Coppell Chronicle Vol. 3, No. 33
Taqueria Missing Its Window of Opportunity • Per Oncor, Coppell’s Outages Could be Worse • Baseball League Says Grass is Greener on Turf • Valley Ranch Neighbors Oppose Revised Plan
Multiple subscribers have told me their favorite aspect of this newsletter is the Chronicle Crumbs. Those subscribers are in for a treat today, as this edition is especially laden with crumbs.
Taqueria Missing Its Window of Opportunity
I have experienced something very few others have: I purchased and consumed Taqueria La Ventana tacos in Coppell.
Last December, Twisted Root’s patio in Old Town hosted a Ventana pop-up shop on at least two Saturdays. I stopped by on one of those days, and the guy who handed me two tacos said the chain would be taking over the former Quincy’s Chicken Shack space on a permanent basis.
Shortly thereafter, the shed/bar on the Twisted Root patio got a makeover to match Ventana’s sugar-skull motif. The taqueria’s logo replaced the misspelled “CHICKN” sign on West Main Street. And a Spanish sentence (“Si no hacemos tacos para todos, no hacemos tacos para nadie”) was painted on the interior of Quincy’s former home. That translates to “If we don’t make tacos for everyone, we don’t make tacos for anyone.”
How appropriate. Ten months after I enjoyed my pop-up meal, Taqueria La Ventana still isn’t making tacos for anyone in Coppell.
A few of my subscribers requested — strike that, demanded — that I find out why the taqueria’s opening has been so delayed. I’m afraid I don’t have any answers, but not for a lack of trying.
I have submitted multiple emails via Taqueria La Ventana’s website and the website of its parent company, Local Favorite Restaurants. Nobody has responded. I’ve also dialed the only phone number I could find for Local Favorite’s headquarters. All of the voicemail boxes I navigated to were unidentified or full — or both.
I then tried a different tactic: I called the Taqueria La Ventana in Addison, the chain’s closest location to Coppell. Unfortunately, the woman who answered the phone and I had a bit of a language barrier.
Her: “Taqueria.”
Me: “Hi, I’m trying to get in touch with your corporate office. I wonder if you can give me a good phone number to reach them.”
Her, meekly, after a few seconds of silence: “Um, did you say ‘to go’?”
I’m not the only Coppell resident who’s been yelling into a taco-shaped void. Former City Council candidate Meghan Shoemaker has persistently posted questions about the delay on Taqueria La Ventana’s Facebook page, and all of her inquiries have been ignored.
“So does anyone from your PR team actually look at these?” Shoemaker posted in late August. “Everyone is genuinely curious about the opening of Coppell.”
City employees are among the genuinely curious. Director of Community Development Mindi Hurley told me her most recent conversation with anyone from Taqueria La Ventana happened about five weeks ago. “They said they don’t have a date yet, but it is still in the pipeline,” she said. I asked Hurley whether Taqueria La Ventana has received a certificate of occupancy, and she said no, because the chain hasn’t applied for one.
Here’s the good news: Even if Taqueria La Ventana never comes to Coppell, we can still enjoy delicious tacos at Anamia’s and Ole’s and Taqueria Dulce, which is inside Speedy K Mart. And if you’ve never been to Armando’s Tacos — which is on South Belt Line Road, in the shadow of DART’s new bridge — I recommend you give them a try. Not only does their food taste great, this supertaco on their business cards makes me smile every time I see it.
In other news from the restaurants beat …
• In July, the Coppell City Council approved zoning changes associated with a Popeyes and a Tim Hortons in Westgate at Coppell, the shopping center at Freeport Parkway and State Highway 121. I got worried last week when I noticed that the Westgate leasing brochure indicated the Tim Hortons space is available, but a source at the Shop Companies assured me their brochure is just out of date. “All still looks positive with Tim Hortons,” he said. Whew!
• In June, I reported that Venture Commercial Real Estate was negotiating a lease with a “chicken concept” for a 3,330-square-foot restaurant space in Point West (the shopping center on the northwest corner of Belt Line Road and Interstate 635). Those negotiations must have fallen apart, because the leasing brochure for Point West indicates that space is available again.
