Leaders of the large Watermark Church in North Dallas say they will not leave their South Dallas campus despite a scathing rebuke from Dallas city leadership.
Officials said Watermark is still considering how to respond to a Dec. 13 rezoning denial for the 12-acre middle school campus the church purchased on South Second Street four years ago. Ta.
There was nothing outside the old Pearl Anderson Middle School building on Friday to suggest Christmas celebrations.
Neighbor Carolyn Williams was putting up Christmas decorations outside her home across the street from the former school.
“They cleaned it up well. They put a lot into it,” Williams said.
Through the front windows, it was clear that something was going on inside the building, most likely preparation for the Watermark Church service scheduled for Christmas Eve.
Williams has seen weekly Watermark Sunday services and Wednesday Bible studies, as well as resources from the affluent North Dallas church along the LBJ Freeway, where food is provided to the South Dallas community. He said he has also looked at other services such as
“That's true because they're coming from that place, that other church,” Williams said.
In the past, critics have cited confusion over multiple watermark entities mentioned during several years of neighborhood discussions about the property.
According to Pastor Todd Atkins of the South Dallas Fair Park Coalition, a group of other churches, the precise plan for a mixed-use zoning plan for a walkable urban district is based on neighborhoods, not school zones as requested by Watermark. It was never disclosed to residents.
“Although this issue has been the subject of many public meetings and community meetings, the answer to this question remains vague and constantly changing,” Atkins said. “The lack of a clear partner makes it difficult to determine who the decision makers are and who has all the information regarding Watermark’s desired use of the property.”
Atkins was one of several speakers at the Dec. 13 rally who opposed the rezoning.th meeting.
Two people said they were members of Watermark, including Andrea Rush, who said she worked at the South Dallas campus.
“The reality is that Watermark is a business and is not run like a church,” Rush said. “They protect their interests. They build their brands. They protect their image and manage their members like employees.”
Several Dallas City Council members expressed opposition to the watermark request.
“You can't go into a community with this imperialist mindset and build an empire and disrespect people. This is not the great white man's aspiration. That's our understanding,” said City Councilwoman Carolyn. King Arnold said.
West Dallas City Councilman Omar Narvaez said he expects residents of black and brown communities to cooperate with the applicants.
“You don't want to know about us. You want to force something into our community without partnering with us,” Narváez said. “They don't need savings. They need a partner.”
City Councilman Adam Bazaldua represents the area surrounding the Watermark South Dallas campus.
“There are too many gray areas. Too many unanswered questions,” Bazaldua said. “We encourage applicants to go back to the drawing board and do what it takes to gain trust within the community.”
The zone change request was denied without prejudice. This means that the applicant is free to try again.
Watermark Communications Director Caitlin Van Wagoner responded to NBC5's request for comment on the incident via email:
“We are evaluating the recent rezoning request that failed to pass the Dallas City Council and will decide on next steps in the new year.
Our South Dallas campus looks forward to welcoming our neighbors to our Christmas Eve service. We are grateful to be part of the South Dallas community and look forward to many years of fruitful partnership and service together. ”
Watermark representatives have said in the past that the rezoning request was to allow for expanded services to south Dallas communities. It would now be possible to build new housing on land that was once used as a junior high school playground.
Williams said he is satisfied with the current use of the site and supports the city council's decision to deny the rezoning request.
“Exactly, and I want to see what they say about myself. I don't say, 'Oh, that's fine.' If it doesn't improve, I don't think that's a good thing, so we'll take a look at exactly that,” Williams said.
Watermark Church of North Dallas was founded in 1999. According to the church's website, weekly attendance increased to 9,000 people.
