Coppell Chronicle Vol. 4, No. 7
Trader Joe’s Report Has Coppell Celebrating • All Lanes are Open on South Belt Line Road • City’s Oldest Park Gets New Lease on Life • Old Town Parking Signs Spark Complaints
I apologize for the lateness of this edition, but if there’s a way to work in advance on unanticipated breaking news, I haven’t figured it out yet.
Trader Joe’s Report Has Coppell Celebrating
No journalist enjoys being scooped on his own beat, as I was on Friday. But I’m a glass-half-full kind of a guy, so I’m choosing to focus on how I found out I’d been scooped.
At 11:50 a.m. on Friday, a website called CultureMap Dallas posted an article that said Trader Joe’s is planning to open a store in Coppell. By 1:30 p.m., multiple subscribers had come to the same conclusion: “This looks like a job for Dan.” They assigned me that job via various platforms.
Facebook Messenger: “The people need to know the legitimacy of this article!!!”
Facebook comments: “@Dan Koller For real?”
Text messages: “If this is fake news, there will be blood in the water in Coppell.”
The CultureMap article, which was written by Teresa Gubbins, said Trader Joe’s would be taking over the space that Natural Grocers vacated last summer. Gubbins’ primary source was the company’s application for a permit to sell alcohol at that location.
That location on the southeast corner of Denton Tap and Sandy Lake roads is known as Town Oaks Centre. Its leasing flyer says the former Natural Grocers space is “at lease,” and a form detailing some “landlord’s work” there was filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in January. Here’s how that form describes the work: “Demise existing suite, add overhead dock door, add concrete dock, construct new accessible parking spaces and accessible route to entrance.”
I’d already emailed one of the Town Oaks Centre leasing agents, Jake Sherrington, twice this year, seeking more information. He ignored both of those emails, but I figured one more on Friday afternoon couldn’t hurt. I also submitted an inquiry to the Trader Joe’s media relations team via the California-based chain’s website.
Because Gubbins’ article was based on an application for an alcohol permit, I then visited the website of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. I couldn’t find anything related to Trader Joe’s, so I checked with commission spokesman Chris Porter to make sure I wasn’t missing something. Porter said he didn’t see any relevant pending applications either.
“Since the applicant is just now in the public notice phase, it’s very likely TABC has not yet received the application,” Porter said via email. “Applications must first be certified/approved by a local government before they can be accepted by TABC for processing, so it’s likely they’re still in that phase of the process.”
Local government? Hey, I know people in local government! I emailed the CultureMap story to Hannah Cook, Coppell’s Chief Communications Strategist, and Mindi Hurley, the city’s Director of Community Development, with a simple question: “Y’all know anything about this?”
By Friday evening, Cook replied with this statement: “We can confirm that a TABC certification packet has been submitted under the Trader Joe’s name.”
So there you have it. We’re supposedly getting an H-E-B in the Irving portion of Coppell ISD, and it looks like a Trader Joe’s will open in the heart of Coppell. I wonder which store will start selling groceries first.
All Lanes are Open on South Belt Line Road
I don’t want to give the impression that I lack reliable sources at Coppell Town Center. On the contrary, a VIP (very important politician) gave me a heads-up on Thursday evening that traffic would be freely flowing on South Belt Line Road by Friday afternoon. I won’t reveal my source’s name, but I will say he is in this photo.
As most Coppell residents are aware, multiple lanes have been closed on South Belt Line since January of 2022. That’s when City Manager Mike Land began urging us to find alternate routes — “at all costs.” I heeded his advice and started using Freeport Parkway and Royal Lane as my primary paths out of town. But I went out of my way on Friday afternoon to cruise Belt Line’s newly paved pavement.
During my commute home on Friday, I noticed a bunch of traffic cones were preventing anyone from crossing South Belt Line at Hackberry Road, and the traffic lights at Dividend Drive were blinking red. Those lights were functioning properly by Saturday evening, but the cones were still in place at Hackberry.
Although traffic is flowing faster on South Belt Line than it has in years, commuters can count on seeing more construction along the road. Ground has not yet been broken for the Victory Shops at Coppell, a development of restaurants and office buildings that’s being planned on the east side of Belt Line, between Dividend and Hackberry.
