Item 6A - Responses Received Outside 200'First, I want to thank and commend the P&Z committee for its hard work that goes toward
maintaining and enhancing the living experience of Southlake residents, as it focuses on
maintaining high quality and thoughtfulness of new development in our community.
I’m here this evening in opposition of the requested zoning change of the site at 2001 Shady
Oaks. My reasons for opposing the zoning change, to initially allow development of a bank
drive-thru facility are several, which I will try to outline here.
Before I get into my rationale, I want to say that I realize that the Highway 114 corridor
committee made broad land use recommendations for the entire 114 corridor through
Southlake. This was a large project tackled by neighborhood volunteers. I understand that in
coming up with the S-P-1 zoning recommendation there was an attempt to create a consistent
overlay to a large area of land.
The problem with this approach is that to maintain the unique character of our community,
sometimes we must focus on the details rather than simply the whole. In this case, there is a
small swath of land that fronts both Highway 114 as well as estate homes lined Shady Oaks. I
would hope that as you review the details of this site you would be open to re-visiting details of
this zoning request that I believe are inconsistent with maintaining a great community. When
your fellow neighbors come together in concern about details of thi s zoning plan where we live
day to day those concerns should be taken seriously.
My opposition to changing this land from Agricultural zoning designation to S-P-1 is rooted in
maintaining the unique character of our community that generations of Southlake leaders and
political figures have crafted over the years.
Specifically, my opposition is based upon this commercial zoning designation being
incompatible with the adjacent residential already in place.
There are certain gateways to the town of Southlake that create the unique character of our
community and this is one of them. By changing the zoning, the city leaders, of which you all
are a part, will:
• Destroy some of the limited remaining naturally forested land in our community.
• Put incompatible uses of a bank drive-thru facility directly across from estate homes.
This alone should be reason to reject the zoning change. It will only be the start as
additional commercial is programed further down Shady Oaks, if this zoning change is
approved.
• Increased traffic and congestion in an area that is already seeing greatly increased traffic
along Dove and Shady Oaks. This will only increase as the new approved residential
development at Shady Oaks and 1799 progresses.
• Permanently destroy one of the most unique gateways to residential neighborhoods,
changing forever the character of this part of Southlake and negatively impacting home
values going forward.
If you are looking at this site pragmatically, I find it hard for you to come to any other
conclusion that S-P-1 zoning is inappropriate for this site and further up Shady Oaks.
If this zoning case is approved, we neighbors will likely next be subjected to paying for
inadequate drainage design by the engineers that worked on the Shady Oaks residential
development across from Durham. Many of these same consultants are working on this drive-
thru bank development. This inadequate design has increased downstream flooding along
Shady Oaks that we now face. I fear the price we will pay is the city destroying the natural
setting and flow of this stream through our neighborhood to remedy mistakes make elsewhere.
This will further destroy the unique setting of our neighborhood that nature has provided.
In closing, as fellow neighbors, I hope you will look at this zoning case from our perspective.
This is a special gateway into Southlake and this site shou ld be preserved as agricultural zoning.
Please have the vision to say no here. Your courage and leadership in preserving our
community, as the unique and special place it is, will be applauded by many future generations
of Southlake residents to come.
Thank you.
First, I want to thank and commend the P&Z committee for its hard work that goes toward
maintaining and enhancing the living experience of Southlake residents, as it focuses on
maintaining high quality and thoughtfulness of new development in our community.
I’m here this evening in opposition of the requested zoning change of the site at 2001 Shady
Oaks. My reasons for opposing the zoning change, to initially allow development of a bank
drive-thru facility are several, which I will try to outline here.
Before I get into my rationale, I want to say that I realize that the Highway 114 corridor
committee made broad land use recommendations for the entire 114 corridor through
Southlake. This was a large project tackled by neighborhood volunteers. I understand that in
coming up with the S-P-1 zoning recommendation there was an attempt to create a consistent
overlay to a large area of land.
