This weekend’s international news can be highly distressing. Reading some local news might help you take the edge off.
The Coppell Chronicle is among several area businesses that offered internships to Coppell ISD students this month. The first article in this edition was written by Riya Prasad, a rising senior at Coppell High School. The rest are by your usual correspondent.
Kids’ Commutes Will Get a Bit Safer
The city will install a railing along Denton Tap Road to improve safety for students walking to and from nearby schools.
The 550-foot railing will be on the east side of Denton Tap, just north of Parkway Boulevard, where the road crosses Cottonwood Creek. The $95,640 project will be paid for from the city’s Infrastructure Maintenance Fund and is expected to leave between 5 and 5.5 feet of sidewalk space, meeting Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
“Due to the proximity of the roadway, it can feel uncomfortable or unsafe for pedestrians, particularly for students,” Director of Public Works Mike Garza told the City Council on June 10. “This improvement was requested in response to those safety concerns.”
The railing will not be mounted directly onto the sidewalk as shown in early renderings. Instead, workers will cut out 4 to 5 inches of concrete to install a smaller foundation for the railing, ensuring its structural stability while preserving pedestrian space.
Council Member Kevin Nevels, who initially proposed the idea during the council’s retreat in January, stated that the project addresses long-standing concerns from parents and residents.
Council Member Biju Mathew voiced concerns regarding the west side of that particular stretch of Denton Tap. Nevels, who lives just around the corner, said the east sidewalk is much more congested.
“Seeing all the kids walking, especially from Coppell Middle School North in the afternoons, the majority of traffic is going to be on that east side,” Nevels said.
According to Garza, the railing is anticipated to be completed before school starts in August.
Second Hotel Proposed at Victory Site
There could be 14 hotels in Coppell if developers’ plans all come to fruition.
Last fall, the City Council approved a revised concept plan for the Victory Shops at Coppell that added a five-story Tempo hotel to the development along South Belt Line Road. Next month, the council will consider an additional revision that incorporates a five-story TownePlace Suites.
The latest Victory Shops concept plan was the subject of a public hearing before the Coppell Planning and Zoning Commission on June 18, when Development Services Administrator Matt Steer displayed the graphic below. It shows that five hotels are open for business in Coppell, two are under construction, and the council has approved plans for six others.
Seeing all of the city’s hotel projects laid out like that was a revelation for Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Edmund Haas.
“Are we OK with all these hotels?” Haas asked Steer. “Are there any concerns with the number of hotels?”
Steer said the staff did have some initial apprehension about adding another hotel, but he said a review of Coppell’s relevant ordinance showed that the proposed plans meet the city’s requirements.
“If council does not want another hotel, I think they would be the authority to say ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ just based on the number of hotels in our inventory,” Steer said.
The commissioners voted 6-0 to recommend approval of the latest Victory Shops concept plan. The council will conduct a public hearing of their own on July 8.
Meanwhile, the June 18 hearing prompted me to look at the Victory Shops leasing flyer for the first time in months. The latest version features logos for seven restaurants, and I found websites for six of them:
If anybody can find an online presence for “Texas Pizza Lab,” let me know.
Private School Plans Temporary Stay
Although a new private school plans to start educating students inside a Coppell church this fall, it doesn’t plan to stay there for long.
“We do view this as a temporary location,” Catharine Clayton said. “We anticipate being there one to two years.”
Clayton is the Director of Operations for the Saint Constantine School of Dallas, an offshoot of Houston’s Saint Constantine School. During a public hearing before the Coppell Planning and Zoning Commission on June 18, Clayton said the new school’s enrollment would be capped at 100 while it shares space with the Church of the Apostles on MacArthur Boulevard.
“We anticipate and hope to outgrow it,” Clayton said, “and to move to a permanent facility that can house more students.”
When I contacted Clayton to ask about the location of the school’s permanent home, she said they’re looking “in the same general geographic area.”
To allay worries about traffic near the school’s temporary home, Clayton told the commissioners that many of Saint Constantine’s students will be siblings, and a significant portion of them will attend classes for only two or three days per week. So even if the school reaches its max enrollment, there would be no reason for 100 vehicles to pull up in a single day.
