Judge Temporarily Blocks DFW-Area Warehouse Project Amid Allegations Of Environmental Racism
A Dallas judge granted a temporary injunction request Tuesday that will block Stonelake Capital Partners’ construction of a 200K SF warehouse in Oak Cliff.
The motion, filed Feb. 20 by District Judge Aiesha Redmond, comes after Friendship-West Baptist Church claimed the adjacent development on Wheatland Road would threaten the livelihood of nearby residents, students and churchgoers.
“There is evidence that the harm is imminent and irreparable to Plaintiff,” Redmond wrote. “These injuries will be irreparable to Plaintiff unless these restraints are ordered against Defendants because no other legal remedy is available to protect Plaintiff from these injuries, losses, or damages.”
The city of Dallas initially denied Stonelake’s business permit, citing insufficient access from an Interstate 20 service road. But that decision was overturned by the Building Inspection Advisory, Examining and Appeals Board.
This prompted Friendship-West, a Black megachurch, to file the injunction request. Its lawyers claimed approval of the project would perpetuate a systemic trend of environmental racism made possible by the city’s antiquated zoning laws.
Meanwhile, Stonelake sued the city of Dallas for attempting to derail the project by rezoning the property. A city of Dallas spokesperson declined to comment on pending litigation.
“Based upon the law and the facts, and to prevent the very real threat of immediate and irreparable harm to the community, the Court made the just and equitable determination that the injunction should be issued,” Friendship-West’s attorney, Paul Stafford, said in an email to Bisnow.
The decision means Stonelake Capital Partners won't be able to move forward as planned and the church's case will proceed to a trial in April 2025. The developer didn't immediately respond to Bisnow’s request for comment.