(See “Victory Shops Trigger New Traffic Signals” in Vol. 3, No. 19)
During the City Council’s March 26 meeting, Land said the South Belt Line contractor had advised his staff that the $18.6 million project was winding down, and he said a date for a ribbon-cutting ceremony would be announced soon. I’m eager to see how the city can conduct a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a reopened road without closing at least one of its lanes, which would seem counter to the ceremony’s purpose.
Up next on the city’s list of major projects: a $1.4 million reconstruction of Royal Lane. That work is expected to begin this year. If you drive on Royal regularly, you may want to consider South Belt Line as an alternate route.
City’s Oldest Park Gets New Lease on Life
Speaking of ribbon-cutting ceremonies, Coppell officials hosted one last Tuesday morning at the Duck Pond Park.
In November of 2021, the Coppell Recreation Development Corporation approved an $810,500 budget for upgrades at the city’s oldest park. Here’s how that money, which was generated by sales taxes, was initially allocated:
$330,000 for the south edge of the pond
$290,000 for the pond’s other edges
$105,000 for the playground area
$85,500 for engineering and design fees
(See “Upgrades Approved for Duck Pond Park” in Vol. 1, No. 39)
The project also involved raising culverts to reduce standing water and establishing a walking path around the pond that spans a third of a mile.
During Tuesday’s ceremony, Mayor Wes Mays thanked the volunteers on the Parks and Recreation Board, the employees of the Community Experiences and Public Works departments, and the members of the City Council, “who approved the project and have been suffering through the trials and tribulations of the ducks being misplaced, the turtles being misplaced, and frogs getting run over on Bethel Road.”
That comment was inspired by the plethora of calls and emails that city officials fielded from residents who were concerned about critters. Last November, Director of Community Experiences Jessica Carpenter told the Parks and Recreation Board that rain had replenished the park’s namesake pond, which led to a repopulation. “Wildlife know how to wildlife, and they leave, and they come and go naturally,” she said then. “[The pond is] full of ducks and turtles and all of the same things that have always been there.”
Since the park reopened in January, residents have been asking why there aren’t benches around the pond and the playground. Carpenter and Assistant Director of Community Experiences Adam Richter assured me new benches have been ordered; unfortunately, they weren’t delivered in time for Tuesday’s ceremony.
Parks and Recreation Board Chair Nick Paschall grew up nearby on Park Meadow Way, so the Duck Pond Park was “basically an extension of my backyard.” He said generations of Coppell kids caught their first fish in the park, and he alluded to board member Margaret Bryan’s memories of fishing several children out of the pond. Paschall said the tradition has been passed down to his own daughter, who has spent time in the park through an “Outdoor Adventures” class at Coppell Middle School East.
“That’s what makes it so special,” Paschall said during the ceremony. “It’s a small park in the middle of a bunch of neighborhoods, and it has the power to instill a love for the outdoors.”
Old Town Parking Signs Spark Complaints
A few Old Town businesses have an issue with a neighbor’s customers, specifically how long those customers occupy premium parking spaces.
In this era of remote work, it’s not unusual for people to take their laptops inside George Coffee + Provisions and stay there for hours at a time. These folks often park their vehicles directly in front of George’s neighboring businesses on Houston Street.
“All of us pay taxes, and for one business to be able to dominate the parking is really not fair to the rest of us,” Lynne Pence told the Coppell City Council last month.
Pence and her husband, Ralph Pence, own Advisor’s Resource Company, which they run from a building next door to their home on South Coppell Road. A couple of months ago, they placed signs in front of their business indicating that certain spaces were reserved.
Before long, somebody complained to the city about the Pences’ signs. Lynne told me they don’t know who complained, but city staffers told her that the “Reserved Parking” signs would have to be removed. The Pences were allowed to keep those signs in place until the city could deliver its own signs bearing the Old Town logo and the words “Be Kind; 10 Minute Customer Parking Only.”
The building two doors down from Advisor’s Resource Company — and directly next door to George — is shared by a couple of veterinary practices. The doctors who own those businesses have placed “Reserved Parking for Our Pet Patients Only” signs in front of their building, and they also spoke during the “Citizen’s Appearance” portion of the March 26 council meeting.
