The latest news out of the Lake Highlands Town Center isn't the announcement we've been anxiously anticipating.

Wondering for months about vertical development, i.e., retailers and tenants, Prescott has been asking for patience as they negotiate a bad economic landscape.

Now it looks like they might be asking for a change in design plans.

LH Today has learned that a design review meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 24th to take place at Dallas City Hall.

A committee known as the Skillman Corridor TIF District Design Review Committee will meet Tuesday morning to present a "review of overall revised concept plans, Phase I design, and potential design modifications for future phases of the Lake Highlands Town Center project," as quoted from the meeting's agenda.

Official word of the meeting was released late Thursday in an email from Sue Hounsel and the city's Office of Economic Development.

Hounsel's email also listed a June 1st meeting of the Skillman TIF Corridor Board. An agenda for the June meeting is not currently available.

According to Hounsel, the details of that agenda are still being worked out but, she informed interested parties to "anticipate considering a potential amendment to the TIF agreement for the LHTC."

The potential for change to the Town Center's design has Jay Henry, CEO of JAH & Company, L.P., concerned.

JAH & Company, through its JAH Realty subsidiary, is the developer/owner/operator of neighborhood retail properties in DFW and Oklahoma City, including the property located at Royal and Skillman, home to one of the two Tom Thumb grocery stores in Lake Highlands.

"After having invested so much of our own capital attempting to improve one of Lake Highlands' shopping centers, it is disappointing that the Town Center site plan could be changed to allow it to directly compete with our property," Henry said in a statement offered to LH Today late yesterday.

"We are supportive of the Town Center project as currently designed because we believe it will improve Lake Highlands and be quite complementary to what we are trying to do at Royal and Skillman."

"Given that the Town Center project is publicly funded, we believe the citizens of Lake Highlands should have a say in what is ultimately developed."

Tuesday's meeting of the design review committee is open to the public, as is the June 1st meeting, and all board meetings, of the Skillman TIF Corridor Board.

Alan Walne, former City Coucilmember and member of the TIF Board, plans on attending both.

"I'm not on the design committee, and I haven't seen what Prescott has submitted to the city in the way of changes to the original plan," said Walne.

"I look forward to seeing them at the meeting on Tuesday."

Also important to note are the development benchmarks required of Prescott, which were put in place when the TIF was enacted.

With an original deadline of December 2010, a one-time, six month extension has already been granted to allow Prescott more time to secure funding and begin construction.

As this extended deadline quickly approaches, it begs asking what "revised concept plans" means at this point.

Prescott offered no official comment when contacted.

Stay tuned to the homepage for updates.

---

The Skillman Corridor TIF District Design Review Committee will meet Tuesday, May 24th at 10:00 a.m. at Dallas City Hall, Room 4CN #3