Hot Spot: Vehicles Burglarized in Junius Heights
There seems to be surge in vandalisms of vehicles in our neighborhood. Six cars have been reported vandalized in the space of three days.
- On Sunday, November 9, a window was broken in a vehicle parked in the 5100 block of Worth and items were stolen.,
- On Monday, November 10, a vehicle was burglarized in the 5800 block of Reiger. The window of a jeep was broken and items were stolen.
- On Monday, the night of November 10, the front passenger window of a car parked in the driveway in the 700 block of Skillman was broken. The thief (thieves) stole a cheap pair of sunglasses and less than $2.00 in change.
- On Monday, November 10, the front passenger window of a vehicle parked in the 5900 block of Worth was broken and items were stolen.
- On Tuesday, November 11, windows was broken on two vehicles parked in the 5100 block of Victor and items were stolen.
House on Victor Robbed
Over Halloween weekend, a house in the 5500 block of Victor was robbed. The thief or thieves broke in the back door after failing to open the front door. The robbers took a laptop computer, shotguns, and a mountain bike.
Junius Heights Crime Watch Meeting This Thursday
class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">WHEN: 6PM NOV 20th (THURSDAY)
WHERE: Paciugo Gelato, located at 2113 Abrams
(across from where our new Whole Foods will be!)
Please join us at Paciugo for a meet and greet! Take this opportunity to get to know our primary Off Duty Patrol officers Roger Rudloff and Dennis Craig and chat with Kelly Qualls, Community Relations Officer. Our officers will speak about the issues in our area, answer your questions and concerns, and you’ll get an opportunity to pay your CW dues while getting better acquainted with neighbors!
Coffee will be provided. Delicious Gelato will be available to purchase.
Donations to the watch will be accepted!
CHEERS! Your hosts, Michael and Suzanne
Checks as well as vacation alerts, may be sent to: PO BOX 140283 DALLAS TX 75214
For questions about this event, call 214-826-1732
Crime Alert November 10, 2008
For whatever reason, recently there has been a spike in activities in the area. Over the long run, Junius Heights continues to improve but sometimes we hit these valleys! If you see anything suspicious, please call 911.
- On Saturday, November 8, there was an attempted burglary in the 5600 block of Victor. There was damage to the rear gate lock and rear garage door but the attempt to gain entry was not successful.
- On Saturday, November 8, a house in the 700 block of Parkmont was broken into and burglarized.
- On Saturday, November 8, a vehicle was vandalized in the 4900 block of Victor. The passenger door lock was pried open and items were stolen from inside the vehicle.
- On Thursday, November 6, a side door was kicked in the 700 block of Glasgow and property was stolen.
- On Thursday, November 6, a vehicle was vandalized in the 5700 block of Tremont. A window was broken and property was stolen.
- On Wednesday, November 5, a house in the 5200 block of Tremont was burglarized and items were stolen.
Junius Heights Home Tour This Sunday
The Junius Heights 2nd Annual Home is this Sunday from 11:00-5:00. There will be seven historic and interesting homes on the tour. Tickets may be purchased at Munger Park the day of the tour. We will need lots of volunteers to run the Home Tour. If you have not been contacted by a house captain and would like to volunteer, please contact our super volunteer coordinator, Todd Smit.
All volunteers are invited to an after tour party at Bill and Marsue Williams!
Important Council Decision Affecting Inner-City Neighborhoods
On Monday, November 10, the Dallas City Council will hear testimony on form-based zoning. Basically, form-based zoning creates walk-work-play areas and protects neighborhoods. It has three critical components:
1. The residential proximity slope is preserved.
2. There is a transitional zone between high density and residential.
3. High density areas are limited to certain parts of the city.
The residential proximity slope limits the height of buildings that may be built adjacent to a residence. Developers twice have proposed construction on Beacon and Paulus that would have created buildings of inappropriate height next to our homes in Junius Heights. Nobody wants a high rise overlooking a craftsman bungalow. If inappropriate construction was allowed, Gaston Avenue and all the perimeters of Junius Heights could have heights higher than currently allowed. It would threaten the stability of Junius Heights.
A transitional zone is just what the name implies: it permits buildings that “transition” between a high-density and a residential area. The new town homes that are being built on Gaston are a good example of a transitional zone. It guarantees that there will be no jarring juxtaposition of heights and uses.
High density areas aspire to create work-live-play areas. A good example is Mockingbird Station and the West End in Dallas. They concentrate density rather than scattering it. The apartments that were built in the 1960s on Gaston are an example of scattered density. This 60s experiment continues to stress parts of our neighborhood.
