Last month the Irving City Council surprised many by shutting down plans for the Entertainment Center that voters in previous elections approved. Supporters are not going away quietly they are using the modern day tools of protest: social media. A popular tool for local and national campaigns is the political website Change.org. Local citizens have set a goal of 100 signatures and so far they have 65.
Mayor Beth Van Duyne has an extensive track record of opposing this project, but previously she did not have enough votes to actually kill the planned development. Last year the project seemed to finally be moving forward with a groundbreaking and announcements of tenats such as the popular movie theater venue The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. But the city withdrew their construction financing during the spring after the developer’s financiers requested changes to the agreement.
Reportedly the two sides have spent the summer trying to work out a deal that the city, bank and developers could agree on. However, when a special city council meeting was called on Aug. 28 the evening erupted into a shouting match between the Mayor and Ark founder Rick Lazes before the 5-4 vote to veto the agreement.
Residents interested in calling for the two parties to go back to the table in good faith and hammer out the issues are asked to visit Change.org and voice their concerns.
