The Fry Street - *More New Updates*

by Cindy Chaffin of of Life Outside The Bubble

Last week this message was circulated by a Mad Scientist. It continues here. The gist of it is that lawyer/Fry Street ownin' Curtis Loveless has sold his soul to the devil...or at least to United Equities, Inc. Here's an excerpt from GlobeSt.com...

"United Equities Inc. has acquired a 3.7-acre irreplaceable corner at the gates of the University of North Texas. The Houston-based developer is planning to scrape the site and redevelop it with a 50,000-sf block of upscale lifestyle retail."

"Buster Freedman, president of United Equities bought the land--now holding seven, 1960s-era buildings with 16 tenants--from its 30-year owner, Curtis Loveless of Denton. "This is a teardown," Freedman tells GlobeSt.com. "The tenants will all have an opportunity to come back. That will be their decision."

"Freedman's team plans to be scraping the land in six to nine months to make way for University Town Center, a project that's just now going onto the drawing board of Hermes Architects in Houston. The development tract takes up nearly an entire block at the corner of Fry and Hickory streets, right at the gate of the 31,000-student university."

"Freedman envisions a mix of restaurants, drug store and bookstore as part of the pedestrian-friendly design that he wants to create. "It is very much under-retailed," he says, "and there's no new retail around..." Read the rest.

Congratulations Fry Street - you just got yourselves a Starbucks and The Gap.

I have a deep love of Denton. No, I'm not from there, nor have I ever lived there (with the exception of a stint in Argyle in 2nd and 3rd grade when I rode the bus to Denton for classes at Stonewall Jackson Elementary). But I love going to Denton - and one day hope to have a little cottage within walking distance of Secret Headquarters. Denton, most especially Fry Street, is everything Dallas is not. It's charming. It's welcoming. It's got the most tight-knit community I've ever seen. Plus it's chock full of so much talent (musicians, artists, photographers, writers) that there's never a dull moment. I digress.

I dug further and found a couple of support groups on MySpace. Meet Save Fry Street and Preserve Denton. The following letter was sent to Mr. Freedman of United Equities from the folks at Save Fry Street:

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Mr. Freedman,

It has come to the attention of the residents of Denton that your company has acquired some land in the Fry st area of Denton from Curtis Loveless. It is also known that the plans for the area include demolition of some of our favorite spots in this town.

I have been in Denton 11 years and own a Wine Bar and Boutique downtown on the Square. Members of this community treasure its uniqueness, it's artistic flavor and bohemian attitude. Don't get me wrong, I am interested in running a successful business and making money but I don't want to sacrifice local business and the eclectic feel of Denton to soulless expansion.

Many of us in this community are opposed to an influx of corporate retailers. We aren't interested in Starbucks, or TGI Friday's. We have locally owned coffee houses, restaurants and bars that keep the cash flow in Denton, provide superior services, and support its unique culture.

I realize that the businesses currently occupying these Fry St properties have the option to re-lease after the building of your new shops. I am curious as to how they are expected to make a living waiting on you to tear down and rebuild. Will the rent be comparable or will it go up exponentially pushing them out and making way for the homogenized retailers?

It may seem to you that some of the college crowd in Denton are wanting these sort of businesses but keep in mind that these are commuter schools. Most of those kids aren't here on the weekends nor do they pay taxes here or own property here. In about four years they are often out of Denton for good.

But myself and my colleagues, we own property here, we run for office, we vote and pay taxes. We would be appreciative if you took our desires for the landscape of our town into consideration. We want Denton to grow, expand and continue to be a thriving community but we don't want to become a Plano or a Woodlands. It is important to note that Denton is home to over 200 active bands (outside of UNT's Jazz school) of all different genres of music. These are talented, stubborn people who love this town and its commitment to creativity, art and music. They live here, work here, many of them are raising families here. I am one of them. Austin has almost lost its "Weird," we don't want to follow.

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I like people who don't just sit around and bitch and moan - rather go straight to the top. As of this writing, Mr. Freedman has yet to respond.

Preserve Denton has also sprung into action.

This whole thing is so...so...so Dallas. Tear down old buildings, old homes, longtime popular businesses to build some sh*tty-arse Planoesque (and I'm sure) overpriced eyesore - sounds like a plan!