The so-called Compromise Plan was supported by the Real Estate Council, developers, and the neighborhoods. Your Junius Heights Board voted to also support this plan. Council Member Ron Natinsky is offering another plan that eliminates the residential proximity slope requirement, the transitional zone, and the work-live-play density.
Please attend the council meeting to show your support for the “Compromise” Plan and the one that was passed by the Central Plan Commission on November 10.
The meeting begins at 1:00. You may park in the underground garage.
Please take a minute and e-mail the Dallas City Council. Your support and action is critical to the future of inner-city neighborhoods like Junius Heights.
Thanks!
Proposal will Devastate Dallas’ Neighborhoods
NO” to the NATINSKY PROPOSAL
The Natinsky Proposal will Devastate Dallas’ Neighborhoods
“YES” to the DEVELOPER-NEIGHBORHOOD COMPROMISE
unanimously supported by the City Council-appointed Advisory Committee and the City Plan Commission
ACTION STEPS:
1- E-MAIL the Dallas City Council: tom.leppert@dallascityhall.com, elba.garcia@dallascityhall.com, dwaine.caraway@dallascityhall.com, pauline.medrano@dallascityhall.com, vonciel.hill@dallascityhall.com, linda.koop@dallascityhall.com, ron.natinsky@dallascityhall.com, mitchell.rasansky@dallascityhall.com, angela.hunt@dallascityhall.com, david.neumann@dallascityhall.com, steven.salazar@dallascityhall.com, carolyn.davis@dallascityhall.com, tennell.atkins@dallascityhall.com, sheffield.kadane@dallascityhall.com, jerry.allen@dallascityhall.com
2- Attend the November 10 Public hearing and bring friends, family and neighbors.
Dallas City Council Chambers
6th floor, 1500 Marilla November 10th, 2008 at 1 PM
Crime Alerts for End of October
The crime rate in Junius Heights over the long run has gotten better and continues to improve. However, with the longer hours of darkness, there seems to be a recent increase in car vandalism and burglaries. Please get to know your neighbors and watch for any unusual activity in your neighborhood
A house in the 5700 block of Victors was broken into between the hours of noon and 5 PM on Saturday, November 1. The thief or thieves managed to find the only functioning window in the house and came in through this window. The owner was not even aware that the window opened. Taken were a laptop, a digital camera, and some loose change.
A home was burglarized in the 5500 block of Victor on Sunday, November 2. Entry was made through the doggy door in the rear. The burglar(s) left through the front door.
A home in the 5400 block of Eastside was burglarized on Sunday, November 2. Even though Eastside is not part of the Junius Heights Neighborhood, they are included here because the street borders JH and we have some concerned neighbors living there.
On Thursday, October 30, a property was robbed in the 5500 block of Reiger. Entry was made through an unlocked back door in the afternoon. At about the same time, another property residence in the 5300 block of Reiger was broken into.
Incidents involving burglaries of cars or “abandoned” cars are listed below. Monday, Oct 27 was a busy night. All of the Monday incidents were reported around 6:00 p.m. It is not known if they are all related but it is probable.
Please remove all items from your cars so you do not tempt any would-be-burglars.
- On Thursday, October 30, an “abandoned” car was parked in the 5600 block of Reiger, license number JSM565.
- On Sunday, October 26, a vehicle’s window was broken and property was stolen in the 5500 block of Victor.
- On Monday, October 27, the driver’s side window of a car parked in the 6000 block of Victor was broken and items were stolen.
- On Monday, October 27, the front window of a car parked in the 1800 block of Abrams Parkway was broken..
- On Monday, October 27, the passenger lock to a vehicle parked in the 5800 block of Tremont was popped and items were stolen from the car.
Volunteers needed for Junius Heights!
Saturday, November 1
- 8:30 at the Columns. We will be planting EarthKind roses around the bases of the Junius Heights Columns. Bring a shovel or just show up. Angela Hunt, our council representative, will also be there!
- 10:00 at the Garden Café. We will meet for breakfast and then walk the neighborhood to distribute flyers advertising our upcoming JH tour. We will need help get the Junius Heights Home Tour signs ready for placement. If you would like to have a Junius Heights Home Tour Sign in your yard (lots on busy corners are the best!) they may be picked up at the front porch of 715 Parkmont.
