Saga Pitting Dallas Developer Against Black Megachurch Ends With Agreement To Scrap Plans
A Dallas developer has decided to fold on plans for a 200K SF warehouse in Oak Cliff following an outcry by an adjacent Black megachurch.
Stonelake Capital Partners agreed to find a new path forward for the 20-acre site on Wheatland Road just weeks after a judge granted a temporary injunction filed by Friendship-West Baptist Church. The move means all litigation will now be dismissed.
“While Stonelake arguably has the property rights to build a warehouse, ultimately a warehouse is not what the community wants, and Stonelake does not desire to be in conflict with the community,” a joint statement by Friendship-West Pastor Frederick Haynes and Stonelake’s Kenneth Aboussie Jr. read.
“As leaders for our respective organizations, sharing a common Christian faith, we have kept the lines of communication open in the hopes of resolution and collaboration, and we both concluded that we could accomplish more by working together than by working in conflict with each other.”
Stonelake acquired the industrially zoned property in 2021. The land borders a church and a government facility and is located across the street from a high school and residential neighborhood.
Friendship-West filed its injunction request on the grounds that the project would threaten the livelihood of residents, churchgoers and students, and that it would perpetuate a trend of environmental racism plaguing minority communities across DFW.
Whether Stonelake plans to sell or retain the site for a different use remains unclear. The developer plans to work alongside the church to find a solution that is “both beneficial and agreeable to the community,” the joint statement read.