Dr. Michele Broadhurst of Rehab 4 Pets said 95 percent of her patients are not able to walk independently, and some of these pets weigh more than 100 pounds.
“To ask the human clients to actually be able to move these pets effectively when we don’t have any parking is incredibly challenging,” Broadhurst said.
She and Dr. Pam Montgomery-Fittz, who owns Revitalizing Pet Care, would like for the council to pass an ordinance that would reserve the parking spaces in front of medical offices for those offices’ patients.
“If we don’t have access to parking, with our special-needs patients, then it will have a very detrimental effect on our businesses, and we will be forced to go elsewhere,” Montgomery-Fittz told the council.
There’s a parking lot featuring 80 spaces about a block west of George. Right across Houston Street from that lot is the building formerly known as Let It Shine. It’s now occupied by Resiliency Brain Health, and that practice’s clinical director, Dr. Scharlene Gaudet, also spoke to the council about the need for reserved spaces. Her building has one of the “Be Kind” signs in front of it.
In separate phone interviews, Pence and Montgomery-Fittz told me those “10 Minutes” signs are ineffective because customers routinely ignore them. And let’s be honest — when was the last time you got in and out of George in 10 minutes?
On Wednesday afternoon, I sent an email to an address I’d previously used to communicate with a George spokesperson. I wanted to know whether the coffee shop’s owners or managers thought the neighboring businesses ought to be allowed to reserve certain parking spaces for their patients and clients. I have not yet received a reply.
Meanwhile, I emailed city spokesperson Hannah Cook to ask why Twisted Root is allowed to have two “Curbside Parking Only” signs that are bolted to the sidewalk. Cook wrote, “The city does not actively enforce unauthorized signage related to parking in the area but rather responds to complaints. While the signs located by Twisted Root were not authorized by the city, they meet the same intent as the 10-minute parking signs, and no one has complained about those parking spaces to date.”
Whoever complained about the Pences’ signs must have serious beef. Lynne Pence told me that she routinely finds them turned around, and someone has been doing the same thing to the “Be Kind” signs that the city recently dropped off. She affixed notes to the backs of those that say, “Do not turn these signs around. They were placed here by the City of Coppell.”
This opinion may be worth less than a salted caramel latte, but here it is: If you have time to park your rear in a coffee shop’s booth for hours, then you have time to park your vehicle in the lot down the street.
Chronicle Crumbs
• CultureMap wasn’t the only media outlet to scoop me last week. On Saturday, the student journalists of The Sidekick broke the news that Coppell High School assistant principal Zane Porter will be the next principal of New Tech High @ Coppell. Porter confirmed that report and told me his promotion will be made official during Monday’s Board of Trustees workshop.
I wasn’t aware that New Tech needed a new principal. The parent of a New Tech senior showed me a resignation letter that Joseph Smith sent to his students’ families on Feb. 13. Here’s an excerpt: “It is with a heavy heart that I’ve decided to pursue opportunities outside of education. Being a single parent demands immense dedication, and while working at New Tech High has been a joy, I’ve realized my current commitments prevent me from fully dedicating myself to my role as a father.”
• The Daily Progress, a newspaper in Charlottesville, Va., recently reported that Coppell High School graduate Thomas Rousseau has been charged with “using fire to racially intimidate” — a felony dating to the Jim Crow era — for his alleged activities during the Unite the Right rally in 2017. That article says he received bail on March 5 from a judge who ordered him to go back to Texas, surrender his passport, and refrain from illegal drugs and alcohol.
• Last December, I published an article called “Code Violators Given 90-Day Deadlines” that stemmed from a rare meeting of Coppell’s Building and Standards Commission. That commission will reconvene at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday to discuss the same two properties they talked about in December.
• One year ago this week, I got up on my soapbox while writing about people who complain because they can’t use the tracks on Coppell ISD campuses. Last week, former NFL wide receiver Isaiah Stanback became one of those complainers when he recorded a video at Coppell Middle School North.
