Will Logg

Hello Neighbor,

I'm running for Dallas City Council District 9 in 2015.

Two of my primary concerns are preserving White Rock Lake and initiating solutions to the high density traffic intersections around the Lake.

Last year I was confronted with a Community Garden trademarked as "Promise of Peace Garden" that was attempting to break ground on the White Rock United Methodist parking lot right alongside my residence at Santa Clara and Oldgate Rd.

Dallas City Ordinance No. 28125 defines Community Garden as follows:

“Community Garden means an area of land managed and maintained by a group of individuals to grow and harvest food crops and/or ornamental crops for personal or group use, consumption, or donation…”

This ordinance was originally drafted for urban walking environs, “no off-street parking”. So, no traffic impact study required.

However, looking on the Promise of Peace website, one could readily see that this community garden went far and beyond this definition and was an enterprise, conducting multi-media donation events {around raised mulch beds} which touted thirty thousand visitors the year prior. The director of Promise of Peace Garden, Elisabeth Dry, who works for DISD, informed me that her project, “…Already had the backing of several city councilmen” and regardless of my concern about parking re-zoning, they were going to proceed.

Several inquiries later, I found out that Max & Denise Davis of Little Forest Hills Neighborhood Association (representing 2% of LFH neighborhood), District 9 City Councilman Sheffie Kadane, Reverend Boone of the White Rock United Methodist Church had publicized; “Everybody was for this project”. I canvassed the adjacent five blocks of Forest Hills, Redondo, Santa Clara, Diceman, and Datonia discovering that only two people out of roughly one hundred people in those affected blocks, knew anything of this Promise of Peace Garden. St. Bernard of Claivaux Catholic Church and WRUMC utilized all the available parking spaces. What if a portion of the parking lot were to be covered up by a garden with additional traffic for its events?

I organized my neighbors into circulating petitions, constructing and displaying, “No Garden” signs all over the neighborhood. After five months, Sheffie Kadane and his aids agreed to meet with us. We were allowed to present PDF signatures, from the majority of his constituency within those five affected blocks, opposed to the project. Five days later, the WRUM Church board met to reas- sess and move the garden project, with their mountain range of mulch from the parking lot, to the NE side of the Church ensuring adequate parking for both church congregations.

My experience as a neighborhood organizer brought me to the conclusion that these area projects (commercial development of Winfrey Point, Boy Scout Hill, etc) were “given legs” by Sheffie Kadane. This is why I am running for City Council of District 9 in 2015. As a long time resident of thirty years, I can assure you that, if elected as your councilman, I would represent your neighborhood by always considering the flavor and character of the “hood”, by canvasing the residents, and by discussing proposed changes with neighborhood leaders BEFORE taking any position.

I would greatly appreciate your vote.

Thank you,

Will Logg
Will@willlogg.com
www.WillLogg.com