Updated 1/9/08 - Fear of scumbar patrons in LGNA-land drives call for business boycott - click here

Ever since neighborhood associations on Lower Greenville starting buying streets under the City's Resident Only Parking program, the two hottest questions heard from scumbar patrons have been...

What do you mean, they towed my friggin' car??

and

Where the hell am I supposed to park now?

Ever the one to provide a forum for important information about our wonderful neighborhood, BD has prepared a list of streets and a very easy to read map of free parking just a few steps away from Greenville Avenue.

The Belmont Neighborhood Association announced at its National Night Out event that 5700 block of La Vista, between Greenville and Matilda, will be the newest Resident Parking Only zone on Lower Greenville in nearly eight years.

The signs will be installed within two weeks; the new RPO zone will be combined with the RPO Zone on Hope Street. Click here to see a map. RPO will be enforced Tuesday - Sunday evenings, just like Hope Street.

RPO is a City of Dallas parking designation which allows only the residents of an RPO-zoned block to park on their street during certain days and hours.

A petition signed by more than 2/3rds of the property owners must be submitted before the City will survey the street for compliance with the ordinance's requirements.

Normally BD does not read the wit and wisdom of the LGNA (aka the Mad Maxine Admiration Society) website, but a neighbor sent a link that we just had to read to believe.

We already knew how LGNA claims to care about anything that happens south of Belmont. Too bad most of their officers could not find their way south of Belmont without a map and a police escort. And we already know how they refuse to recognize Belmont NA and its decision (backed by 100+ neighbors) to secede from LGNA.

But now they have the unmitigated chutzpah to take credit for the installation of the new four-way traffic signs at the intersection of Matilda and Belmont.

Dallas.org / Allen Gwinn

What is a SLAPP suit? It stands for a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. How does it work? It is filed, well, by bullies usually in an attempt to shut someone up on an issue involving the public's interest.

As a wild example, let's use Walmart. Say Walmart was building a supermarket across the street from your house and, as an example, their parking lot lighting was perhaps not up to code. You're a contentious sort of person so you start making noise.

A lot of noise.

Eventually somebody sues you and abuses the legal system to torture and punish you--hoping to shut you up.

Thus the name SLAPP suit. Because of the popularity of SLAPP suits, many states have adopted anti-SLAPP suit laws. Texas just adopted special legislation, addressing this problem, recently. Coined the Texas Citizens Participation Act it passed with unanimous support from both houses of the Texas Legislature. Let's translate that: in a rare showing of complete unity, all Republicans and all Democrats supported it and voted to pass it. But before we tell the story of the lawsuit, we need to introduce the personalities.

Click here for the complete story

The City's Board of Adjustment voted 3-2 late Thursday afternoon to deny the Belmont Addition's demand to overturn the building permit for the home under construction at 5902 Goliad Avenue. {Click here to see the Board's agenda, and jump to page 82}

After a presentation by Melissa Kingston / BACD, who said City Staff had to be contortionists to approve a structure similar to one they denied a year ago, and challenging definitions of what is a story and what isn't, the City Attorney made it very clear - Building Inspections followed every rule and then followed them again to make sure the structure met not just City Code but the Belmont Addition CD's rules.