HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmails from ResidentsFrom: Brent Gabriel <brentgabriel@gmail.com>
Date: February 9, 2015 at 1:18:31 PM CST
To: Ginger Awtry <gawtry@westlake-tx.org>
Subject: Re: Town Council Meeting Monday, Feb. 9 regarding proposed T-Fare Plan and East Dove
Road
Ginger,
I hope all went well with your dad's surgery. Thank you for thinking of me and sending me this email. I was
aware that the next meeting is scheduled for February 23 but unfortunately with this meeting scheduled on such
short notice I will not be able to attend and I'm sorry because I would be very interested to hear the
conversation. I wonder if it would be possible for you to read the following for me at the meeting.
Brent Gabriel
1625 Trace Bella
In the meetings regarding the comprehensive plan, one of the big selling points has been maintaining the charm
of Dove Road. As I first started looking at the thoroughfare plan, the plans for Granada, and actually standing at
the site where the road is drawn to go between Granada and Glenwyck over to Solana, it was apparent that it
will be very difficult to put a road there. I've talk to multiple people in the city of Westlake and in Robin's
group who had a role in the thoroughfare plan and was told by many that it would be difficult and unlikely that
that road will ever be built. It has been well established by the citizens of Westlake that they do not want
Dove road widened. Widening the road is unfair to the people who have had homes adjacent to Dove for many
years with the expectation that the road would remain two lanes,
I know that it's easier said than done, but a firm plan needs to be put in place so if needed there's no question on
how and where the road between Dove and Solana Blvd will be built. Before the people in Granada begin to
build houses they should be made aware that a plan is in place for a potential road to be built behind their
houses. Lot number 74, which is the most south eastern corner lot of Granda, should be purchased by the city to
allow the road to go through there. When I mentioned that before, I was told the city cannot buy that land
because it would be too expensive to do right now but if the road was needed in the future, the city could buy
the house. This doesn't make sense. Obviously, the cost of a lot with a home on it will be much more
expensive, and when someone is living in the home, it will be extremely difficult to have to make them move
out to tear down the home.
Diverting traffic off o f Dove Road will not only be beneficial to the businesses in Solana now, but also for
future businesses along that road. It will maintain the country feel of Dove Road, which is clearly the desire of
the citizens of Westlake. I know that there are many factors involved in making these type of plans and that it's
not easy to do, but to prevent more regrets in the future, the city of Westlake needs to be proactive and make a
solid plan on how to create this road, otherwise, the public is being mislead, because without this road, there is
no way to keep Dove the "pastorial" road it has been sold as.
I'm sorry I can't be there tonight to hear your discussion and thoughts. Thank you.
Sent from my iPhone
From: Stef Mauler [mailto:stef.mauler@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2015 11:24 AM
To: Rick Rennhack; Carol Langdon; Laura Wheat; Michael Barrett; Alesa Belvedere; Wayne Stoltenberg
Cc: Eddie Edwards; Tom Brymer; Kelly Edwards; Susan McFarland; Ginger Awtry; 'Deborah Macziewski'; Judd Austin;
'Thomas Ducatelli'; 'Horace Wu'; 'John Schilsky'; 'Ryan Moore'; Mike Mauler
Subject: Widening of Dove Rd.
Dear Westlake Council
My wife and I received notification on Friday that there will be a meeting tonight to discuss the widening of
Dove Rd., but unfortunately we are out of the country and will not be able to attend the meeting. We wanted
to make sure that our absence was not mistaken for a lack of concern. We are writing to ensure you take our
views into consideration as you deliberate this serious issue.
• During previous meetings to discuss the comprehensive plan, the Town Council assured its residents that the
widening of Dove road east of Davis was off the table so we are dismayed to see that it is now under
consideration once again. Your own Town survey (attached) shows that the biggest draws to Westlake are
(1) aesthetic appeal (2) rural atmosphere and (3) sense of community. The same survey indicates the largest
concerns of Westlake residents to be (1) decreasing property values and (2) compromising the rural
environment. The proposal to widen Dove Rd. east of Davis directly conflicts with the reasons your residents
have moved to Westlake and directly supports their biggest concerns and, reasons to leave Westlake. The
section of Dove road between Davis and Peytonvillle road is the last remnant of what was once the beauty of
Westlake. The winding road lined with old post oaks and ponds is all that remains as our city transitions in
what appears to be a new, unstated goal of becoming Las Colinas.
