Homeowners near Dallas Cowboys stadium seek an exit from a parking lot-to-be
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Most-read stories
- Huge Arlington fixer-upper with a shady past could be yours for pittance
- 2 men die in separate Fort Worth motorcycle wrecks
- Four Hurst teens indicted on capital murder charges
- T.O. offers counsel to latest wayward Dallas Cowboys player
- Man died driving home to surprise mom for Mother's Day
Most e-mailed stories
- Huge Arlington fixer-upper with a shady past could be yours for pittance
- Allstate to cut rates in Texas after settlement
- Schools vie for new teachers at Arlington job fair
- Hot jobs for teens in a cool market
- Five facts about psychological eating
When Chris Cavanaugh moved into his house nearly two years ago, he expected to live on a tree-lined street lined with single-family homes in Arlington.
But in about a year, Cavanaugh's house may be surrounded by a parking lot.
Cavanaugh, who lives less than a block from the new Dallas Cowboys stadium, is one of a handful of residents on Web and Slaughter streets who have not sold their property to the NFL team. More than a dozen have already sold their property to a team executive who then transferred the land to a company run by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
The remaining residents say they are increasingly worried that the team will simply build the parking lot around them if they are unable to reach an agreement to sell -- and that when the lot opens, they'll be disturbed by rowdy tailgaters and drunk concertgoers.
"I'm perfectly happy living here, but it's changing around the neighborhood," Cavanaugh said. "It's not going to be a residential area anymore, and I don't want to live next to a parking lot."
Cavanaugh is caught in the middle: As a firefighter, he was able to buy his home for half-price as part of a Housing and Urban Development program that requires him to live in the house for at least three years. If he sells, he will owe the government tens of thousands of dollars.
Other holdouts say they haven't been offered enough to cover their costs and the inconvenience of buying another home.
Plans for the area
In February, Dallas Cowboys executive Jud Heflin sold more than a dozen parcels on Web Street and Randol Mill Road to a firm headed by the Jones family.
The team said the land will be used as a parking lot for the new stadium.
That news led adjacent residents to wonder whether the city of Arlington might use eminent domain to force them to sell to the Cowboys.
Deputy City Manager Trey Yelverton said the city has no plans to use eminent domain to acquire these houses for the stadium project.
"As far as the city acquiring additional property, the answer is no," Yelverton said. "We've already identified what we need for the stadium."
The stadium project contains about 12,000 parking spaces for the 80,000-seat stadium, scheduled to open in 2009.
The homes on Web Street that have been purchased are being rented out, and nothing has been bulldozed for the parking lot. Cowboys spokesman Brett Daniels confirmed that the team plans to build the parking lot around parcels that the Jones firm does not currently own.
"I can't speculate as to what may take place in the future, but I can say that we are not currently in negotiations for any additional parcels," Daniels said.
Last year, Arlington passed an ordinance that prevents the creation of new commercial parking lots in the city. However, the team could petition the city to earmark the property as part of the stadium project, which would allow parking lot construction. The City Council would have the final say.
Suspicious activities
The Whalens had lived in the 900 block of Web Street for more than 21 years and had every intention of staying in their home for the rest of their lives.
But Bill Biesel, a real estate agent who has been negotiating land terms in the area for Heflin, began contacting them in August 2006. Over the next year, he would repeatedly stop by the house unannounced; he also left phone messages, sometimes weekly, Connie Whalen said.
"He kept calling and coming around ... he was very persistent," said Whalen, adding that several sale contracts were slipped under her door. "He said, 'You're not going to want to live here because of the construction and when 2009 comes, it will be horrible.'"
Shanna Medrano was also approached by Biesel in 2006 about her property in the 400 block of Slaughter Street, which abuts the former Bethel Baptist Church site, bought by the Cowboys that year. Biesel's initial offer was $105,000 for her property, which is valued by the Tarrant Appraisal District at $71,500.
"He also had attached an addendum saying we had to pay his 6 percent commission and I laughed in his face," said Medrano, adding that the offer isn't enough for her to pay off her mortgage and relocate her family of six to a new house.
Medrano said she didn't hear from the agent again until January.
Then one day this spring, she noticed a surveyor in her front yard.
"He said he had been called by the Dallas Cowboys to survey the property for a parking lot," Medrano said.
Rise in crime
Cavanaugh had not seriously considered selling his house until the break-ins occurred. Between May and December last year, his house was burglarized four times.
During one of the incidents, the robbers spent the night in his house and drank his beer while Cavanaugh was working an overnight shift. The results of the police investigations were inconclusive but Cavanaugh said he feels it is partly related to the stadium construction.
"It's definitely not a coincidence in my opinion," said Cavanaugh, adding that a Heflin employee who has been maintaining the rental houses approached him about selling after the initial break-in. "He came up after the first time and said, 'It's just going to get worse and I know somebody that wants to buy these homes.'"
The multiple burglaries at Cavanaugh's house are partly what led the Whalens to agree to sell their house in August 2007.
"After the break-ins my husband started worrying about me and I think that was a big part of the decision," said Whalen, adding the only crime she had experienced in the neighborhood was when her lawnmower was stolen 15 years ago.
Looking ahead
Medrano has listed her house with a Re/Max real estate agent for $350,000; in the past two weeks. she has gotten another call from Biesel.
"I want to get out of here," Medrano said. "It's not going to get any safer here if you build a parking lot. You're going to have car break-ins and you're going to have people tailgating and getting drunk. That is not a safe environment for my kids."
Cavanaugh says he has no choice but to stay in his house. He will fulfill his deal with HUD in October 2009.
"I'm to the point now, if we had a decent offer I'd probably take it, but it would have to get me out of my contract with HUD," he said. "I don't want to get stuck with a worthless home next to a parking lot."
[A real estate agent] kept calling and coming around ... he was very persistent. He said, 'You're not going to want to live here because of the construction and when 2009 comes, it will be horrible.'
What's next
Several steps will need to be taken before the Dallas Cowboys can build a parking lot as planned next to their new stadium in Arlington.
A Cowboys executive has bought a number of homes adjacent to the stadium project and sold the land to a company owned by Jerry Jones. Several homeowners have not yet agreed to sell.
The team could petition the city to include the newly purchased property, which is more than 10 acres, as part of the stadium project.
If the property is included, the team could then build a parking lot on the property.
-- Andrea Ahles
aahles@star-telegram.com
