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Crime
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NEWS: Galleria Dallas Under New Ownership, Not Closing
MARIA LAWSON
NEWS: Investigation Into Attempted Carjacking at Lovers Lane Shopping Center Continues
RACHEL SNYDER
Crime Reports Dec. 5 - Jan. 8
Dec. 5
A shoplifter (who was in possession of 0.1 grams of heroin) took items from a retail store in NorthPark Center without paying before 2:27 p.m.
Dec. 6
A burglar forced entry into a man’s car and attempted to hotwire it before 12:42 p.m. in a parking lot in the 4300 block of West Northwest Highway.
Dec. 7
A woman working at a NorthPark Center restaurant was verbally threatened over the phone before 7:22 p.m.
Before 8:22 p.m., a burglar smashed a woman’s sliding glass door, entered, and attempted to take property in the 6900 block of Baxtershire Drive.
Dec. 9
Before 5:29 p.m., a destructive burglar damaged a man’s car and removed items from it in the parking lot of Preston Oaks.
Dec. 10
A public drunk was caught before 4:58 p.m. at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church.
Dec. 12
Before 10:51 a.m., a jerk threw dirt in a man’s window in the 6000 block of Averill Way.
Dec. 13
A man’s property was stolen from the parking lot of Preston Oaks Shopping Center before 2:57 p.m.
Dec. 14
Two burglars worked together to break into a woman’s car and steal stuff before 2:45 p.m. in the parking lot of Inwood Village.
Dec. 15
Before 2:01 p.m., a NorthPark Center-dweller committed voyeurism.
Dec. 16
A drunk driver (who was also operating the vehicle with an invalid driver’s license) was caught before 12:55 a.m. in the 6300 block of Walnut Hill Lane.
A thief stole lawn care equipment from the flatbed of a truck before 12:23 p.m. in the 4600 block of Miron Drive.
Dec. 17
An unknown burglar entered a home and damaged the garage door before 3:20 p.m. in the 5800 block of Orchid Lane.
A woman was punched in the face at NorthPark Center before 5:05 p.m.
Dec. 19
A vehicle struck a crosswalk pole and caused damage to it before 3:53 a.m. in the 8800 block of Lemmon Avenue.
Dec. 20
A robber stole a watch and flashed a gun at the end of an event at Comerica Bank in the 5200 block of Forest Lane before 10:25 a.m.
Stolen before 6:49 p.m.: a woman’s rear license plate in a parking lot in the 5300 block of Forest Lane.
Dec. 21
A burglar forced entry into a man’s car and stole stuff from it before 12:36 p.m. in the parking lot of Lowe’s in the 11900 block of Inwood Road.
Dec. 22
An unwelcome guest trespassed on a woman’s property before 12:20 a.m. in the 6800 block of Walnut Hill Lane.
A burglar entered a man’s apartment and stole his property before 1:16 a.m. in the 6100 block of Averill Way.
Dec. 23
Before 9:07 a.m., a thief was caught driving a man’s car without consent in the 4200 block of Bonham Street. The driver also damaged the man’s property.
Dec. 24
Before 5:49 a.m., a man’s catalytic converter was stolen in the 7300 block of Woodthrush Drive.
Dec. 25
Christmas Copper Caper: A thief stole copper then evaded officers by vehicle before 3:33 a.m. in the 3800 block of West Northwest Highway.
A jerk caused severe injury to a dog by dragging it with a stolen vehicle before 11:31 a.m. in the 11600 block of Preston Road.
Dec. 26
An under-the-influence shopper who stole services received a public intoxication charge at NorthPark Center before 10:30 a.m.
Dec. 27
A man’s vehicle was operated by a thief without his consent before 5:48 a.m. in the 6300 block of Churchill Lane.
Dec. 28
A man was verbally assaulted before 1:42 p.m. at a home in the
6200 block of West Northwest
Highway.
Dec. 29
Construction conundrum: A
of theMONTH:
WHEELS WHISKED AWAY How easy was it for a car thief to steal a woman’s vehicle from the parking lot of Inwood Village before 9:19 a.m. Dec. 15? It was left running.
For more crimes, visit peoplenewspapers.com/ category/crime/
thief stole wallboard from a construction site in the 4200 block of Middleton Road before 8:28 a.m.
Dec. 30
Before 6:25 p.m., there was an aggravated robbery against a man in the parking lot of the Pavilion
on Lovers Lane.
An unwelcome guest received a criminal trespass warning before 8:11 p.m. at the CitiChurch of Dallas.
Dec. 31
Stolen before 10:14 a.m.: a woman’s license plate off of her car in the parking lot of the Elan at Bluffview apartments.
Jan. 1
A woman’s package was stolen from her porch before 9:37 p.m. in the 6500 block of Northaven Road.
Jan. 2
Stolen at an unlisted time: a catalytic converter in the parking lot of Good Shepherd Episcopal School.
Jan. 3
A burglar entered a man’s car and stole his handgun at an unlisted time in the 5400 block of Pebblebrook Drive.
Jan. 4
An aggressor pointed a pistol at a man causing him to fear for his life before 1:19 p.m. in the 13000 block of Inwood Road.
Before 3:37 p.m., an unknown burglar broke into a woman’s vehicle and stole her property in the parking lot of Bluffs at Midway Hollow.
Jan. 5
A thief attempted to steal a woman’s car by damaging the dashboard wiring before 5:51 p.m. in the parking lot of Preston Center.
Jan. 6
Before 6:30 p.m., there was a hit and run to a woman’s car in the parking lot of Preston Oaks Shopping Center.
Jan. 7
An unknown burglar forced entry into a woman’s vehicle and stole property before 6:01 p.m. in the parking lot at the northeast corner of West Northwest Highway and Midway Road.