In our discussions with other residents, we have not been able to find anyone that can come up with a logical
reason to consider this proposal; but there are many reasons to vote against it. To list just a few:
• Widening Dove Rd. east of Davis will not improve traffic flow for Westlake residents. The newly constructed
4-6 lane Davis Blvd. connects Southlake Blvd. to HWY 114 which enables traffic to flow between and to Solana
via Solana Rd. The City of Southlake has already made a firm decision to not widen their section of Dove road
(http://www.cityofsouthlake.com/index.aspx?NID=806) so any additional traffic that would come through
Dove Rd. east of Davis will bottleneck again at Peytonville
• Widening Dove Rd. will only serve those who want to use our residential community as a traffic short
cut. The widening of a road like Dove is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you widen the road, people from outside
of our community will use it. This will create more traffic, noise, trash on the side of the road and crime, such
as the string of in home invasions, car break-ins, and the violent car jacking that recently took place at
Solana. Most municipal governments work hard to protect their community from these kind of issues.
• There has never been a traffic study done on Dove Rd. Forecast of future traffic flows without a known base
case cannot possibly be accurate. Any traffic engineer would agree with that. How can a decision be made on
the future of Dove Rd. without any valid data on the present state?
• Widening Dove road will have a dramatic impact on the property values at Glenwyck and to the community in
general. In anticipation of a drop of real estate values due to the Town’s comp plan proposal, Glenwyck has
already seen a number of residents leave for new homes in Southlake. Lower property values mean lower
taxes and very unhappy residents - your constituents.
• With the new Entrada development, which will house government offices and other businesses, the flow of
people to Solana as a place of business is unknown at this time.
• We have heard Mayor Wheat point to Highland Park as a community that is well governed and has managed
development thoughtfully. They, too, faced a similar proposal to widen Mockingbird Lane. And they listened
to their community and acted in the best interest of their residents. Instead of widening Mockingbird Lane,
they actually “dieted” portions of the road in order to keep the residential area for
residents. https://highlandparktrafficstudy.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/hp-final-traffic-study-report-
092214.pdf
I realize tonight is only a discussion to hear residents’ opinions. We hope you will listen and consider what
your constituents want from their community. Please listen to your citizens and vote down this proposal. We
can always revisit the widening of Dove Rd if we find traffic is, indeed, getting to a point that impedes
residents’ quality of life. However, much like the municipal tax, once approved it’s difficult to go back. Why
should there be a rush?? Do you really want to attach your names to a vote that ends the bucolic nature of
Westlake?
Sincerely
Mike and Stef Mauler
From: Jonathan Endter [mailto:
Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2015 6:51 PM
To: Laura Wheat; Eddie Edwards; Alesa Belvedere; Wayne Stoltenberg; Michael Barrett; Rick Rennhack; Carol
Langdon; Tom Brymer
Cc: Ginger Awtry
Subject: Proposed Thoroughfare Plan concerning Dove Rd. to Solana Blvd
Dear Mayor and Town Council members,
My wife and I have owned our home in Glenwyck for about seven years now, and moved here to make
the Town of Westlake our full time residence almost four years ago. Like many of our neighbors, our
attraction to the Town of Westlake was the beauty and the openness. When we first found our home in
Glenwyck, we researched the town and liked what we read. A town committed to the natural beauty of
the area, "The Town of Westlake, known as the place where the cross timbers met the prairie". The Vision
Statement for the Town of Westlake, our new town, "an oasis of natural beauty that maintains open spaces
in balance with distinctive development, trails, and quality of life amenities amidst an ever expanding
urban landscape." Additionally we researched the land behind our property and like many of our
neighbors, the information that we felt to be accurate is that there is a 500 foot buffer, open space, or set-
back from our rear property line to any development that could possibly occur on the land behind our
property. Never in all of our research was a roadway even a remote possibility. Had we any inkling that a
roadway could go in behind our property we would have never purchased the home that we are in. In fact,
we specifically asked this question of our realtor at the time, and he outlined that even if something were
to be built back there, it could only be a parking lot after the 500 foot set -back, and no build ing could be
built in the space right after the 500 foot setback....and even if so, he knew the residents of Westlake
would speak loud and clear and would vote any building down that would ruin the landscape and feel of
the community or of Westlake. We were told that this side of the community was considered "premium
lots" due to the backing to the greenbelt. Original owners had to pay a price (we believe) to get these
lots. Now this is threatened to be taken away which would de-value our lots backing to open space; that
of woods and sereneness. So yes, we are speaking up, a LOT of us!