• DART and Silver Line contractor Archer Western Herzog hosted a community update meeting at George Coffee + Provisions on Tuesday morning. I had to leave that event early to cover the Duck Pond Park ribbon-cutting ceremony, but I was struck by this visual demonstration of how much has changed along Southwestern Boulevard in the past few years.
• Have you checked out the City of Coppell’s catalog of summer activities? In 2022, I participated in an adult kickball league, but that activity had to be canceled last summer due to a lack of teams. Come on, folks; let’s kick it around this summer.
• CORRECTION: In last week’s edition, I somehow misidentified Tex Schmidt, one of the Northwest Dallas County Flood Control District’s directors, as Tex Ritter, a country singer who died before I was born. I regret the error.
Community Calendar
Total Eclipse of the Park: Perhaps you’ve heard there will be a total eclipse on Monday? You may want to soak up the lack of rays at Andrew Brown Park East, where there will be lawn games, complimentary popcorn, giveaways, eclipse-themed music, and other fun activities between noon and 3 p.m.
Family Reading Night: The Assistance League of Coppell presents this weekly series between 6 and 7 p.m. on Thursdays at the Coppell YMCA. Each Thursday through April 18, local authors will read from their books that are appropriate for young children. This week, Wendy Lanier will read from Too Many Pigs in the Pool and The Dog That Gave My Brother Words. The program is free, but books are available for purchase and autographs.
Candidates Breakfast: Coppell City Council candidates Freddie Guerra and Ramesh Premkumar and Coppell ISD Board of Trustees candidates Nichole Bentley and Eneida Padro have been invited to a forum scheduled from 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Friday at the Coppell Senior and Community Center.
Fun, Food & Grooves in Old Town: A band called Elevation will perform outside the Coppell Arts Center from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Friday, and a few food trucks are scheduled to arrive at 5.
Charlotte’s Web: Theatre Coppell will stage six more performances of a play based on E.B. White’s beloved book. The next show is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday at the Coppell Arts Center.
Kindred Writing Collective Book Signing: The Kindred Writing Collective is comprised of several Coppell residents. The group will sign copies of their first anthology, Just a Hint of Fantasy, at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Talking Animals Books in Grapevine.
Sorority 101: The Coppell Alumnae Panhellenic Association will present information on sorority recruitment between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Cozby Library and Community Commons. All girls who are about to graduate from high school are invited to attend with a parent or guardian. RSVPs are requested via the link.
Assistance League of Coppell Night at Riders Field: If you buy a $15 ticket to Saturday’s game between the Frisco RoughRiders and the Corpus Christi Hooks, $5 will go back to the Assistance League of Coppell. And if 100 tickets are sold through that link, ALC President Bobbie King will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
The Commodores: This Motown act with a legendary name is scheduled to perform at the Coppell Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, but if you want to hear original member Lionel Richie, you’ll need to drive to Thackerville, Okla., on April 14.
City Council & CISD Candidates Forum: Candidates for the Coppell City Council and the Coppell ISD Board of Trustees have been invited to a forum that the Coppell Chamber of Commerce will host between 5 and 7 p.m. on April 16 at Dallas College’s Coppell Center.
Earthfest: Environmental, sustainable, and nature-themed projects and initiatives within the community will be highlighted between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on April 20 at the Biodiversity Education Center.
Local Journalism with Dan Koller: The staff of the Cozby Libray and Community Commons invited your correspondent to discuss how and why this newsletter began in 2021. The bloviating will begin at 2 p.m. on April 20.
Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live: A team of puppeteers will bring a collection of lifelike dinosaurs and other creatures to the Coppell Arts Center for two performances at 2 and 6 p.m. on April 20.
Aggie Muster: Former students of Texas A&M University will meet at the Coppell Senior and Community Center at 6 p.m. on April 21 to honor Aggies who passed away within the last year. The event will include a happy hour, a barbecue dinner, and remarks by Mark Klemm ’81.
Nice article, hopefully it will help the city see our point and allow the reserved signs.
Very exciting news that Coppell is getting a Trader Joe's!
Here's a scoop for you that anyone from Ohio will be thrilled to hear. Ralph and I are opening a Donatos Pizza franchise in Flower Mound (1400 Long Prairie Rd) in September. We are going to do 3 locations and are looking for a place in Coppell for our second location.
Good stuff!