Jeff Siegel - Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate

East Dallas' Andres family, which has owned parts of Henderson Avenue and lowest Greenville for almost 40 years, has apparently sold its Henderson Avenue holdings to a real estate investment firm in Los Angeles. One Henderson business owner told me he received a letter from his property manager outlining the sale, while a second person with knowledge of the deal said he has met with the new owners. Both requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the transaction.

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It was a mass effort targeted at just a few issues but hit everything with a giant sledge hammer just to prove a point (mosquitos - bad bars)

It took a lot of public handwringing to get done, mostly for the camera (Rawlings signing the 'declaration of emergency - NSA Hunt holding public meet
ings, both of which were dog and pony shows).

There were alot of unintended consequences, mostly under the 'whoops, we missed that category' (dead birds, sick cats, dead fish - Winedale Tavern, unannounced Certificate of Occupancy fees, stifled economic development, WalMart)

The long-term effects are slow to come out (impact on organic gardens, impact on fishponds, impact on people - bars moving to Skillman/Live Oak causing parking issues, decreased property values, issues re unfair competition)

From the Dallas Police Department's Public Information Office -

At approximately 12:09 am Officers responded to a shooting call in the 5700 block of Marquita Street.

Upon their arrival they found two individuals, a man and woman, shot and lying on the front porch deceased.

[BD Note - The DPD report indicates the shooting occurred on the front porch of 5711 Marquita, which per DCAD is owned by one of the victims.]

The two complainants were identified as: Lemma, Yayehyirad, B/M/6-19-1972 and Desta, Yenenesh B/F/2-28-1981. Next of kin has been made. Service numbers 201991-Z and 202131-Z.

This an active investigation No additional information at this time.

From the Dallas Morning News - According to police, Lemma is the owner of Desta, an Ethiopian restaurant on Greenville Avenue near Forest Lane.

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Advocate Magazine

The company that owns the Skillman Live Oak Shopping Center wants to close a one-block section of La Vista to create outdoor spaces for its new tenants, Matt's Rancho Martinez and the Mecca restaurant.

Property owner Stonelake Capital Partners has proposed closing La Vista from Live Oak to Skillman, according to a letter neighbors received from the city's Department of Sustainable Development and Construction.

Some neighbors are opposed to the proposal, which apparently wouldn't require vetting from the City Plan Commission.

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Lakewood Advocate

In April, Stonelake Capital Partners filed the request to rezone an 0.8-acre plot from a neighborhood services district to a commercial retail district.

The request to rezone the property on the northeast corner of Skillman and Oram recently was "denied with prejudice," ending the surrounding neighbors' concerns and months of speculation of what Stonelake might do with the building.

Stonelake Capital Partners requested, because of neighborhood opposition to their zoning change application, they be allowed to withdraw their application altogether, says City Plan Commissioner Paul Ridley.

However, the City Plan Commission would not allow Stonelake Capital Partners to withdraw their application because it was too close to the public hearing date and had already been advertised, Ridley says.

BD Note - When this zoning case first came up a few month's ago, the big rumor on the street was this was going to be developed into a Chili's restaurant. Calls to Chili's about this property were never returned.

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