In writing this email we looked again at the "Westlake Comprehensive Plan" and under transportation the
plan states in this section, under the heading Goals and Objectives (for transportation);
1. Develop a circulation pattern that:
a. minimizes thru-traffic,
b. internalizes circulation of all but major roadways,
c. creates winding and scenic roadways, and
d. follows existing topographic contours.
We do not believe that the proposed extension of Dove Rd to Solana meets this criteria. It would
merely provide a shortcut for people to cross through our town, and would encourage many that do not
even live in Westlake to use t his shortcut. Why would the Town Council want to do this if you were truly
wanting to keep Westlake a wonderful town for it's residents who already live here?
We came from Southern California where I was born and raised and my wife lived for the majorit y of her
life. Southern California was beautiful when we were young, lots of young growing communities, lots of
orange orchards, and plenty of open space. Southern California today is nothing like the Southern
California we grew up in. Today one is hard pressed to find an orange tree let alone an orchard. The
remaining farm land and strawberry fields look more like an urban garden. Development has taken over
with what appears to be little or no concern for the residents. Unfortunately Southern California has truly
become a "concrete jungle".
We are writing today that you will reconsider the proposed thoroughfare plan and in particular the portion
of this plan that has proposed a "cut through" or extension of Dove Road extending it to Solana Blvd. This
road would forever impact the "open space" as shown on the town's land use plan drafted March 9th,
2004. Additionally, the impact that it would have on the "quality of life" for the residents of Glenwyck, as
well for the entire Town of Westlake, will be forever felt. It is hard to measure the true impact of losing
open space, space that could better serve to preserve the natural beauty of the Town of Westlake. Thank
you for opening this issue to our community, and we hope that you will hear loud and clear what the
residences truly want. Please help us keep Westlake a rural and peaceful community with as much green
space as possible, and do not vote to cut it up anymore than it already has been of late.
Most sincerely,
Jon and Cheryl Endter
From: Michael Granfield [mailto:
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2015 3:33 PM
To: Kelly Edwards
Subject: proposed road
I am a Glynwck resident that only very recently became aware of the proposed Dove -Solana
Road. As a former urban Economist/planner (UCLA) I am concerned about the planning and
perhaps execution of this component with what appears to be not much evidence regarding likely
traffic patterns and congestion. At this juncture, it does not seem very realistic to essentially
approve anew passage to relieve traffic that has yet to emerge on the current expansion of
Precinct Rd/Davis Blvd??? It is well known that urban traffic flows are notoriously difficult to
predict and thus often spur highway and/or transit development where it is not warranted but
cannot be easily undone. Can you please read this at the Feb 9th Town Council meeting which I
cannot attend-thank you in advance.
Michael and Michelle Granfield,
From: Schilsky, Angela [mailto:
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2015 4:28 PM
To: Angela Schilsky; John Schilsky; Thomas Ducatelli; Stef Mauler
Cc: Kelly Edwards; Ginger Awtry; Susan McFarland
Subject: Schilsky family opinion about Town of Westlake's Comp Plan proposals
Kelly, Ginger, and Susan - Please provide a copy of the following email to the town council
members for tonight's meeting. We also request that the email get read aloud at the meeting
tonight. Unfortunately, we are out of town and unable to attend the meeting, but we have very
strong opinions that we would like voiced. Thank you.