Sunday, November 9, 11:00-5:00 Junius Heights Home Tour
- We will need lots of volunteers to run the Home Tour. If you have not been contacted by a house captain and would like to volunteer, please contact our super volunteer coordinator, Todd Smith at toddsmith@Rmangraphics.com
All volunteers are invited to an after tour party at Bill and Marsue Williams!
Junius Heights in the News
Junius Heights is honored to be named in the October issue of D Home Magazine as one of the neighborhoods “where you should consider buying now…..folks who move here crave the Craftsman bungalows, huge trees, elevated front yards, big porches, high ceilings and 1900s-era architecture.” There are also several pictures of homes in our neighborhood.
Check it out. Congratulations Junius Heights!
D Magazine write up for Junius Heights
If you don’t already have the magazine then you can read the article online. It is a very favorable view of our neighborhood. They didn’t get everything right but they did get most of it.
Attempted Burglary on Parkmont
A burglar attempted to rob a residence on Parkmont about 2:45 in the afternoon, Friday, September 5. The thief climbed over an eight-foot fence in the back, got into the house’s fuse box, and turned the power off. He then broke the lock on the electric meter and removed the meter. He subsequently broke the glass on the back door, which set off the alarm.
Alert neighbors, who witnessed the episode, called the police and yelled at the burglar that the police were on the way. The intruder immediately left the property, using a lawn chair to help him scale the fence. Three police cars arrived within 5-10 minutes.
The description of the suspect: African-American male, late 20s or early 30s. Clean-cut, athletic build, about 6 feet tall, medium build, last seen wearing a green shirt.
Please make sure that your fuse boxes and electric meters are secure as they can be.
If you have any further information, please call 911.
September 1, 2008
City to Spray for Mosquitoes
There has been a case of West Nile Virus confirmed in our area. The city will be spraying for mosquitoes on Thursday night, September 4 between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m.
I received a call from a representative of the Texas Honeybee Association tonight. He was very concerned because spraying will kill honeybees and other beneficial insects. Honeybees perform many useful functions in our ecosystem. They pollinate our flowers and crops. Their numbers have been declining recently and their reduced numbers may be an indication of a harmed environment.
If you do not want the city to spray your yard and house, call 214-948-4429 or 214-670-1733. They will not spray your house or the two adjacent houses. The area the city will be spraying is basically north of I-30, and includes Beacon Street, Carroll Ave., Abrams, Junius, Swiss, and Gaston, i.e., much of Junius Heights.
The chemical is a toxic substance but the city claims it will break down and leave no residue. However, residents are advised to avoid contact with the spray. If there is contact with the spray, it should immediately be washed with soap and water. Pets should be brought inside and ponds should be covered.
Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water. Since we don’t have a natural source of water close by, much of the mosquito population in JH is sustained by stale water that our man-made environment produces: flower pots, old tires, collected run-off from an air conditioner system, etc. Please check to make sure you or your neighbor do not have any stagnant water on your property.
Scam Artist Back at Work
The East Dallas scam artist has been back at work. This weekend, Saturday, August 30, an anglo man fitting the earlier description, parked his pickup on Parkmont Street and asked for money from a resident because he had just moved in to 712 Parkmont, his wife was out of gas, and he needed to borrow money.
As before, he gave a fictious address (there is no 712 Parkmont). Unlike earlier times, he began quite agitated when the resident refused his panderings.
Once again, here is a description of the man:
Anglo, about 35-40 years old, about 5’9” and usually claims to be a new neighbor in distress. Drives a big dark pick-up with the license number 73M YN3. Lately he has been badgering people in their driveways.
Please be aware of your surroundings at all times.
Scam Artist in Neighborhood
August 28, 2008
There was a recent report of a scam artist knocking on doors on Worth Street. (Junius Crime Alert August 20). This week he has been working Lowell Street. He is described as a white man, clean-cut, and in his mid 30s. He is driving a dark green or black Ford pick-up with the license number 73M YN3. His pattern is to knock on a door, claim to be a new neighbor or husband of so-and-so who lives at a particular address, and ask for money for an “emergency.” Do not give him any money but tell him you are calling the police.
He also followed one resident to a gas station where the attendant on duty recognized him as a habitual offender. The would-be-victims called the police but the police, unfortunately, did not arrive in time before the scam artist left.
Landscape Stones Stolen
Large landscape stones were stolen from a residence in the 700 block of Lowell the night of August 27. These stones were used for edging and had been part of the parkway landscape for years. The thieves dug them out of the ground and carted them away. If you have any information, please call 911.