Next Steps for Pioneer Grove

We knew our project wasn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. But it was going to bring more quality, yet affordable starter homes to our community, reignite the commercial use by reinvigorating the Market Days with on site artisanal pop-up shops and the refurbishment of the century old farm house and nearly as old, barn. We'd expand the parking, improve the entrance, and create a real hub for the community as a whole. 

It was equally as important to me, to preserve as much of the land as possible; the old growth trees that the project would be named for, Pioneer Grove, and restoring the native prairie with its wild grasses, wildflowers, native trees & perennials. In the process, this meant cleaning up the invasive intruders and weeds that come with over-grazing and, quite honestly, a lack of grazing by bio-diverse species.  Horses will eat a lot, but there's a lot they will not eat, too. 

Over all this project is a win for everyone. The community, the city's tax base, the neighbors, the DFW area and future farmers and generations, would all see benefits from Pioneer Grove - from job creation to environmental beautification, and parkland expansion. I, would get to retire with dignity and knowing I'm leaving this place better than I found it - a Girl Scout oath I took a long time ago: an oath by which I still try my best to live. 

The team I assembled came in with pencils blazing and brains buzzing to put this idea on paper. Between the urban planning expertise, the development experience and the vision - it was bound to be cool. And, Pioneer Grove is. But it's still just on paper. 

We all really hope that changes. 

The community as a whole has come together and shown their support of this project and its founder in many ways. I'm honestly blown away by the passion shared by all of you. I seem to have hit a good nerve and it feels good. 

Many spoke passionately in support of Pioneer Grove to Council at meetings, sent notes of support, stopped by and applauded the plans during one of several on-farm tours at public meetings. There's been no one who has not thought this was going to be a good thing. Even, initially, Council seemed in favor. During conversations in meetings without objections, the lack of questions during briefings, and the full support of the Planning & Zoning Board - as well as the recommendation for the project and its mixed use zoning by staff. 

What changed? 

Who knows? 

But the community and beyond has come together to support the project's legal fund to defend the rejection by Council. The sabotage of our dream for a better future for this place, can not stand. The community has spoken and Council has given no solid reason to say no to this mixed use project when it has said yes to so many others - with much less, if ANY, scrutiny.  

I should be able to re-zone this land to make the best use of it - even the comp plan said mixed use was recommended. 

Details like driveway entries, circulation and even the negative, hypothetical issues that people dream up, are all worked out once the engineers do their detailed work - AFTER zoning, platting, surveying, etc. The engineers, and those familiar with the ordinances of the city, pull all of the details together and create lasting neighborhoods that leave a footprint of progress in a community. I may be new to all of this, but my team is not. They have done it dozens of times all across the country. I have no doubt in their abilities. They've got contacts with builders, contractors and lawyers - suppliers and everyone needed along the way for an undertaking like this. It's no small potatoes, but I've seen their work, they're recommendations and I know they can do this!  And Balch Springs deserves this. 

Pioneer Grove is a unique, but sensible approach that would address many issues facing our society today; Lack of starter housing, too many automobiles, need to travel for necessities/sundries and lack of green space. 

But the land has to be zoned mixed use to allow any of this to happen. Mixed use just makes sense. 

Today, I'll take an important step forward to help secure this dream of ours. I should have a better idea of the upfront costs, too. I never dreamed it would come to all this. But I'm honored to have so many behind me in this struggle.

Thank you all for every dollar that you've contributed thus far. I feel so much more empowered knowing my friends, neighbors, customers, and strangers alike, believe this is the right thing to do! 

 If you'd like to kick in a few bucks to help us get Pioneer Grove off the paper and into reality - here's the GoFundMe link. Or you can always Zelle the farm at our number - 2143483336 Thanks! 

 

Now, go Eat Your Food - Naturally!

 Farmer Marie 

Fighting the BS at City Hall is Not for the Fainthearted

My heart is warmed with the outpouring of support for this fight. In less than a week, we have raised nearly 30% of our goal!

Thank you, to each and every last one of you who have been able to contribute to the legal fund, shared the posts, cheered this cause on and have my back.  You have the backs of every family, kid and adult who has ever eaten from our harvest, market days or learned at a class. This farm's project is much bigger than farmer Marie. It's about Food - and we all gotta eat. It's about housing - we all gotta live somewhere. And we all would like a cool place to hang out and bring our families - near home. Well, to get all of that, you need to re-zone. You need to think a bit outside the box and be creative. You have to let go of old grudges. THAT's what this fight is about. 

