DALLAS – Dallas City Council unanimously voted to approve the South Winnetka Heights Conservation District on April 24, 2024. This ordinance protects the historic development patterns for the area and encourages development that is compatible with existing housing stock. The area is part of the original 1908 Winnetka Heights neighborhood. The vast majority of the homes are Craftsman and Transitional Bungalow style and 91 of the 95 homes were built before 1939. This neighbor-led initiative which started in 2019 marks the City’s first new Conservation District since 2011, eighth overall in Oak Cliff, and eighteenth overall citywide.
“I am thrilled to see the creation of this new Conservation District in Oak Cliff thanks to the determination of our residents and follow through of our city staff, who overcame obstacles including the COVID-19 pandemic and a ransomware attack,” said Council Member Chad West. “As we plan strategically for Dallas’ growth, we need to simultaneously allow for the preservation of architectural history and culture. It can be a difficult balance, but we can and must do both.”
Michael “Patty” Evans, the local resident who has led the initiative to establish this Conservation District since 2019 added, “we are excited and relieved that after four years of coming together to serve our neighborhood, the City of Dallas agreed that we are important, our neighborhood is important, and why we choose to live in South Winnetka Heights is worth saving.”
Neighborhood support was excellent, with 76% of property owners signing the petition to initiate the process. “It is great that one of Dallas’ most intact historic neighborhoods, Winnetka Heights, now has some type of preservation protections either by the new Conservation District or the locally designated Historic District,” said Trevor Brown, Chief Planner of Conservation Districts at the Department of Planning and Urban Design. “This ordinance is a testament to neighborhood self-determination and their desire to protect the architectural character that makes this area of Oak Cliff special.” Several other neighborhoods in District 1 have submitted paperwork to initiate the process to create other new Conservation Districts in the area.
The City Council also voted unanimously to create a new Special Provision Sign District (SPSD) for the Wynnewood Village shopping center. The new signs will help refresh the 80-year old shopping center as redevelopment is underway and new stores, including a Target, are under construction. The new SPSD will preserve historic signs like the original Wynnewood Village pylon sign through a condition to maintain legacy signs.
