Ordinance Change Recommended for Cox Mansion Site

The Highland Park Zoning Commission voted on Jan. 23 to recommend that the town amend its zoning ordinances to permit a new home at the site of the demolished Cox Mansion to exceed the current maximum allowed height.

The new home’s proposed design. PHOTO: Sarah Hodges

The Highland Park Town Council will hold a public hearing and consider the recommendation during a meeting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4, in Town Hall, 4700 Drexel Drive.

If approved by the Town Council, the amendment would permit the home at 4101 Beverly Dr. to include a cupula, or dome-shaped structure, extending its height to just under 65 feet, 10 feet higher than is currently permitted in the home’s zoning district. 

The Zoning Commission voted 3-2 in favor of the amendment after more than an hour of discussion. The Commission heard from a representative of the home’s owner, as well as from several members of the standing-room-only audience gathered in the Highland Park Town Council Chamber, the large majority of whom were opposed to the change.

Larry Good, a retired architect on the board of directors of Preservation Park Cities, told the commission that the current allowable height in the home’s zoning district is the most generous in any single-family residential zoning district in the region. A 65-foot limit, he said, would be equivalent to a five-story office building, or to a six-story apartment building.

Good continued that the change could set a precedent for similar requests, and might tempt more demolition in the hope of receiving additional leeway to build replacement homes.

“We suggest that approval of this request has the unfortunate consequence of rewarding the property owner who demolished the single most significant historic home in Highland Park,” he said, before concluding his remarks to applause from the audience.

Architect Peter Pennoyer, who is known for his classical work, explained that the home’s design stemmed from the owner’s interest in French architecture, and that the height was driven by a sense of proportions for a house of its scale.

“I understand that there’s a fraught history with this site,” he said. “But we hope to redeem that and do something really, really beautiful.”

Moshe Itzhakov, who spoke as a representative of owner Andrew Beal, told the Commission that the ordinances in the home’s zoning district have not been amended since 1965. “As design preferences have evolved, the town has an opportunity to modernize the ordinances, and create the best outcomes for the community,” he said.

Prior to making a decision, members of the Zoning Commission questioned why the request had come to them as opposed to the Board of Adjustment, which considers individual requests for zoning variances. 

In Texas, town staff explained, owners requesting a variance must meet requirements that include showing that enforcement would result in a unique hardship. The standard would be difficult to meet in this case, they said.

The Commission’s recommended amendment was narrowly drawn to apply only to the property at 4101 Beverly Dr. and several of its neighbors in the same zoning district. Under the amendment, those homes could have ornamental features at heights up to 65 feet if:

  • The home’s lot size is at least five acres
  • The ornamental feature’s setback is at least 1.5 times its height if the feature is between 55 and 60 feet tall, and 2 times its height if the feature is between 60 and 65 feet tall.
  • The ornamental feature’s area is less than 20% the building’s footprint, and does not exceed 3,000 square feet.

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