Oak Cliff News

Dallas enacts ordinance to protect historic Oak Cliff neighborhood

A prototypical Craftsman style house in Winnetka Heights.

Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association

A Dallas neighborhood has new protections: On April 24, the Dallas City Council unanimously voted to approve the South Winnetka Heights Conservation District, an ordinance that will protect the historic development patterns for the area and encourage development that is compatible with existing housing stock.

The area is part of the original 1908 Winnetka Heights neighborhood. The vast majority of the homes are Craftsman and Transitional Bungalow style and 91 of the 95 homes were built before 1939.

According to a release, it's a neighbor-led initiative that started in 2019, and it marks the City’s first new Conservation District since 2011, 8th overall in Oak Cliff, and 18th overall citywide.

“I am thrilled to see the creation of this new Conservation District in Oak Cliff thanks to the determination of our residents and follow through of our city staff, who overcame obstacles including the COVID-19 pandemic and a ransomware attack,” says Council Member Chad West. “As we plan strategically for Dallas’ growth, we need to simultaneously allow for the preservation of architectural history and culture. It can be a difficult balance, but we can and must do both.”

Michael “Patty” Evans is the local resident who led the initiative to establish the conservation district.

"We are excited and relieved that after four years of coming together to serve our neighborhood, the City of Dallas agreed that we are important, our neighborhood is important, and why we choose to live in South Winnetka Heights is worth saving," Evans says.

Neighborhood support was widespread, with 76 percent of property owners signing the petition to initiate the process.

Several other neighborhoods in District 1 have submitted paperwork to initiate the process to create other new Conservation Districts in the area.

The City Council also voted to create a new Special Provision Sign District (SPSD) for the Wynnewood Village shopping center. The 80-year old shopping center has a number of new stores coming, including a Target. The new SPSD will preserve historic signs like the original Wynnewood Village pylon sign through a condition to maintain legacy signs.

sustainability home-for-sale

Anna Land Buy

Cox Family sells 116 acres in Anna for mixed-use development

Courtesy photo

Anna, Texas

A major land sale in Anna is paving the way for new mixed-use development. According to a release, Frisco-based Rockhill Capital & Investments struck a deal with the Cox Family to acquire 116 acres at County Road 371 and SH-5, approximately two miles east of US-75.

Younger Partners Executive Managing Director John St. Clair, Vice President Tyler Hemenway, and Associate Davis Willoughby represented the seller in the transaction. The sales price was not disclosed.

Rockhill will sell fully entitled tracts of land to homebuilders, multifamily, and commercial developers.

The single-family portion will be built in phases with development of 325 single-family lots, says Rockhill Chief Development Officer Brent Libby in a statement.

“Construction will likely begin early in Q2 2025,” Libby said. “We’ve already sold 82 of the 116 acres to homebuilder Taylor Morrison and they should break ground first.”

The remaining acres are already being snapped up including 9.5 acres on SH 5 that is under contract to a commercial developer, and interest from a user/developer on the remaining 24 acres, which is zoned for multifamily.

The Cox Family owned the land for decades and had received multiple offers on the property over the years, but were never ready to sell.

“Ultimately, the family wanted to capitalize on the land market before unforeseen market factors took place,” said St. Clair of Younger Partners. “This deal took place at the right time with the right buyer.”

The acquisition nvolved a lengthy zoning process to acquire the land. Rockhill created a Public Improvement District (PID) on the single-family portion of the land, which helped the deal move forward.

Rockhill already has land holdings in nearby high-growth cities of Howe, Van Alstyne, and Sherman, and it ain't stopping here.

“We’ll continue to source and acquire land in the area where we can add value through entitlements, and either develop the property or hold it for some time and exit to another developer or end user,” Libby says.

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