The problem with this approach is that to maintain the unique character of our community,
sometimes we must focus on the details rather than simply the whole. In this case, there is a
small swath of land that fronts both Highway 114 as well as estate homes lined Shady Oaks. I
would hope that as you review the details of this site you would be open to re-visiting details of
this zoning request that I believe are inconsistent with maintaining a great community. When
your fellow neighbors come together in concern about details of thi s zoning plan where we live
day to day those concerns should be taken seriously.
My opposition to changing this land from Agricultural zoning designation to S-P-1 is rooted in
maintaining the unique character of our community that generations of Southlake leaders and
political figures have crafted over the years.
Specifically, my opposition is based upon this commercial zoning designation being
incompatible with the adjacent residential already in place.
There are certain gateways to the town of Southlake that create the unique character of our
community and this is one of them. By changing the zoning, the city leaders, of which you all
are a part, will:
• Destroy some of the limited remaining naturally forested land in our community.
• Put incompatible uses of a bank drive-thru facility directly across from estate homes.
This alone should be reason to reject the zoning change. It will only be the start as
additional commercial is programed further down Shady Oaks, if this zoning change is
approved.
• Increased traffic and congestion in an area that is already seeing greatly increased traffic
along Dove and Shady Oaks. This will only increase as the new approved residential
development at Shady Oaks and 1799 progresses.
• Permanently destroy one of the most unique gateways to residential neighborhoods,
changing forever the character of this part of Southlake and negatively impacting home
values going forward.
If you are looking at this site pragmatically, I find it hard for you to come to any other
conclusion that S-P-1 zoning is inappropriate for this site and further up Shady Oaks.
If this zoning case is approved, we neighbors will likely next be subjected to paying for
inadequate drainage design by the engineers that worked on the Shady Oaks residential
development across from Durham. Many of these same consultants are working on this drive-
thru bank development. This inadequate design has increased downstream flooding along
Shady Oaks that we now face. I fear the price we will pay is the city destroying the natural
setting and flow of this stream through our neighborhood to remedy mistakes make elsewhere.
This will further destroy the unique setting of our neighborhood that nature has provided.
In closing, as fellow neighbors, I hope you will look at this zoning case from our perspective.
This is a special gateway into Southlake and this site shou ld be preserved as agricultural zoning.
Please have the vision to say no here. Your courage and leadership in preserving our
community, as the unique and special place it is, will be applauded by many future generations
of Southlake residents to come.
Thank you.
Application by First National Bank for Zoning Change
Dove Road and FM 114
City Council Agenda – April 16th, 2019 - 6:00 PM
My name is Jeffrey Ryan. I live at 701 Garden Court, Southlake, Texas. My phone number is
(817) 965-2266. My email address is . I have been a Southlake resident
for over 10 years. My home is located at the front of the Garden Court Subdivision and my
property line reaches the corner of Garden Court and Shady Oaks. My property will be directly
across the street from the future “office” development along Shady Oaks.
Objections to the Application
The land being sold to the Bank is part of a larger tract that includes the property between the Bank
and Dove Road. I believe the remaining tract is in a flood plain. My objection is that all of the
land, not just the part being sold to the Bank, should be required to have a plan for resident access,
or sidewalks. The sidewalks should extend along Shady Oaks from the Southern most point of the
bank property, all the way to Dove Road. The land owner should not be allowed to sell only a
portion of the tract, leaving a flood plain tract which will never be developed, without providing
resident access, or sidewalks, for the entire piece of property that is along Shady Oaks.
The applicant’s application is inconsistent with the zoning requirements adopted by the City of
Southlake. Banks fall into two categories (1) “Office District” (2) “Local Retail Commercial
District”. Neither of these categories are specifically identified in the “future use” land plan for
the tract in question. The future land plan for the tract implies Office/Service uses . The Office
District restrictions allows a two-story (plus) building. The Local Retail Commercial District
restrictions do not allow a two-story building.