• In March, I reported that Five Guys plans to sell burgers and fries on the southwest corner of Belt Line and 635, according to a form filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. That news is confirmed by the Five Guys logo appearing on the leasing brochure for “High Profile Space Available in Las Colinas.” (Yes, that is the shopping center’s official name.)
Per Oncor, Coppell’s Outages Could be Worse
This is small consolation when your lights, air-conditioning, and refrigerator won’t turn on, but Coppell’s statistics regarding power outages are supposedly better than average.
Kita Hobbs is Oncor’s area manager for Coppell. While providing an update to the City Council last month, she said Oncor’s 18,845 customers in Coppell average 51.63 minutes without power each year. The average amount of powerless minutes each year for Oncor’s 13 million customers across Texas is 64.26.
That’s a statistic known as the System Average Interruption Duration Index. The electricity industry has another stat called the System Average Interruption Frequency Index. Regarding that latter index, Hobbs said Coppell customers experience fewer than one outage per year – 0.6 outages, to be precise. She said the annual average for Oncor’s entire service area is 0.73, and the national average is 1.1.
Hobbs’ presentation during the council’s Sept. 26 meeting made note of six outages in Coppell this year. I detailed the two that happened on June 28 and July 21 in “Police Reports Shed Light on Outages.” (In that article, I reported that an Oncor spokesman said power was restored within minutes of the July 21 incident, but Hobbs confirmed what a couple of my subscribers experienced: an outage that lasted 12 hours.) She also mentioned a Jan. 10 outage caused by a transformer replacement, a March 5 outage attributed to “failed equipment,” another stemming from a transformer replacement on Aug. 18, and a sixth outage the very next day (Aug. 19) that was blamed on a “splice in pull box.”
Hobbs’ presentation describes Oncor as a “poles and wires” company. That means Oncor transmits and distributes power, but it “does not own, generate, produce, or sell electricity.” This map from her presentation makes it look like all of North Texas is within Oncor’s purview, but Council Member Biju Mathew pointed out that Coppell Greens, the city’s only subdivision in Denton County, is serviced by CoServ. Hobbs did not disagree.
Hobbs said Oncor plans to do preventative maintenance in Coppell by trimming vegetation near 12 of its 16 feeders servicing the city. She said the neighborhoods surrounding Riverchase Golf Club and Andrew Brown Park East are particular areas of focus.
Council Member Jim Walker asked whether Oncor still uses radial feeders in Coppell and, if so, whether there are plans to upgrade those to parallel feeders or ring-main feeders. Hobbs didn’t have an immediate answer, but when I followed up via email, she said there are very few radial feeders in Coppell.
“Most of Oncor’s feeders are designed to incorporate various circuit paths that provide our operations teams with a grid with multiple switching options to reroute power delivery if or when an unfortunate outage event occurs,” she wrote.
Baseball League Says Grass is Greener on Turf
With the Major League Baseball playoffs in full swing (Go Rangers!), this seems like a good time to check in on the sport’s lowest levels.
The leaders of the Coppell Baseball Association gave their annual report to the city’s Parks and Recreation Board last month. Like a lot of us, those leaders are trying to keep up with the Joneses.
Grapevine’s youth baseball fields already feature artificial turf, while Little Elm and Keller both have plans to follow suit. Coppell Baseball Association President Kirk Baldridge said he’d like to see turf on all six of the fields at Wagon Wheel Park. Turf wouldn’t require as much maintenance as grass, he said, and would be more reliable.
“Baseball is very susceptible to weather,” Baldridge said. “We can get just a half-inch of rain on Friday, and we’re canceled out.”
The project priority list approved by the Parks and Recreation Board in August identifies installing turf on two of the six Wagon Wheel Park fields as a “medium priority.” The estimated cost is $4.3 million.
Baldridge said he would also like to see fences around the practice fields. “They get a lot of traffic, from different sports,” he said. The priority list mentions fencing around Wagon Wheel’s soccer game fields, but there are no plans to fence the baseball practice fields.
Other items on Baldridge’s wish list:
Building more batting cages and making at least some of them exclusive to baseball. He said some of Coppell’s existing cages get a lot of wear and tear from another sport that he declined to name.
