Leading Off (12/17/20)
Sunny with a high of 60 today.
By Kathy Wise
Published in
FrontBurner
December 17, 2020
5:27 am
Dallas Purchases Two Hotels With $10 Million in Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds. The plan is to use Hotel Miramar on Fort Worth Avenue and the Candlewood Suites off Preston Road in far North Dallas to house homeless people with the virus. Later, a nonprofit will use the properties as rapid rehousing facilities. Neighbors of Hotel Miramar appear pleased with the new owner as the property had become a nuisance, resulting in 300 calls to police over the last four years. “While the city’s proposal may not turn this hotel into a Chipotle with a Trader Joe’s and Starbucks inside as some might prefer,” said neighbor Brad Nitschke, “it will stabilize this property’s decline and allow better eyes on what goes on inside.”
But, the approval did not come without terms. There was a condition that the use be specific to the hotel and brand there, and our code requires that rezoning of that use to also receive a conditional use or special use from city council, said City Manager B.R. White. City council approved that also, with the same condition that as long as it s a Candlewood Suites and the brand is there, then the use can stay there.
Councilwoman Sherri Millwood made the motion to approve with the condition. The condition stated that if the Candlewood branding was to go away for some reason, the conditional use approval would also be revoked.
Senior Editor (Hotels)
2020 has brought unprecedented change to the hospitality industry. Hoteliers face significant challenges in identifying opportunities to drive booking demand and establish the most effective distribution strategies to fill short and longer-term occupancies. The historical data they once relied on to build their revenue strategies no longer aligns with current market trends. Today, it is critical that hoteliers have access to comprehensive, accurate, and timely business intelligence tools to understand their market and competitive sets performance.
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Police activity reported Nov. 26-Dec. 10:
Dec. 10, 7:15 p.m. Shoplifting was reported at Home Depot, 6100 Mahoning Ave. Witnesses said the suspect was a white man in a gold Dodge Durango.
4:30 p.m. Following a call to Walmart, 6001 Mahoning Ave. regarding a woman asking for money, Shante E. Crawford, 25, 2686 Duke Ave., Warren, was arrested on a charge of criminal trespassing after having previously been warned off the property.
4:14 p.m. Money was stolen from a wallet at Infocision, 5740 Patriot Blvd.
12:56 p.m. Fraudulent checks reported at The Manor, 3104 S. Canfield-Niles Road.
9:42 a.m. A delivered package reported stolen from a front porch at 4775 Pinetrace Drive.
Overcoming NIMBY: Look at what Cara Mendelsohn did for the homeless in her Far North Dallas district As COVID-19 eviction moratorium expires, a warm and welcoming shelter will open specifically for families without a roof over their head.
Dallas City Council member Cara Mendelsohn at the Candlewood Suites at 19373 Preston Road. The council approved the funds Wednesday to buy the hotel in Far North Dallas for use as a family homeless shelter.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
Seldom under a bridge or on a street corner, they huddle at night inside their cars at big-box parking lots and community parks. At least there, they can mostly control their environment.