Commissioner Cindy Bishop expressed concerns about traffic spilling onto MacArthur, and she wanted to know what the school could do to discourage parents from showing up early to pick up their kids. Her question was addressed by Bond Palmore, who was announced as the campus’s Head of School in September. Palmore said fines could be a possible deterrent, but she also said there will be no need for vehicles to idle on MacArthur.
“Even if every car shows up at the same time, we can fit them all in the driveway,” Palmore said.
Commission Chair Edmund Haas theorized that some parents may miss the entrance to the church’s property on MacArthur Boulevard and will use the MacArthur Park parking lot on Starleaf Street as an alternate access point. Haas wanted to know whether vehicles can drive between the two lots.
At the moment, the answer to that question is yes. But the city is buying the Starleaf parking lot from the church, and City Attorney Bob Hager told Haas we should expect to see some bollards along the dividing line once that transaction is completed.
The commissioners voted 6-0 to endorse the zoning changes requested by the church and the school. The City Council will have the final word on July 8.
One more thing: I mistakenly reported in last week’s edition that tuition fees at the Saint Constantine School would range from $10,500 to $16,550. Those figures are accurate for the Houston campus, but Clayton clarified that the range in Coppell will be from $7,200 to $13,500.
Indian Eatery Returns for Another Round
An Indian restaurant in north Irving is trying for the second time to get permission to sell alcohol.
Madira ’N Masala is at 1900 Market Place Boulevard, due east of Olympus Boulevard. That’s the building along Interstate 635 that also contains a Spec’s liquor store and a Ground Control trampoline park. The restaurant — which bills its offerings as “Indian Cuisine - Redefined” — shares its suite number with Pakora Indian Eatery and a grocery store called India Cash & Carry.
Madira ’N Masala has been operating as a BYOB establishment, because its request for an alcohol-related zoning change was rejected by the Irving City Council last November. This property is within the council district represented by Al Zapanta, who said, “This kind of is not really what we want to see up there” and “I don’t see this happening” during the council’s Nov. 7 meeting. Zapanta made the motion for denial, which passed on a 6-3 vote.
Last fall, the restaurant’s owners were represented by Sharon Barbosa-Crain, a former City Council member who often speaks for applicants seeking zoning changes in Irving. But architect Bridget Lackey presented the case during the Irving Planning and Zoning Commission’s meeting on June 2. Lackey pointed out that two restaurants that share a parking lot with Madira ’N Masala — the Delhi Lounge and Japan House — have the R-AB zoning designation that allows alcohol sales. Oddly, so does Ground Control.
“We just feel that the precedent has already been set,” Lackey said. “There’s three locations there that have R-ABs. We would love for you to approve this one to have it as well.”
Commissioner Daniel Denny asked whether anything about this application was different than what the council rejected in November. Lackey said no, and that was also her answer when Commissioner April Myrick asked whether the council provided any feedback regarding their reasons for denial.
“So you’re just kind of presenting the same thing, hoping that it’s approved this time,” Myrick said with a chuckle.
Just as they did last November, the commissioners voted 8-0 to recommend approval. With a smile on his face, Chair Joshua Skinner then said this to Lackey: “Can’t promise how it will go at council for you, but best of luck.”
The case is on the agenda for the City Council’s June 26 meeting.
In other restaurant news …
• The Silk Road started serving Indian food and drinks last week in the space along Sandy Lake Road that was formerly occupied by JC’s Burger Bar.
• Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken lasted almost three years in the space along Denton Tap Road between Palio’s and Jimmy John’s. A lockout notice was taped to the front door on June 1.
• Desi Chowrastha has been closed for weeks, with butcher paper covering the windows of the restaurant along State Highway 121 and a note on the door saying renovations were underway. I noticed on Saturday that the butcher paper and note have been taken down.
Business Briefs
• An undated lockout notice is taped to the front door of the Urban Air trampoline facility on Sandy Lake Road, and so is an undated copy of an email that the location’s managers apparently sent to their customers. It says the managers (Diversified SWD, LLC) sued the landlord (Gandhi at Coppell Texas, LLC) over “improper charges” in January. It also says the locks were changed on a Friday night.
“The reason for this action taken on a Friday night in the summer rather than a weekday seems designed to cause maximum disruption to the weekend activities of our customers: children planning to visit the park on Saturday and Sunday, including over a dozen children’s birthday parties and their hundreds of invited friends,” the email says.