Town Council Members,
This letter is in response to the Town’s proposals regarding Dove Road for the Comp plan: to
create a thoroughfare connecting Dove Road and Solana behind Glenwyck Farms, and to widen
Dove Road. Unfortunately, my husband and I are unable to attend tonight’s meeting as we are
out of town, but we wanted to be sure to voice our opinion.
There are so many issues: decreased safety, decreased property value, decreased aesthetics, etc.
We highly doubt any Westlake resident would benefit from either of these getting passed. At
most it would inconvenience us and would create a self-fulfilling prophecy of more traffic, most
of which would be "cut-through" traffic. I think we can all agree that most of this "cut-through"
traffic is a direct result of the delays on 114 heading northwest - at the junction with 377 near
Roanoke.
These proposals definitely contradict the town's vision, as stated on the website, which is as
follows: "Westlake is an oasis of natural beauty that maintains our open spaces in balance with
distinctive development, trails, and quality of life amenities amidst an ever expanding urban
landscape."
A similar debate occurred while we lived in Dallas. In 2006 the city of Dallas wanted to widen
Mockingbird Lane from 2 to 4 lanes as it passed through the heart of Highland Park (population
8,500 but it's in the heart of Dallas so it's surrounded immediately on all 4 sides by the city of
Dallas - population 1.2 million). This would have been a nightmare for HP residents, but would
have been convenient for their Dallas neighbors, especially those wanting to have another east-
west thoroughfare through town to get places like the Dallas North Tollway and Love Field. The
residents of HP were vocal, educated, and committed enough to rally around their cause. They
were successful in their endeavors to stop this proposal from happening. We think 9 years later
it's safe to say they were on the right side of that argument! HP has retained its beauty and
tranquility - they made the right decision and did what was best for the town!
We found a lot of interesting parallels to our situation in this Highland Park traffic study, and we
wanted to share. We've pulled some quotes from the article as well:
https://highlandparktrafficstudy.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/hp-final-traffic-study-report-
092214.pdf
"Strategies designed to control and divert volumes such as new highways, road closures, turning
restrictions, etc have deleterious side effects. Adding road capacity attracts new vehicle trips,
creating a self-fulfilling cycle of traffic growth, as demonstrated repeatedly with every road
expansion project in American history.
However, nine years ago – in the face of growing traffic – the Town of Highland Park chose not
to expand Mockingbird but rather to focus on preserving its historic quality as a connecting street
through a residential community. The enhancement project of narrowed lanes, improved
crosswalks, landscaped medians, and turn pockets was highly instructive. Not only did
Mockingbird handle just as many cars, the Town did it on their terms: slower, more safely, and
in keeping with the character of Highland Park. As a result of the slower speeds and safer
intersections, Mockingbird volumes (as well as those on parallel routes like Beverly) have
declined somewhat, as cut-through drivers seeking alternate routes outside of Highland Park.
Highland Park’s experience on Mockingbird Lane is not unique; the tactic of calming and
“dieting"arterials has been used successfully throughout the United States for years, with some
of the best known successes on major roads like Santa Monica Boulevard¸ Massachusetts
Avenue, and the Embarcadero. Key to their success has also been similar treatments on parallel
routes."
We would also like to point out that the city of Southlake is building a multi-million dollar
roundabout at the intersection of Sam School / Peytonville and Dove Road later this year
(2015/2016). The Southlake portion of Dove Road between Peytonville and 114 will be
maintained as a 2 lane – Southlake is committed to maintaining a 2-lane Dove road in their
master plan. It’s nonsensical to us to widen Dove Lane on the less busy Westlake side, only to
have it bottleneck back down to 2 lanes after the roundabout.
Here is the link to the Southlake 2030 thoroughfare plan:
http://www.cityofsouthlake.com/index.aspx?NID=806
Neither proposal good. If you build it (or widen it, as the case may be)…they will come. We
need to stand firm as a community / town council members, Westlake residents, etc. and oppose
both of these proposals....just like Highland Park did over the proposed widening of Mockingbird
Lane back in 2006. If it worked for Highland Park, it will work for us. Like the residents and
town council members of Highland Park did, we implore you to focus on preserving Dove
Road’s historic quality as a connecting street through a residential community.
Thank you again for all of your efforts.
Angela Schilsky, M.D, and John Schilsky