Expanding the number of tournaments the Coppell Baseball Association hosts in a year from six to eight. FYI, the association is hosting a tournament this weekend, and it has plans to host a couple more on Oct. 21-22 and Nov. 4-5.
Updating the concession stands and restrooms at Wagon Wheel and MacArthur parks. Baldridge mentioned that Chick-fil-A is on the menu at Grapevine’s Oak Grove Park.
In response to a question from a board member, Baldridge said the Coppell Baseball Association had 539 players last spring, which he called “one of our best years we’ve had in quite a while.” He attributed the growth to a couple of recent policy changes: The city began allowing Coppell Baseball Association teams to conduct practices on game fields, and the association began allowing rec teams to stay together across multiple seasons. That echoes what Baldridge’s predecessor told the Parks and Recreation Board last year.
(See “Baseball Numbers Hit Above Average” in Vol. 2, No. 24.)
Valley Ranch Neighbors Oppose Revised Plan
As a developer lowers the number of homes he wants to build in Valley Ranch, the support he receives from Irving officials is also dropping.
Last March, the Irving Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-3 to recommend approval of Sateesh Allada’s original plan to construct 77 townhomes on a vacant lot next to MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church. But Allada and the church asked the Irving City Council to postpone their hearing on the proposal before withdrawing it altogether.
In July, the commissioners voted 6-2 to recommend approval of Allada’s revised plan to build about 40 zero-lot-line homes. But on the day of the council’s hearing, he requested an indefinite postponement after some elected officials — including Al Zapanta, whose council district includes Valley Ranch — expressed opposition.
On Monday, the commissioners considered Allada’s latest plan to build about 37 houses on the property. When I previewed that hearing in last week’s edition, I didn’t know the church no longer owns the land. A subscriber who is a member of the church gave me that tip, and Pastor Bob Bolander confirmed that the sale closed in July.
Allada did not speak during Monday’s hearing, when he was represented by former City Council member Sharon Barbosa-Crain. The current zoning would allow about 20 homes to be built, but she said Allada cannot afford to further reduce the number of homes he wants to build on his newly acquired property.
“To go less than that is to create a difficult situation that may not be able to be overcome by this developer,” Barbosa-Crain said. “It takes a realization that a developer has been responsive to neighbors, to council, everyone, and has done what he was asked.”
Barbosa-Crain said Allada’s proposal has support from nearby residents, but that was news to Mario Barnes, who lives in the subdivision due north of the empty land. “We are hard-pressed to find anybody who supports this,” said Barnes, who added that he has a petition with more than 125 signatures imploring the city to maintain the current zoning with no variances.
Barnes was one of five people who spoke against Allada’s proposal on Monday; only Barbosa-Crain spoke in favor of it. Barbosa-Crain pointed out that the variances Allada is requesting are similar to those granted to the developer who built Barnes’ neighborhood in the 1990s, and Barnes had an interesting take on that.
“That rule of thumb is a hard rule of thumb to go by,” he said. “There’s things I could try to do that — when I was younger — I could do, but if I tried now, I wouldn’t be able to. When our subdivisions were built back then, there were no occupants in the houses, so there was no density in that area, as far as people and residents. You cannot apply that same rule of thumb [from] 30 years ago to now.”
Commissioner Terry Prichard made a motion to recommend disapproval, which was supported by a 5-4 majority. Bruce Burns, Michael Joy, April Myrick, and Joshua Skinner voted with Prichard, while Misaki Collins, Debbi Haacke, Jack Spurlock, and Priscilla Vigliante dissented.
Unless it gets postponed again, the case should be on the City Council’s Oct. 26 agenda.
Chronicle Crumbs
• If you were seeking a local venue for recording your next diss track, you’re out of luck. Back in February, I brought you the story of a music studio called RZO Sound. (See “Rappers Have Found a Home in Coppell” in Vol. 2, No. 50.) I recently noticed that the RZO logo had been removed from their space on South Coppell Road. One of the studio’s owners, Brad Labio, confirmed that they’ve vacated the premises. “We are transitioning to a new business model that revolves around remote work and live events,” he told me via email.
• The Coppell ISD Education Foundation’s Give for Grants campaign is up and running. Teachers throughout the district have submitted grant requests, and you can choose which one (or ones) you would like to fund. Click here to peruse the proposals. Because I’m biased toward the media and also biased toward Coppell Middle School East, I’m going to throw some money at that campus’s lone request, which aims to replenish its collection of cameras. The deadline to contribute is Nov. 3.