• At Home, the retailer formerly known as Garden Ridge, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 16, when it also disclosed plans to close 26 stores, none of which are in Texas. You’ve likely seen news stories that say At Home is based in Coppell, but its headquarters is actually in Cypress Waters, which is in Coppell ISD but also the City of Dallas. “We are operating against the backdrop of an increasingly dynamic and rapidly evolving trade environment as we navigate the impact of tariffs,” CEO Brad Weston said in a press release.
• Today is Gov. Greg Abbott’s deadline to veto Senate Bill 3, which would ban all products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. If he doesn’t veto the legislation, it could negatively affect at least nine businesses in Coppell.
(See “Drive-Thru Dispensary Coming to Town” in Vol. 5, No. 4.)
• I’m sorry to report that the Teacher’s Tools store in Lewisville will be going out of business soon. With Coppell ISD, Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, and Lewisville ISD all shuttering schools this year, I guess it makes sense that an associated business would close too.
Chronicle Crumbs
• Former Coppell ISD Superintendent Brad Hunt has a new gig. JLG Architects — a firm with offices in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota — announced last week that Hunt is joining them as a “K12 Advisor.”
• One of Coppell ISD Interim Superintendent Doug Williams’ old gigs was coaching football at Winnsboro High School. When Williams and I met for coffee on June 17, we figured out that his time in that job aligned with my first newspaper job in the nearby town of Sulphur Springs. I then went digging through my personal archives and discovered evidence that we spoke at least once before Tuesday:
• State Rep. Cassandra Hernandez just finished her first legislative session representing House District 115, which includes the vast majority of both Coppell and Coppell ISD. The Democrat hosted a town hall meeting on June 14, and my friends at the Branch Herald uploaded a recording of it to YouTube. Hernandez is kicking off her reelection campaign with an event at 6 p.m. on June 23 at Odd Muse Brewing in Farmers Branch. If Hernandez has any challengers on either side of the political aisle, I’m not aware.
• I am aware of two Democrats who have announced their candidacies in Congressional District 24, which includes most of Coppell and Coppell ISD. Kevin Burge and TJ Ware will compete for the right to take on U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, a Republican who is in her third term representing the district.
• At the request of Coppell City Council Member Jim Walker, the agenda for the council’s meeting on June 24 includes a discussion of chickens and coops.
• Coppell High School graduate Solomon Thomas, who signed with the Dallas Cowboys in March, made a one-night cameo appearance this month in MJ: The Musical, a Broadway show about Michael Jackson. That sentence is so bizarre that you might think I made it up, but Playbill has the details.
• On Father’s Day, about 200 dads who attend St. Ann Catholic Parish were pranked by their wives, who convinced them all to wear the same shirt to church. Nicely done, ladies.
Community Calendar
Annie: Theatre Coppell will stage four more performances of the musical about the little orphan featured in every form of media from comic strips to movies. The next show is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. today at the Coppell Arts Center. I tried to take my wife/editor/muse to last night’s show, but it sold out before I could secure tickets.
Coppell ISD Town Hall Meeting: If you have thoughts and priorities for the next superintendent of Coppell ISD, you can share them between 6 and 7 p.m. on June 25 at the Vonita White Administration Building.
Popsicle Parade: The Valley Ranch Association’s annual Independence Day event is scheduled for 6 p.m. on June 27.
Celebrate Coppell: Party in the Park: Our city’s biggest annual party — featuring food trucks, lawn games, live music, a drone show, and fireworks — will begin at 6 p.m. on June 28 at Andrew Brown Park East.
Sensory Sensitive Fourth of July Celebration: The Sound at Cypress Waters will host a free event from 6 to 10 p.m. on July 3 that will feature LED bracelets from Star-Spangled Glow, animal encounters courtesy of the Creature Teacher, and live music from a Taylor Swift tribute band called Reputation. But the event will not include any fireworks.
Celebrate Coppell: Parade Down Parkway: The city’s annual Independence Parade will begin at 9 a.m. on July 4.
Coppell Youth Soccer Association: If you want your child to play recreational soccer this fall, sign him or her up by July 6.
Moms Unhinged: The Coppell Arts Center will host a standup comedy show featuring Emily Holden, Kimberly Koester, Donna Lee, and headliner Magen King at 7 p.m. on July 10.
82 Major: The South Korean boy band will perform at the Coppell Arts Center at 7 p.m. on July 11.