Jan. 8
A burglar broke a man’s car window and stole his property before 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Inwood Village.
Selling Over $100M in 2022
Edgemere’s parent LifeSpace announced plans to contribute up to $143.4 million that would go in part toward entrance fee refunds for current and former Edgemere residents. RACHEL SNYDER
Edgemere Drops Restructuring Plan, Supports Proposed Sale
By Rachel Snyder
rachel.snyder@peoplenewspapers.com
Edgemere will back a plan by debt holders that includes selling the luxury retirement community’s assets.
Edgemere filed for bankruptcy in April, with its liabilities estimated between $100 million and $500 million.
Initially, there were two competing plans — one from Edgemere and one from the debt holders.
Edgemere dropped its original plan, which depended on winning a lawsuit against its landlord, a reduction in rent payments, and a cash infusion from its parent company, Lifespace.
The debt holders’ initial plan called for selling “substantially all” of the retirement community’s assets for $48.5 million to a new owner, who would continue operating the facility in the 8500 block of Thackery Street off Northwest Highway.
New and current residents would be offered new monthly rental agreements, as opposed to the entrance fee model, per the plan.
Notably, as part of the new plan, LifeSpace announced its intent in December to contribute up to $143.4 million that would go in part toward entrance fee refunds for current and former Edgemere residents. Former residents are owed $37 million, and current residents’ deposits total $107 million.
“Lifespace is stepping in to fill this gap and fund the payment of these refunds that would not otherwise be paid through the restructuring plan,” LifeSpace CEO Jesse Jantzen said. “This is truly a rare and extraordinary circumstance. Accordingly, Lifespace feels compelled by its long-standing charitable mission and deep commitment to support its residents to deliver an extraordinary solution to mitigate the impact felt by current and former residents as a result of this unique and challenging situation.” Edgemere’s
Lifespace is original plan in volved a $20 mil stepping in to fill lion cash infusion this gap and fund the from Lifespace. The new depayment of these velopment came refunds that would shortly before a $10 million emernot otherwise be gency loan was paid through the due. Lifespace, a restructuring plan. nonprofit based in Jesse Jantzen Dallas and Iowa, operates 17 communities in seven states and has offered to continue managing Edgemere through a transition period to a new owner. Jeremy Johnson, an attorney for the retirement community, says the confirmation hearing was moved to Feb. 21. The proceedings have been contentious from the start, with Edgemere suing its landlord, Intercity Investments, simultaneously with its bankruptcy filing last April and alleging in court documents that Intercity was working with Kong Capital to terminate its 50-plusyear ground lease.
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8 February 2023 | prestonhollowpeople.com Short-Term Rental Ban Awaits Council Action City Plan Commission agrees units don’t belong in neighborhoods
By Maria Lawson
maria.lawson@peoplenewspapers.com WHAT’S AN STR?
Residents who want short-term rentals banned from their neighborhoods are waiting to see if City Plan Commission support will prove enough to persuade the Dallas City Council.
The City Plan Commission voted 9-4 in early December in favor of only allowing short-term rentals in districts that typically allow lodging uses (not including single-family or multi-family residential districts), but council members will get the final say.
Other options include new regulations such as new registration requirements, more penalties for disruptive properties, or requiring homeowners to live in the properties they rent to paying guests.
Dallas has 1,439 active and registered short-term rentals, but city officials have identified another 1,189 properties as possible short-term rentals, said Joseph Kheir, senior data science analyst for the city of Dallas.
Cheri Gambow, a Preston Hollow area resident and president of the Walnut Ridge Neighborhood Association, said this is the first time in her 20 years of presidency that 100% of her neighbors agree on a topic.
“STRs can exist in Dallas but they don’t belong in residential neighborhoods,” Gambow said. “Simply using regulations for STRs won’t work. We do not have the code or DPD resources to handle this. We
Between registered and potential rentals identified by the city, it is believed that there are 2,628 short-term
rental properties in Dallas. UNSPLASH, MARIA LAWSON AND ILLUSTRATION: MELANIE THORNTON
don’t have the systems in place. The city has spent three years looking at this issue, and you don’t have a solution yet.”
P. Michael Jung, one of nine commissioners who voted in favor of eliminating the short-term rentals, cited their “basic incompatibility, as a lodging use, with residential neighborhoods.”
“There was overwhelming testimony from all parts of the city about gross abuses by STRs, which the city’s code enforcement and police mechanisms are incapable of eliminating,” Jung said.
During the commission meeting, city officials said that more than 88% of shortterm rentals generated zero 311 or 911 calls, and only 4.6% of properties generated two or more.
However, neighbors shared that these homes could cause disturbances without warranting a call to the police department.
Kedra Flowers, a short-term rental operator
A short-term rental is a furnished home available for rent over a short period of time, from days to weeks, commonly booked through Airbnb or VRBO.
who has two properties in Preston Hollow, told People Newspapers that if Dallas bans short-term rentals, she believes they would still exist but through unmonitored, illegal means, like social media.
“There’s literally nothing that’s going to verify who they’re going to rent those properties to,” Flowers said. “With Airbnb, I’ve had people that wanted to rent my property offline, and I said, ‘No, I only go through Airbnb or VRBO,’ and they couldn’t get an Airbnb account because they had a prior felony.”
Flowers also emphasized the importance of background checks through registered websites to keep both homeowners and neighbors safe.
Brent M. Rubin, one of four commission members who voted against the measure, shared a similar sentiment during the meeting: “The bad operators will continue to operate, and it’ll be the good operators who go away.”
Commissioner Tipton Housewright, who also voted against the measure, said they “owe it to our citizens to have a little bit more nuance and have a multifaceted approach,” instead of banning short-term rentals across the board.