Anyone who is from around here and pays attention - knows what happened. Watch the meetings, the briefings, and you can't deny this was nothing more than a bunch of personal bias against me, a former opponent to 2 of the members, and just someone the others don't apparently like much. I never even worked with one of the antagonists. But she's gone now. Dropped a bomb and then left.

 

 

Never mind that when I was on council we had one of the most productive councils in years;

• We were successful at getting real raises for nearly all employees, including the FD and PD. 
• We got the ball rolling on a huge mixed use development in Dist. 7, and expanded the city's boundary by annexing more land - AND putting a new Huffines homes subdivision in on it.
  
• We secured funds from TXDot to RE-landscape the exit/entry ramps on 635 and started the ball rolling to re-apply for more funds the next year to fix them ALL. 
• We initiated a government efficiency study. 
• We initiated a street/traffic study along Belt Line & on McKenzie, since the majority of council thought it would be a good idea to put apartment housing AND retail along the round-a-bout. (I thought the traffic impact study times were lame, but I was outvoted.)
• We hired a city manager who has had city management and economic development experience - and it sure looks like streets are finally starting to get fixed once some money was set aside for repairs - something we could never get the old city manager to do.

I'm sure I wasn't perfect - no one is. And maybe my directness is not what some people are used to - but we got stuff DONE!  That was our job.

I never once voted against a rezoning because I didn't like the applicant. I did vote against uses like gambling. I pushed for fewer dollar stores. I pushed for a new supermarket on the east side. I voted to allow a future restaurant (not fast food), at the cost of a new, state of the art car wash - that increased the city's property tax revenue. 

My time on council was in service of and for the betterment of the residents and businesses of this community. 

Now, I'm ready to expand my service by NOT leaving the land I own to some commercial developer who will surely not be as concerned about the old growth trees (remember how beautiful Double D was - before?), and will likely end up making this another trucking/warehouse facility b/c it's only a block off of I20! 

Or how about a strip mall off the frontage road? Full of half empty store fronts, nail salons, taco joints and ice cream? 

 

This is where YOU live. Is that what you want here? I don't hear that when I talk to residents. I hear folks who say this farm reminds them of home. I hear people who love to see the animals and hear the chickens/roosters - see the green space and trees. We need to protect this - not every owner is going to be this stubborn and fight for the land. Trust me, if someone can come in here and convince me they'll do a responsible job with a commercial project, I'll be ok with that - but I don't see it happening, do you? 

Fighting city hall is not gonna be cheap. I don't know all of the ins and outs but I need to go into an attorney's office with some money in hand, not mine out. I don't work for free - I don't expect anyone else to either. I've tried the volunteer places - they're booked ATM. Probably with discrimination cases, etc. I know, it's crazy times. But we can't just roll over. Help us if you can. here's the link. 

If you're worried someone from the city will see your name - make it an anonymous donation - only I'll see your name. I'll never tell if you don't want me to. But I'll be forever grateful. The wildlife, the prairie, the trees, the pond - the future residents and business owners who'll bring cool, new shops to us - will all be grateful. 

Tourism and events have been ongoing since 2008 - no traffic issues....another hypothetical bs excuse - and NOT related to zoning anyway - it's ALREADY commercial.

A new, expanded driveway with plenty of parking and emergency fire lanes, (as required), etc. were built into the proposed renderings. Sorry we didn't draw a little fire truck to scale - but we DID offer an in person tour of the grounds that none of council bothered to come to.... But that's in the details worked out later, anyway, - AFTER zoning is approved - and we determine how to re-plat to accommodate a road, trails, etc., and have a full engineering study done. NO developments are required to do all of that w/o adequate zoning. And neither should we. 

 

 

We want to bring back market days - mixed use, makes sense!

 

This was a deal done in bad faith. It was blatantly obvious.  Please help us be able to pay an attorney. We've got one appt lined up in June and are awaiting a couple of other call backs. Let's do this! 

Thank you. 

Marie

 Eat Your Food - Naturally!