As redevelopment and growth draw nearer, residents of the Stevens Park Village neighborhood in North Oak Cliff are advocating for zoning regulations to preserve the area’s unique character.
Stevens Park Village, located off Hampton Road and just minutes from downtown Dallas, is experiencing increased interest due to its prime location. Some residents worry that this could attract investors eager to demolish existing homes in favor of new, high-profit developments.
Donovan Westover, a local resident, is leading the initiative to designate Stevens Park Village as a ‘Conservation District.’ Westover fears that rising land values will lead to the construction of large, incongruous buildings. “We’re right on 30, seconds from downtown. As the land becomes more valuable, investors will come in, and we want to prevent large, out-of-place developments from overtaking our neighborhood,” he said.
Residents like Trudy Newton are passionate about maintaining the neighborhood’s charm. Newton lives in a 1941 cottage with original wood floors and a garden of native Texas plants. “I chose this area because its architecture reminded me of my childhood in Nebraska,” she explained.
Westover and his team are working to secure the necessary support to establish the neighborhood as a conservation district. According to the city, a conservation district is designed to preserve a neighborhood’s physical attributes through specific development and architectural regulations. To qualify, the majority of homes in the area must be at least 25 years old.
The committee has proposed boundaries that reflect the original 1939 subdivision, which features cottages built before World War II. They are required to obtain signatures from at least 58% of the affected residents, and they have already exceeded this threshold but continue to gather support.
If the signatures are verified, the proposal will go through several neighborhood and city committee meetings before potentially being voted on by the city council.
There are currently eight conservation districts in Oak Cliff, out of a total of 18, including King’s Highway, Kessler Park, and Bishop Arts/Eighth Street.
However, not all residents are in favor. Steven Shnayder and his wife Cinthia, who moved to the neighborhood in 2021, are concerned about the impact of the conservation district. “From a property rights standpoint, it’s based purely on aesthetics,” Shnayder said. He believes that residents should have the freedom to alter their properties as they see fit and is wary of signing a petition without knowing the specifics of the proposed regulations.
The city’s planning and development department notes that conservation districts can regulate various aspects, including garage locations, landscaping, paint colors, and window sizes. The Stevens Park Village committee aims for less stringent regulations, focusing on preserving architectural styles, ensuring material compatibility, and regulating lot coverage, building height, and the number of stories.
Westover defends the process, emphasizing that it is democratic and follows city guidelines. “This is a democratic process, and while some may oppose it, we are following the rules set by the city,” he said.
