Residents Fear New Business May Push Out Oak Cliff Culture
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DALLAS (CBS11) - Monica Diodati opens the door to her second floor loft, and welcomes a visitor.
The space is actually her office headquarters, but it's designed to be a living space as well. "We want to be here," Diodati explains, when asked about the choice to office in a room with a view of pawn shops, tacquerias and Spanish-language boutiques.
Her office is on Jefferson Boulevard, in a renovated section of Jefferson Tower, and the symbol of a revitalization project in the heart of old downtown Oak Cliff.
From Madison to Tyler Streets, the two-block section of Jefferson Boulevard's north side of the street belongs to Jim Lake Jr. Lake is the real estate developer, known for his redevelopment projects with well established names: Design District, Bishop Arts. His Jefferson Tower project has slowly reflected the direction of past efforts: lofts, office space, retail and entertainment. Jefferson's first brewpub sits as a first floor showcase, next to a craft ice cream shop, a planned coffee house, along with a proposed Latino marketplace, Mercado.
"If we can renovate this, and embrace the culture on the street, we could see a change of improvement for the block, and make this an entertainment district," he said, while overlooking the boulevard from the tower's top floor, a renovated event space.
But Lake's effort along the section of Jefferson raised questions about the future for other businesses along the street. "If others follow this, we will be priced out," worried a longtime merchant on the opposite side of the street, who asked to remain anonymous.
Critics point to the popularity of the nearby Bishop Arts District as an indicator of what could happen to Jefferson. Lake has said that is not his plan. "We are keeping what we have. Gonzalez Restaurant is staying, so are the others."
JD Diaz' restaurant remains quaint and homey. But instead of a few blocks away from Oak Cliff's Main Street, Diaz' JD's BBQ Grill has the dining storefront next to the entrance to Monica Diodati's loft office. This is his neighborhood, he says in Spanish. His daughter works by his side. Karina Diaz says the new, hip pubs and coffee shops are to be embraced by the community. "We're here, we're part of this," she emphasizes. "This helps our part of Oak Cliff."
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