• Speaking of the media, Channel 11 aired a report last week on “Adulting Day” at Coppell High School. I laughed out loud when Superintendent Brad Hunt was briefly misidentified as Alex Sagcal of Sam Pack’s Five Star Ford, who was on hand to teach kids how to use jumper cables to start a car’s battery. (I have no doubt that our chief educator could have taught the same lesson.)
• I had another laugh-out-loud moment last week when the Coppell Gazette sent me an email about advertising in a new section they’re calling “Discover Coppell.” Apparently, my print competition is not aware — or doesn’t care — that Discover Coppell is the name of the city’s marketing campaign.
• Coppell resident Shefali Patel is competing on the fourth season of Halloween Baking Championship, which airs at 8 p.m. on Mondays on Food Network. In a recent interview with The Dallas Morning News, she talked bout incorporating elephants into a cake resembling a carousel: “I was able to talk about my culture and bring that about in my cake and how I presented it, and I’m really, really proud of that,” she said.
• Coppell High School graduate Abigail Klein is an actress who has appeared on more than 80 episodes of Days of Our Lives. She recently provided Soap Opera Digest with a list of “must-see sights” in her hometown.
• Sign of the times: CBD gummies in a variety of flavors are among the impulse buys near the cash registers at Jabo’s Ace Hardware.
Community Calendar
The Mousetrap: Theatre Coppell will stage four more performances of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery. The next one is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. today in the Wheelice Wilson Jr. Theatre at the Coppell Arts Center.
Coppell High School Homecoming Parade: The parade down Parkway Boulevard will begin near Gifford Drive at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
What You Need to Know About Narcissism: Laura Charanza, a survivor of 40 years of narcissistic abuse, will speak at the Cozby Library and Community Commons at 7 p.m. on Thursday. She recently published a book called The New Truth About Dating. This program is intended for adults only.
Four Day Weekend: The improv comedy troupe will be back at the Coppell Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday for their monthly engagement. The difference this time is that a band called Jukebox Heroes will play on the outdoor stage at 5:30, when a couple of food trucks will be parked nearby.
Tailgates & Baseball: The Coppell High School baseball program will raise funds via a tailgate party from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, before the varsity football team plays Plano East at Buddy Echols Field.
Hit Like a Girl: The Coppell Police Department will offer a free self-defense class for women from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and Oct. 21 at Life Safety Park. The class size is limited, so registration is required.
Savor: The Coppell Farmers Market’s farm-to-table fundraising dinner is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Coppell Senior and Community Center. Tickets are $150 per person.
A Choir for All Ages: The Coppell Community Chorale will be joined by the Coppell Children’s Chorus and choirs from Coppell High School and Dallas Baptist University at 3 p.m. on Oct. 15 in the Main Hall at the Coppell Arts Center.
Coppell Alumnae Panhellenic Association: Alumnae of National Panhellenic Conference sororities are invited to a dinner meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 17 at Copper & Vine in Valley Ranch. For any questions or to RSVP, email info@coppellsororities.com.
Pinot for Polio: Landon Winery in Cypress Waters has committed 10 percent of its proceeds between 5 and 9 p.m. on Oct. 19 to the Rotary Club of Coppell’s fundraising fight against polio.
Pioneer Day: The Coppell Historical Society will offer free crafts, games, snow cones, and a petting farm between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Oct. 21 at Heritage Park.
Spooktacular: The Coppell Community Orchestra will open its season with a family-friendly show filled with spooky music, costumes, and candy. The music will begin at 3 p.m. on Oct. 22 in the Main Hall at the Coppell Arts Center.
New Tech Haunted House: New Tech High at Coppell will be scarier than normal between 7 and 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 28.
The Coppell Chronicle was light reading today. It had lots of positive and hopeful and useful information. Thank you for keeping us informed.
Also, I drove passed the Duck Pond the other day. I knew it was being renovated, but do you know if there is a drawing of what it will look like when completed? Is there a timeline?
I asked the manager of Twisted Root about the Taqueria and he told me they are waiting in their liquor license