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Thursday, August 14, 2008

88-year-old Dallas auto shop gets kicked to the curb

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Yet another small piece of Dallas history gets flushed down the drain.

Yet another small piece of Dallas history gets flushed down the drain.

So much for history: Woodard Paint & Body Shop, a business that has operated on Ross Avenue since 1920, was denied a special use permit by the Dallas City Council Wednesday, meaning it will have to shut down by 2010 despite continued strong business.

The reason for this dismissal of history? Well, it seems the council wants to turn Ross into, you guessed it, more restaurants and apartments, and letting Woodard stay would make it difficult for the council to say no to the multitude of other body shops and warehouses on Ross when their SUPs come up for renewal. Another restaurant row seems to be the perfect place to name after a famed labor leader, no?

Posted by Alex B.


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kevinh Anonymous

Will someone please open a tex-mex restaurant or bar on Ross Ave and name it Caesar Chavez!!

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Tracy Yost Verified

shame, shame on our city council. DMN even reports that many of the city council members were reluctant to deny the SUP, but "deferred" to the council member from that district as is the norm. I personally hope the Woodards engage a competent attorney asap.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rick Yost Verified

You know, it just seems to me that if you have operated your business in the same location since 1920, you're probably fairly well established within your community. And if you've been in business that long, you probably are doing something right.
Isn't longevity in retail a sign of successfully dealing with the public? But of course, Dallas doesn't really give a flip about one little eighty-eight -year-old-business. Who cares?

Well, at least they might not have to change their letterhead when the street signs change.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

These are weekly reminders (if not more often) to look for a home outside of Dallas city limits.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Jason Rice Verified

Lord knows we need another CVS right there. Maybe it can be the Cesar Chavez CVS -- some clever graphic designer could do something with those letters.

An 88 year old business. Man, Harsh.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Hoolavoo Anonymous

Unbelievable. I had occasion to use Woodard's services some years back and they were wonderful people personally, in addition to running the cleanest, most professional and courteous shop I've ever been to for auto body work. This really is the type of thing that makes you feel embarassed by the actions of your elected "officials", supposedly representing the best interests of the people within their districts...oh wait! That's the Woodards, isn't it?!! Guess they just didn't have enough tenure to really count....

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Clay213 Anonymous

Biggest small town in America...

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Robert Kelly Verified

Typical Dallas. And I am not happy with Angela on this one. If you really want this to work, why not help try to find a suitable buyer and place for the business to go? I'd love to know why the council feels its their right to boot someone out the door of their own property after 90 years of successful operation? I expect Angela to address this. Jacking with peoples property rights is always wrong, and I hope they are somehow able to make Dallas pay for this kind of overarching regulation. At the very least they should be grandfathered in. At the very least.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Robert Kelly Verified

Here is what I want her to address.

Who do they have coming in who will better serve the area?

Where does she expect them to go and what help has the council offered the businesses that they are currently rat-screwing?

Its easy to say you 'want' restarants and multifamily complexes in the area. Hell, I wanted more college football in the Cotton Bowl too, but its crazy to spend $50 million when all you get is East Central State vs. Texas A&M-Commerce for your coin.

All I want to see a little legitimate foresight, and if its a friggin Applebees or Chilis, its time for some ass kickin!

My thought is this all this will do is add to the vacant and unsightly parcels of land this area is known for. So show me what you got comin...

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Clay213 Anonymous

I always knew those people over in Bryan Place seemed like a bunch of stuck of snobs. I can sense it any time I ride through their annoying 'neighborhood' that blocks my way down Hall St.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

jtmbls Anonymous

Good to see your back on your meds Clay.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Clay213 Anonymous

Good to see you still have nothing worthwhile to say, and continue to drive the quality of this site further and further down the shtter

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Michael Davis Verified

I'm not sure why the Bryan Place people hated this place. Funny thing is...I read that Woodard's sold some of the land to Fox & Jacobs to build Bryan Place back in the day. So much for paying it forward.

Also, in zoning cases there is no precedent. Cases are heard individually. So it would not have created a line for people to say "I want to say, too" with all of the other shops if Woodard's passed.

I'm all for cleaning out the crappy places, but I'm going to have to disagree with the council on this one. Because it was controversial, we took a bus tour to check it out when we had to vote at City Plan and it was a great looking building. I don't buy the peeling paint, high-weeds argument that was cited in the article by some of the neighbors.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Clay213 Anonymous

Speaking of meds, am I the only one who thinks Bryan Place sounds like some sort of rehab facility?

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Clay213 Anonymous

"Diverse in every sense, Bryan Place is welcoming, friendly and a real model for what in-town living should be. "

Oh man, that makes me laugh.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

xdavidwattsx Anonymous

Robert, send Angela an email with those questions. I would like to think she'd answer it. She's pretty open like that.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

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