Want a little history on the fine and decent Curtis Loveless? Below is an excerpt from an article by Thomas Korosec published in the April 10, 1997 issue of the Dallas Observer...

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...There is a more immediate and troubling side to the Katherine Andrews story as well, one going to the heart of trust in the courts.

The scent of old-fashioned courthouse politics hangs so close to the case that the verdict comes close to flunking the smell test. Out-of-court relationships between some of the parties seemed to seize hold of the case from the start, when a visiting judge from Fort Worth who'd made some essential early rulings told Andrews' lawyer he thought the kids were lying. This was before he'd heard any testimony to support that conclusion.

Then Curtis Loveless, a politically influential Denton lawyer who was named in the children's stories of sex parties at the ex-husband's house, gave a campaign contribution to the kids' court-appointed attorney on the very day the trial began, records show.

The children's ad litem, Jake Collier, ended up arguing to the jury that his clients were lying and that he wouldn't take issue with jurors if Andrews were banished from their lives. As their advocate, he should have been championing their interests, which all the experts in the case defined as keeping the children's mother in their lives.

Loveless and Dallas attorney Kathy Kinser, the ex-husband's lawyer in the custody trial, came up with an additional $1,000 in contributions for Jake Collier over the next several months. They were among Collier's biggest financial backers in his failed and somewhat embarrassing bid that year to get elected to a state court bench in Denton.

Those connections and clear evidence of several others may well come back to haunt the case, which is far from over...

Read it all.

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...hm...

Okay, okay so Mr. Loveless allegedly attended sex parties in which young children were present - I guess that's irrelevant to the Fry Street fiasco - but I figure selling off businesses to be demolished by a bigger company is child's play (no pun) for this guy.

The developers still have to get approval from the zoning and planning commission, which holds out hope for us Fry Streat-as-it-is lovers. All meetings with city council will be open to the public, so it's vital that Dentonites get out there and get your voices heard. It's also extremely important to vote.

UPDATE:Dawn Cobb wrote an excellent piece on the Fry Street situation for the DentonRC.com - Click here to read it

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UPDATE 2: Caleb Simpson shared notes from last night's City Council Meeting:

Talking Points of the Sale of Fry Street Property

May 11, 2006

How is the area in question currently zoned (residential/commercial/mixed-use etc.)? What does that zoning allow?

The block is zoned Downtown Commercial General (DC-G). Permitted uses are attached single family, dwellings above business, multi-family, retail sales and service, restaurant or private club, professional services and office and other similar uses.

What does a typical approval process look like for this type of project?

The approval process depends on the individual project. If a developer meets all the required Development Code regulations including land use, parking, setbacks, etc., no public hearings are required. The applicant submits the appropriate plans and other documents and the development staff then reviews them for compliance. If any deviation or variance is requested by the developer, public hearings will be required at the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council.

Are there any historical/landmark issues that would affect the status of this project?

No

What phases of the development does the developer have to seek permission/ approval from the City?

The property must be platted. Staff reviews the plats for compliance with the Denton Development Code and the plat document is submitted to the Planning and Zoning Commission for approval. If the applicant requests certain uses such as a drive through, a Specific Use Permit is required. That request will be presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission at a public hearing. The Planning and Zoning Commission then makes a recommendation to City Council regarding the request. The Council hears the case at a public hearing and makes the final determination. If the applicant deviates from any design standards or parking requirements, they may request an alternative development plan which also is taken to the Planning and Zoning Commission and finally to the City Council for final approval.

What steps has the developer already completed and what would come next?

No official applications have been submitted on this project. In March of 2006, a pre-application conference request was processed for a proposed development on this site. The purpose of a pre-application conference is for developers to receive preliminary information from the development staff regarding regulations and requirements for a particular project.

There are a few businesses within the block that are not a part of the development. How will they be affected?

We will not know until a formal application is submitted.

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Tune in to KNTU 88.1 The One tonight at 5:30 PM where the Mayor will answer questions and talk about the Fry Street Situation.

Check back here later - as I'll add any additional information that comes my way.

UPDATES: (5/25/06) Click here and here

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