increases proportionately with the decrease in “improvement value” of the property. This inverse movement in values is swift and relentless, resulting in the evaporation in value of any improvements the homeowners have invested into their property. Interestingly, initial data from a study into the Greenland Hills Overlay suggests the neighborhood property values have risen more than the surrounding area following the overlay approval. [Source: D.W. Skelton as quoted in the Lakewood People issue 8/10/07] Since the inception of the overlay ordinance in December 2005, 4 overlays have been approved, 5 more are in their final stages, and at least 22 have initiated the process. Certainly all of these neighborhoods can’t have it wrong and be striving to reduce the value of arguably their largest investment, as the opposition would have you believe.
CLAIM: “If [the overlay] passes, these restrictions cannot be undone”.
TRUTH: “Any zoning overlay, including a neighborhood stabilization overlay (NSO), may be removed by the city council after meeting all the notice and hearing requirements for a zoning change. Dallas City Code Section 51A-4.701(a)(1). Removal of an NSO overlay would be considered a change in a zoning district classification.” – Kathy Zibilich, City of Dallas Attorney.
CLAIM: Builders will be deterred from building in Maplewood.
TRUTH: The key to real estate is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION and Maplewood is a treasure. Extensive third-party research has been conducted to determine the benefit of creating an overlay. EVERY single architect interviewed said they would have no problem building a two-story beautiful home that fits within the neighborhood. Also, Philip Mason, a builder for Kirk Bond, who won the Design Quality award for his home on Belmont, confirmed that he would have no problem building in our neighborhood under the parameters of the overlay and selling it for more than $850,000. He knows because he has done it (see the house he built on 6159 Vanderbilt). An overlay requires THOUGHT by the builders instead of mass production – this is a very good thing. Quality vs. Quantity.
CLAIM: There is no need for an overlay, because of the recent housing slump.
TRUTH: The opposition cites as sources housing indexes and statistics that apply to the nation as a whole. In fact, the DFW area has seen a far less-pronounced slowdown than the high-profile problems in Florida and Southern California. Interestingly, in an article in this week’s Wall Street Journal, Dallas was identified as one of the 4 cities in the U.S. with the biggest influx of young growing families in 2006. If the housing market is so terrible, why have we seen 3 homes bought by builders in Maplewood since March of this year? The answer is simple – no matter how bad housing gets in Dallas, Maplewood will fare far better because of location, location, location. Our neighborhood is hugely valuable, as evidenced by a builder willing to construct a $1.3 million house in a neighborhood that’s never had a property sell for more than $500,000.
CLAIM: Maplewood is experiencing a negative cycle similar to that of Lakewood Heights a few years back, with “shoddy rentals” and “dilapidated houses on every street”.
TRUTH: Not 1 single home has been given a “poor condition” classification by the City of Dallas. (Source: Dallas Central Appraisal District
http://www.dallascad.org/) Quite frankly, this is personally offensive because we take great pride in our home. All neighborhoods go through ebb and flow periods as they mature and the age dynamic begins to change. This does not mean that the neighborhood is deteriorating – it is naturally changing its complexion. As evidence of this, one only has to see the increasing number of children coming to our doorsteps each Halloween as younger families move into the neighborhood. There are only 3 rental properties within the overlay.
CLAIM: If your lot is below the level of the road, like the lots on the even side of Dalgreen Drive, you are at a disadvantage. The people on the odd side can build more house. This means the overlay is applied unequally.
TRUTH: This claim is patently false, having been made with absolutely no research and without any verification attempt by the opposition with the City of Dallas. According to Michael Finley, Chief Planner for the City of Dallas, when the height slope measurements are applied, the house is treated as though the slab/foundation is completely level with the crown of the street. Therefore, whether your lot is higher or lower than the street makes NO DIFFERENCE, and the same size house is permitted to be built regardless.
CLAIM “By limiting square footage, the overlay constricts future price appreciation.”
TRUTH: The smallest lot in Maplewood is 3915 Dalgreen, with 12,000 square feet. The proposed overlay makes NO CHANGES to current zoning setbacks (35ft. front, 10ft. on each side, and 20ft. in the rear.) Thus, under current zoning the maximum sized house you can put on this lot is approximately 5,500 square feet on the first floor alone. Under the proposed overlay, the maximum sized house you can put on this lot is approximately 5,500 square feet on the first floor alone. There is NO DIFFERENCE. Having a second floor could have twice that square footage. The only difference is how high the ceilings are on the second floor. (The average lot size in Maplewood is approximately 14,000 square feet.) Source – Maplewood Overlay Plat.Also, the opposition never actually delineates what they are against with respect to the overlay, or which particular part they think will be so injurious.
Remember, we are only changing 3 components: · Garage Access – must be from the alley, and the garage must be attached to the house (current zoning permits front/side driveways leading to a garage anywhere on the property, including the front of the house)
In the neighborhood survey, 90% of the respondents were in favor of keeping garage access to the rear. · Corner Lot Side Setbacks – must be 20 feet from the street (current zoning currently states 10 feet). In the neighborhood survey, over 70% of the respondents were in favor of the additional corner lot side setback. Only 3 houses in the neighborhood don’t already fall under this parameter, and 2 of those 3 homeowners signed the petition. · Height – must have a 22-foot median height plane (vs. a straight 30ft. median height under current zoning). In the neighborhood survey, 80% of the respondents were in favor of this. Remember, EVERY single architect interviewed said they would have no problem, given the parameters of the overlay on even the smallest lot size in Maplewood, building a two-story beautiful home that fits within the neighborhood. Front and Side Setbacks – are only being reiterated as the current zoning (10 feet on the side setback and 35 feet on the front setbacks, with the exception of cul-de-sacs, which have 25 feet front setbacks). This is to ensure that if the city ever unilaterally changes the zoning (as they did for height in 1987), these setbacks will not change.Since the onset of this process, we have been upfront and honest in our actions and for the last 7 months have welcomed empirical contrary evidence that supports the opposition’s claims. The fact is there is no such evidence.
Now with an end in sight, the opposition has stooped to gross generalizations and scare tactics. Again, preserving our neighborhood, our homes, and our investment is worth the effort. I implore each of you to make your voice heard by submitting the upcoming ballots and attending the planning commission meeting.
Thank you for your involvement.
Sincerely,
Ryan BerubeChair of the Maplewood Overlay Supporters
7325 Dominique
ryan.berube@ustrust.com214.370.9356 (h)
