10 August 22 - 28, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Chernock consulted with city attorneys and Dallas’ Office of Ethics and Compliance, where he was told conflicts are not uncommon on the committee. He does have to recuse himself, leaving the room anytime his zoning proposals come up for discussion. Chernock submitted the rezoning requests in May, and they have not yet been added to a CPC agenda. When the case is scheduled, it’s almost guaranteed the public comment will include fiery opposition, and Chernock isn’t allowed to defend himself or his project. “Why would the city of Dallas accept my application if it were going to be unethical and hence put themselves into a compromising situation?” Chernock says. “I can’t talk to a plan commissioner. I cannot talk to any staff about the case. I cannot talk to any council members about the case. That’s something I would be able to do if I was a citizen, so from that standpoint, I feel disadvantaged.” Even the appearance of a conflict of interest is something Beckham doesn’t feel comfortable with. Chernock is required by the city to recuse himself in the case, and Beckham thinks West should recuse himself too — although, he laments that it would mean District 1 does not have an elected official representing their wills. He says West should recuse himself because one look at campaign financial reports shows that “the fix is in.” (Chernock and Beckham have both contributed to West’s council campaigns, campaign finance records show, although Beckham’s donations ceased after West’s first term on the council.) For as long as West has been in office, neighborhood naysayers have been skeptical of his relationship with developers, although West says his history of successful projects is due to his willingness to be up front with developers about whether he supports a project. “A lot of the developments, you see council members standing up to a developer at the horseshoe. I see that as a situation where there haven’t been prior meetings that have resolved issues,” West said. “So in my mind, you’re not going to see me do that because I’ve already handled it before it got up there.” Beckham says he is also concerned about the “clear shot” the new development proposal offers into Chernock’s mind and approach to housing and what it could signify for all those other big projects on the CPC docket. “If this is what the commissioner thinks we should be doing with all our land in Dallas and all our single-family homes, this is alarming for a lot of people who are not comfortable with Forward Dallas,” Beckham says. “They use this term, you hear it a lot, gentle density. This is the opposite of gentle density. This is a hostile takeover of a neighborhood.” Chernock’s development isn’t actually in the West Kessler neighborhood — it’s across the street from it. And just earlier this year, an array of townhomes was built on the neighborhood’s southern side, less than half a mile from Chernock’s proposed development; only those townhomes are, for lack of a better phrase, bougie as hell. Chernock’s plan isn’t. And that’s where the accusation that West Kessler neighbors are crying “Not In My Backyard” comes in. “Nobody likes to change the status quo. I don’t blame the neighbors, they are advocating for what they perceive as in their best interest,” Chernock said. “That’s what they should do. I can’t blame somebody for that. But we can’t continue to make housing policy at the city level that is undermining what’s going to serve the greater good.” What’s Affordable? Y esenia Serrano grew up as one of the few kids on North Boulevard Terrace, where her mom moved in 1994. The community was mostly elderly residents when she moved in, but as the years went on, more and more families began to join. It went from being a “quiet” street to the type of place where the kids run around from house to house playing, she said. In 2015, when the neighbors received a no- tice about a planned development at the end of their street, they didn’t think much of it. “Nobody ever really went back there. I think there was like a house or two maybe down there,” Serrano said. “It was just kind of like, oh, OK, well, there’s empty land. I guess they’re just going to throw stuff on there because it’s empty. And then I didn’t really hear much about it after that.” This time, though, the neighbors are vehemently against Chernock’s plans. The same NO REZONE signs that line Hampton Road are in front of almost every house on North Boulevard Terrace, except they’re in Spanish. Serrano said neighbors are concerned about the effect that opening up the roadway will have on through traffic. If the street gets busy, it would take away “the safety net we have for our kids,” she said. They’re also worried that a new develop- ment is going to spike their property Unfair Park from p08 Signs like these are common in yards near the vacant land where Chernock wants to build a mix of housing. Mark Graham >> p12 Chernock sees this a vacant land in a city short of housing. Neighbors say his building plans don’t fit the neighborhood. Emma Ruby