(Candy’s Dirt) — From Staff Reports
A Far North Dallas community meeting about a Preston and Belt Line redevelopment project turned acrimonious for Dallas City Council Member Jaynie Schultz last week, who found herself at the center of a contentious debate with District 11 homeowners. She is now facing a recall threat by a vocal homeowner and content creator, who expressed concern about the proposed changes and has taken to social media to gain support.
The issue centers on the redevelopment of Pepper Square, an aging retail shopping center located at the southeast corner of Preston and Belt Line in Far North Dallas. Residents fear the rezoning from retail to mixed-use — with apartments or condos likely — is too dense and will bring more traffic to an already congested area, they say.
Citizen Complaint
Damien LeVeck, who lives in Northwood Hills with his wife Natalie and their three young children, filmed and posted the community meeting sponsored by Schultz on his newly created YouTube channel, @RecallJaynieSchultz.
LeVeck said the March 5 “community meeting” offered little opportunity for residents to express their opinions about the proposed redevelopment, which currently houses a Trader Joe’s and Hobby Lobby.
“I was shocked, ” he said. “Who is she representing, the developer or the voters who elected her? Her attitude was so condescending and elitist. She honestly didn’t want to hear from anyone in her district. That’s not representation. We have no choice but to recall Jaynie Schultz.”
Development Still in Early Stages
Schultz said the redevelopment is still in the proposed stages.
“The meeting, while very challenging, was equally informative,” Schultz replied to CandysDirt.com Wednesday while on council break. “As I shared in the meeting, I am still in negotiation with the developer.”
The developer is Henry S. Miller, represented by Masterplan.
Schultz said she did not have any comment on the recall at this time.
Recalls have not been successful in Dallas. A recent attempt to recall Mayor Eric Johnson over his switching political parties ended about a week ago when the petitioner could not collect 15 percent of all eligible voters in the district in the most recent election, or 105,595 signatures. They collected roughly 13,000.
To recall Schultz, LeVeck will need about 7,200 signatures.
Disclosure: CandysDirt.com Publisher Candy Evans is a resident of District 11 and ran against Schultz for Dallas City Council in 2021 and 2023.