A Bank is an Office/Service use, which could be defined as “retail” due to the use of a drive
through and customer service. The Bank wants to follow regulations for an Office District, which
will allow a multi-story use, and has more limited building standards. However, they want a drive
through and will be providing customer services which is more of a retail type use. They should
be held to the highest standards possible which are the regulations related to a Local Retail
Commercial District, which does not allow a two-story building.
I am not aware a bank in Southlake, that has a drive-through, that is not on land which was
originally zoned as “Retail”.
The Bank has represented that only 11 customers per day will use their drive-through facilities. If
one day, the Bank is sold to Wells Fargo, that will become 211 customers a day. The Bank verbally
implied, to many area residents, that in the event the Bank is not built, then the tract use will be a
convenience store or Starbucks. The point being, that through this process, the Bank has been
disingenuous, and you should have no remorse in the denial of their application.
Considerations if the Bank is Approved
Setbacks
The setbacks along Shady Oaks vary from 30-40 feet. One of the most recent developments along
Shady Oaks, is the Shay Oaks Subdivision directly across the street from Dawson Middle School.
There is a 30-foot setback from the street to the wall that separates the school from the residential
development. The setback along Shady Oaks and Bi-Centennial Park ranges from 30-40 feet.
These already established setbacks should be the MINIMUM for any considered development
along Shady Oaks.
Stone or Masonry Wall
We do not want to see the Bank building built, but if it is going to be built, then it MUST have a
wall along Shady Oaks. The Bank development will be setting a standard for any future
development along Shady Oaks. We want to see the unique rural charact er of our neighborhood
maintained and enhanced by future development.
The Bank must build a 10-foot masonry, or stone, wall along Shady Oaks (1) to be consistent with
other commercial developments in Southlake (2) to help maintain our residential property values
(3) create an impervious barrier to reduce lights on homes and cars on Shady Oaks and (4) for the
safety and security of our homes, families, and neighborhood.
There is almost no commercial development in Southlake without a wall, barrier, or fence
separating commercial development and residences (can you think of one?). Why would we now
allow a commercial development to occur across the street from estate homes without a wall?
There is a wall between Dawson Middle School and Shady Oaks Subdivision homes. If a wall is
required between a school and residences, why would we not require a wall between an
office/service center commercial development and estate homes?
The Bank development will reduce the residential property values for homes along Shady Oaks.
People simply pay less for a home that is across the street from commercial development. And,
while the incremental property tax loss to the City is marginal, it is NOT marginal to the home
owners along Shady Oaks. The last place I want to be in life is trying to sell my $1M home, that
is across the street from a parking garage, with no barrier between my home and the parking
garage. Because, that is where the thieves park, when they walk across the street, to rob my home,
or worse.
At night, individuals driving around the bank, or parking, will be directing their car lights onto
Shady Oaks and the homes in the area. This may not be an issue in the summer, but in the winter,
it can be dark by 5:30. There should be a wall between the Bank and Shady Oaks to minimize
lights glaring on homes and cars driving on Shady Oaks.
The Bank has proposed a “living wall” that is enhanced landscaping. If they want a living wall,
then they should build a stone wall, just like Shady Oaks Subdivision, including the climbing ivy
on both sides of the wall (note: Shady Oaks Subdivision wall has climbing ivy). A living wall as
proposed by the Bank creates a great place for thieves to park and walk across the street to rob the
estate homes. Or worse yet, a place for a rapist to hide and grab someone off the sidewalk.
Any Bank is also susceptible to being robbed. The location of this Bank is a bank robber’s dream.
A bank robber will have immediate access to FM 114, via the on-ramp directly in front of the
property. Then, within 4 minutes, the robber can reach the DFW Connector, and he is GONE.
The Lowe’s in Southlake has had numerous robberies due to their unfettered access to FM 114.
My family and I want as much between us and a bank robbery as we can possibly get. If that is a
not a 30-foot wall, then we at least want a 10-foot wall.
I appreciate your time and consideration of my comments.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey S. Ryan