The legal fight over Henry S. Miller Company’s $200 million redevelopment of a Far North Dallas shopping center is set for trial, intensifying political tensions in one of the city’s most closely watched local elections.
A Dallas County judge scheduled an October trial date after attorneys for the Save Pepper Square Neighborhood Association, developer Henry S. Miller, and the City of Dallas agreed to a temporary pause in litigation, the Dallas Morning News reported. Under the deal, Miller will not start construction, and the neighborhood group will hold off on seeking injunctions or restraining orders until after the trial.
Miller plans to build up to 868 apartments and 35,000 square feet of retail at the Trader Joe’s-anchored Pepper Square, at 14856 Preston Road, which it has owned for decades.
The lawsuit claims the city’s rezoning of the 15.5-acre site violates zoning ordinances and city planning frameworks such as ForwardDallas 2.0. The neighborhood association alleges the rezoning amounts to “impermissible spot zoning” and should be invalidated.
The zoning battle is also influencing the high-stakes race to represent Dallas City Council District 11, where commercial real estate brokerage owner Bill Roth and North Dallas Chamber COO Jeff Kitner are headed for a June 7 runoff, the outlet reported. As of early Sunday, Roth led with 48 percent of the vote, just shy of the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff. Kitner trailed closely with 45 percent, according to unofficial results. The incumbent Cara Mendelsohn, didn’t run for reelection but endorsed Roth after voting against the Pepper Square rezoning.
Roth, 71, owns William Roth Company and has aligned himself with the coalition opposing the Pepper Square redevelopment. He was one of several residents who spoke out against the project during the city council vote in March. Kitner, who did not attend that meeting, has drawn scrutiny over his ties to the business community, though he’s denied any conflict of interest.
—Rachel Stone
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