DALLAS, Texas — The Dallas City Council approved a rezoning Tuesday, Nov. 10, that clears the way for an $800 million, mixed-use project on the Preston Hollow corner of Preston and Royal. The vote was 9-6, and it came after hours of public comment in which most speakers opposed the towers.
The site is a seven-acre property on the southwest corner of the intersection that developer Leland Burk has owned since 2017. A 2019 tornado damaged the shopping center that stood there. Existing zoning allows buildings no taller than 54 feet, so the project needed council approval. Burk and Gerald Stool’s firm, Greenway Investment Co., had asked for a hotel and condominium tower of 240 feet, an apartment tower of 210 feet and an office building of 190 feet.
The council kept the project but trimmed it. Under the approved zoning, the two towers cannot rise above 199 feet, roughly 17 stories, and the office building stays capped at 190 feet. The earliest versions of the plan, unveiled in October 2025, called for 28 and 24 stories, and the developer lowered the heights twice before Tuesday. City staff recommended approval, saying the project fits the city’s ForwardDallas 2.0 plan.
Mayor Eric Johnson and five council members voted no: Cara Mendelsohn, Paul Ridley, Laura Cadena, Jesse Moreno and Bill Roth. Roth tried to cut the allowed height much lower after meeting with neighbors, and when that failed he moved to postpone the decision until December. Both motions were defeated 6-9. Council member Gay Donnell Willis, whose district includes the site, voted yes after presenting the height reductions and other design changes at the meeting.
About 80 people were signed up to speak. The nonprofit Preserve Preston Hollow, which has collected more than 5,300 petition signatures against the project, turned out along with students and representatives of St. Mark’s School and nearby residents. Height and traffic were the most common objections, and some speakers argued the request amounted to illegal spot zoning. Supporters, including the developer’s team, said denser development belongs along commercial corridors, and the council debate itself ran about two and a half hours.
The fight has spilled into local politics. Neighbors had launched an effort to recall Willis unless the project was delayed, and she has said she pushed the developer to work with the city transportation department on traffic improvements around the intersection. The developer has said it intends to keep meeting with neighbors on solutions.
Section: More Dallas TX politics news
Filed under: Dallas TX Politics News
