City manager Landon, Chamber prez Johnson just don’t get it on The Preserve

I overheard Lancaster City Manager Jim Landon and Lancaster Chamber of Commerce President Joe Johnson talking today after the Best Southwest Chamber of Commerce luncheon. (Story about ExxonMobil’s localized version of spinmeistering upcoming next week in Today Newspapers and here.)

They were discussing the aftermath of the Lancaster City Coucil’s rejection of planned development rezoning for the 800-acre The Preserve at Monday’s meeting. Both said they expected “piecemeal” development, if standard residential development 50-100 acre lots can be called “piecemeal.” Johnson said that southside residents will never get the large-lot homes they’re wanting this way.

Well, he and Landon are missing the boat in a couple of ways.

First, as long as it keeps its current agricultural zoning, it will get nothing but large lot homes.

Second, Steve Topletz refused to put build-out rate equity standards for large and small homes in his last update proposal for The Preserve. Joe, Jim, why would you trust him to build large-lot homes at all without such a restriction?

The fact that, as was pointed out in Monday’s meeting his “seniors” apartments in the proposal weren’t age-restricted to actually be seniors’ apartments, should have provided further caution to our civic leaders.

But it didn’t.

Sidebar note: Kudos to Mayor Pro Tem Carol Strain-Burk for her “cross-examination” of Topletz consultant Ted Wilson Monday. She controlled the flow of questioning, kept his answers tightly confined and otherwise did a good job.

The Preserve is dead -- blogging the Lancaster City Council meeting

Comparing apples to bowling balls

Jerry Sylo is baiting-and-switching, or comparing apples to bowling balls, to compare estate lots in The Preserve’s proposal to the five-acre A-O lots if Steve Topletz can’t get rezoning for the land. Smooth, yes, with that claim, but a 14,000-square foot lot is not a five-acre lot.

Now, that’s not to say five-acre lots would sell. But it is to say that Sylo’s comparisons aren’t even in the same solar system.

But, this is all academic, isn’t it? Thanks to Councilman Dick Headen’s impatience, or whatever, The Preserve has been pickled, sliced and diced, turned into compote and then put out for compost, by a 5-2 count.

That said, Sylo is right that city code has little in the way of design controls – if we’re talking straight zoning. But, again, let’s compare The Preserve to Mills Branch.

Because Mills Branch was also a PD and not straight zoning, it must be noted that it does have design standards, and that, IMO, these standards are superior to what Sylo is offering for The Preserve. Not to say otherwise, about Sylo’s comparing a PD to straight zoning, would be not to mention comparing oranges to bocce balls.

And, The Preserve’s acreage is larger than all three of the original Mills Branch developments combined.

Sylo talks about planting 2,300 new trees. Even throwing out all the cedars that are not on the city’s tree preservation list, and throwing out the scraggly volunteer starters, there’s still hundreds of trees in 800 acres that ARE protected.

So, this offer isn’t much beyond what is required by city ordinance.

As for Jerry Forsee, if he wants to money-drop (instead of name-drop) that his company works on $2-10 million properties, fine. But, would you really build houses worth that much surrounded by $150,000-225,000 houses? I think not. Instead of my previous Lancaster Today comment on gated communities, that putting a gate around a pigsty doesn’t change the pigsty, this would be just the opposite. You’d be gating out a pigsty while still making people living in The New Jerusalem gated community still drive through the pigsty every day.

I hadn’t mentioned the lack of age-restrictions in the “seniors” apartments, though I’ve known about it. Would be nice to have that put in place.

Hello, Steve Topletz. I hope you’re reading, listening, and if not “quaking,” taking serious heed.

And, if “The Preserve” is too fancy a name, we could always call it “Hank Haney Estates,” should you bring this back for another shot.

For more in-depth coverage from a straight news angle, see the afternoon of Dec. 14 or later.

Further notes on The Preserve and Blogging the Nov. 12 Lancaster City Council meeting

Karen Mitchell said large lots at The Preserve would be bought by executives at The Allen Group’s Dallas Logistics Hub, University of North Texas ― Dallas and Lancaster Airport.

Well, other than the airport manager, I don’t know of ANY executives at Lancaster Airport. While many in the city, including yours truly, would love to see the airport develop into a truly executive airport, that’s a LONG way into the future, if at all.

UNT-D? As noted in this post, its growth rate continues to be slower than desired ― or initially “sold.” Let’s not put too many eggs into that basket.

The Logistics Hub? Let’s wait and see just when The Allen Group starts building, how much it builds, and how many executive jobs it has before we start believing too many promises there, either.

And, as noted here, The Allen Group may just not build out everything it has talked about.

Anyway, Lisa Stephani hit on a number of big issues. A well-organized presentation, in which she even did some nice intellectual judo on some of Ted Wilson’s own stuff.

Finally, a note or two on The Preserve vs. Mills Branch.

No, I don’t believe The Preserve should look just like Mills Branch. But, the idea that Mills Branch has “no development standards,” as Namom Hollis claims, well … “sorry.” Having sat through much, if not all, of every P&Z and City Council meeting on Mills Branch, and having editorially supported it, that’s just not true.

You residents: if it were a choice between Mills Branch standards and current standards The Preserve’s developers propose, for which would you vote?

I mean, it sounds like Hollis is comparing The Preserve to some … to some … to some D.R. Horton development.

I’m sorry.

Oh, and if you can comment on how slow Mills Branch sales are, what’s that say about the top end of The Preserve?

But, but, but … Mills Branch has build-out requirements for its different sizes and prices ranges to all be built out at a roughly equitable rate, and that aren’t segregated by neighborhood.

Now, that said, I don’t necessarily agree with every development angle residents of the southside have. I think you can add dollar value through design quality, materials standards and lot location (yes, somewhat in the general lines of Mills Branch type development) than they may think.

I also don’t like gated communities; I find them snobby, to put it bluntly. Of course, I’ll never make enough money in three lifetimes of working jobs like I do now to ever afford living in such a place.

The Preserve: Just because you talk $1 million homes doesn't mean they'll be built

Sorry, Mr. Hollis, that's one of the concerns with The Preserve — people see no guarantee you'll build any of the bigger houses after you build all the small ones. Hello, Joe Johnson and Jim Landon, are you listening?

If you want to guarantee to build out all price ranges at the same time, you could alleviate these fears.

And the "seniors" apartments — are they age-restricted?

And what guarantees do we have on anything from Steve Topletz? Ask Hank Haney about that, about how Topletz and D.R. Horton pulled the rug out from under him.

Preserve passes P&Z 3-2

Sadly, from the little amount of revision Topletz did to his original plan.

Glad to see both Giles and Shields voted no. Cannot believe Carlton Standish voted yes AFTER ORIGINALLY SAYING THIS COULD BANKRUPT THE CITY.

Let DeSoto have it, if they're threatening to go west. Call the bluff.

Well, maybe 80 percent of landowners will petition against it and force a supermajority three-quarters approval when it comes before the Lancaster City Council.

Apologies to Polly Shields that I initially reported the vote incorrectly.