We residents of the Preston/Royal, Preston Hollow, Melshire Estates, and Walnut Hill neighborhoods have concluded that District 13 City Councilperson Gay Donnell Willis does not represent us effectively in the current crisis of overzealous developers seeking to rezone our neighborhoods. We are deeply disappointed with her inaction.

While Ms. Willis claims neutrality, she refuses to clarify her actual positions. She has claimed to support “Neighborhoods First” and “Gentle Density”, but her actions indicate otherwise:

- Highrises in Preston/Royal are NOT "Gentle Density" nor "Neighborhoods First".

- Planned Development (PD) extreme density zoning in the Walnut Hill neighborhood that would allow eight 3-story homes on lots where only one 2-story home is allowed now is NOT "Gentle Density" nor "Neighborhoods First".

No developer would propose rezoning without first getting the district council member’s approval before proceeding since rezoning would never succeed without her support. Willis is well aware that she alone has the power to insist a developer make reasonable compromises. Instead of doing this, Willis puts the entire burden on the neighbors to try to convince the developer to listen. That should be her role. The developer has no incentive to compromise unless Willis refuses to support them if they don't.

We've heard that perhaps Willis refuses to answer questions about her views on rezoning cases because she then never has to explain her rationale.

The websites below offer more detailed information on the rezoning battles our neighborhoods now face in District 13:

preserveprestonhollow.org

norezonewalnuthill.com

Our previous council representatives were willing to advise a developer that their plans were not appropriate and that they needed to consult with the neighborhood leaders to find a compromise. Willis has not followed their example.

We have been told by city plan commission staff that the density and height of any rezoning proposal is subject to the discretion of the plan commission and council member for that district. Willis is well aware that she can overrule or approve anything that city staff recommends or denies.

We are not opposed to new development. We are only asking that it not be extreme, disruptive to traffic patterns, nor completely out of character with our existing neighborhoods. Preston/Royal supports the current height limit of 54 feet -- but not highrises. Walnut Hill has consistently offered support for zoning more than 3 times as dense as the current zoning -- but not 8 times as dense.

Because our continued efforts have not succeeded in getting Willis to acknowledge and address our concerns, our only alternative seems to be her removal from office.

Please join our growing numbers in support of our efforts to recall Gay Donnell Willis and replace her with someone who will listen to and advocate for neighbors and neighborhoods, not developers. Please send us an email and share your contact information so we can let you know when we plan to take our next steps:

info@recallgaywillisnow.com

With everyone’s support, our District 13 neighborhoods can prevail and thrive