04.06.11 – Kevin Roden

This article was originally posted on my City Council campaign website.

The Denton City Council tonight voted to approve a controversial DCTA communications tower set to be built just off Teasley Lane in the SE Denton neighborhood.  The vote passed by a margin of 6 to 1 with District 1 council person Charlye Heggins voting against it.  At issue was the approval of a Special Use Permit allowing the construction of a 180 foot tower on DCTA property.  Prior to approval, the council attached three conditions to the permit including: 1) landscape screening surrounding the tower, 2) monitoring of possible TV, radio, or cell interference complaints for six months, and 3) only DCTA communication can be used on the tower.  DCTA claimed the site was the best of possible options.  Neighborhood concerns centered on neighborhood aesthetics, electrical interference from communication equipment, health and safety concerns, and placement decisions.

After a lengthy work session discussion with DCTA officials, council members at tonight’s meeting said they felt comfortable that the neighborhood concerns were met with the answers to their questions and the conditions placed on the project.

This entire issue sheds light on the problem of a decision-making process that tends to treat otherwise connected issues in isolation from one another.  Sure, the city council tonight technically addressed some of the concerns raised by the neighborhood critics concerning this tower.  But there is a larger narrative at play with this A-Train issue that runs beneath the surface of this specific neighborhood fight.  The fact is that the SE Denton neighborhood, more than any other Denton neighborhood, has bore the brunt of the issues relating to the upcoming A-Train.  They have had to deal with a rail line suddenly becoming active again.  They have had to deal with the future knowledge that a train would soon be running through their neighborhood.  They have had to deal with the constant construction with its associated road closures for the last couple of years.  They have had to deal with the possible safety issues for their children who might play around the tracks.  And much more…

Add to this the more fundamental subtext of a neighborhood that has a tragic history of being slighted by the city ever since the citizens voted to uproot and forcibly move historic Quakertown to make way for a city park back in the early 1920s.

To be sure, DCTA has made attempts to work with the neighborhood on a variety of issues: investing in previously non-existing infrastructure, insulating a house near the train, working with local schools to provide education to the students, and communicating with neighborhood leaders and businesses on key issues.  But at the end of the day, it is not DCTA’s responsibility to make sure neighborhoods are treated fairly with such a process – that is the job of the city council.

Although attempts have been made throughout the process to ease the burden of the coming train and its associated construction, the impression has been that these attempts are “just enough to get by.”  But a more important question must be addressed by our city council: What has been done to get the SE Denton neighborhood on board with the train?

What has been done to meaningfully sell them on the great possibilities this train can create for their families, neighborhood, and businesses?  All the focus of the potential of the train has been aimed in one direction – away from SE Denton and toward the downtown area.  No doubt, the square area stands to benefit from this, as it should.  But what plans are in place to make sure the neighborhood most impacted by these changes stands to gain considerably from this train?

As the train comes to town, it’s time for District 1 to have an experienced, proactive, and visionary voice sitting on the City Council to make sure their interests are represented.  Given the large sacrifice put upon the SE Denton Neighborhood, here are just some of my ideas of how they should benefit:

• – Every school age child living within a certain proximity to the A-Train tracks should be given a free train pass that is good for the entire summer.  This should be done as a joint partnership between DCTA, the City of Denton, and private donors who can even set-up SE Denton neighborhood outings to help the children learn more about train safety and to sell them on the benefit of the train.
• – DCTA is planning a series of Rail Safety days to introduce the train to the public.  The Denton day, scheduled for May 21, is set to be held at the Med Park station.  No such day is scheduled for the downtown station – the station closest and most available to residents of SE Denton.  This is a mistake.  Either the location should change or an additional day should be scheduled to accommodate the needs of that neighborhood.
• – Through adequate signage and brochures, the city should work with SE Denton businesses to develop a “Discover SE Denton” marketing campaign to direct out-of-town train visitors to the amenities to the East when they pull into the Downtown Transit Station.  This should highlight SE Denton eateries and businesses as well as other historic attractions in this historic neighborhood.
• – The city should fast-track a mobile food cart pilot program aimed at helping SE Denton businesses take advantage of rail traffic.  There are already existing taco stands along McKinney and other local businesses just waiting for the relaxing of regulations that would allow such an option.  The A-Train station is a great place to try out such a program and the SE Denton businesses should be given special consideration.
• – and let’s keep brainstorming…

The train is coming – let’s make sure it is a good thing for ALL of our residents.  Justice requires as much.