D Magazine editor in chief Wick Allison answers that question with a resounding “no” in the June issue of our print product. His “Leading Off” column says Dallas’ hopes of joining the ranks of the world’s greatest cities could be hurt by the continued segregation in the most affluent neighborhoods near downtown: Greenway Parks, Highland Park, University Park, and Preston Hollow.
Wick calls upon state and city leaders to address this situation in which upper-income blacks don’t seem to be comfortable living in these communities. One step that lawmakers could take is eliminating the real property tax exemptions enjoyed by the Dallas County Club and Brook Hollow Golf Club. “Will the Texas Legislature address this inequity in the property code that requires homeowners to subsidize racial discrimination?” Wick asks.
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43 comments
Country clubs are tax exempt??? Forget subsidizing racial discrimination; why are we subsidizing exclusive bourgeoisie playgrounds?
I’m not sure why any country club should have property tax exemptions. Why should we subsidize private recreation? Particularly private recreation that is exclusive to the very wealthy, and in these two examples, exclusive to the very white?
This is a serious question, I’m open to arguments in favor of a subsidy for private clubs. There doesn’t seem to be any reason to discuss subsidies of segregated private clubs until you can convince me that subsidies for any private club is of social benefit.
Does anyone find it curious that the “black” minority is the only one needed, according to this article, to lend legitimacy to the DCC or BHCC? It is though others (and they know who they are) do not count.
@FortWorthGuy: “Successful black, Hispanic, and Asian executives don’t need us. We need them.”
Why is any private country club or private club of any kind tax exempt?
One certain thing you can bet on is that Dan Branch will fight his heart out in the legislature for the clubs to remain tax exempt. Just look at his list of donors and many are members at these clubs.
Agree completely with JD.
I know this nice DCC church-going lady whose family has been members for ages. She said to me once, “Black people can try to become members, we don’t ban them. They can apply, just see if they ever get in. There’s a long waiting list.”
No tax exemptions.
No country club should get a tax exemption.
I agree with the others. I’m more interested about why a golf course would get a tax exemption in the first place. While I agree that courses should diversify their membership, I do not think that alone should determine their taxation levels.
When I used the phrase “this article” I should have used the phrase “the above survey”.
OK, lets get a few things straight.
1. DCC does not get any “real property tax exemptions”. Check DCAD yourself. For the foreseable future, their land cannot be subdivided (making the value increase), so what would be the fair value on that property? Talk to a few developers, but isn’t raw land in large chunks usually a little less expensive that land that has been subdivided?
2. DCC will pay over $117,000 in property tax (not counting BPP) for 2010. It isn’t as if they are getting off tax free.
3. Wick left out at least on Park Cities pastor in his admonishment. Was this because they have a black assistant pastor and are not a completely lilly white congregation?
4. Perhaps those minorities (black, hispanic, etc.) who can afford to live in the Park Cities chose to live elsewhere because they don’t want to expose their children to such a culture?
Just my two-cents.
@Future Politician: In regards to getting facts straight. Wick’s response:
“Not for profit country clubs operate on an exemption, provided they file the right paperwork. They are taxed only on the proceeds of their golf course (pro shop, refreshments, green fees, etc). They pay a commercial property tax but not a real property tax.”
Race. Having grown up in the community, I am not even going to attempt to defend the bizarre racial issues of that area. However, isn’t it a bit of a leap to connect the tax status of a country club with the racial profile of the rest of a community. I mean, the churches that by doctrine are not supposed to racial profile also sit on valuable property, are tax exempt, allot cheaper to join, and I do not see very many minorities in them either. To me there seems to be some value in the country clubs as sort of a mini convention/community center as it hosts charity/holiday events, weddings, school functions, etc., that are not just solely for its members. Can there also be made some sort of environmental argument that a country club keeps land from being developed into Mcmansions and big box stores? Like I said, I’m not trying to defend the country club mentality, just wondering.
I’d be interested in knowing which clubs that exclude people based on race or religion regularly host charity events and welcome people normally excluded as guests.
Yes, there’s value there, but does it happen that often?
There are no chuirches in HP by design, they don’t pay taxes and the developers of HP were aware of this when the Town was developed, so there. Not about race, about $$.
Churches, sorry!!
I was thinking about this story when asking my question.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/09/23/pennsylvania.swim.racism/
GMOM–Off the top of my head I can think of two churches in HP: Highland Park United Methodist Church, and Central Christian Church. You church-going folks may know of others.
Question for Wick: Does Dallas Country Club have a policy to exclude blacks? Has an African American who had the dough and was willing to spend years on the waiting list actually been denied membership? The reason I ask is, I would venture that there are far, far more whites who try to get into DCC and are denied than any other racial group. That’s how scarce resources work.
A-Rod was denied entrance to Dallas Country Club. He’s not African American, but he’s not white either.
Lord, Wick. So this isn’t about anything objective, like if there is any actual discrimination or simply whether or not, as a matter of fact, a country club or any other business is a non-profit, it’s about making tax policy on the basis of people’s feelings. And not even the feelings of those to be taxed — the feelings of other people who aren’t there because you suspect they don’t “feel comfortable.”
You call out the pastors of various churches, then qualify your observation by referring to “mainly” seas of white faces — how many non-white faces do you need to meet your approval? You call out Bob Dannals at SMAA — is it any surprise that an Episcopal Church is “mainly” white? Did you ask Jemonde Taylor if he feels “comfortable” there?
And it seems to me — I wasn’t paying attention, so I could be wrong — that the DMag table at the Downtown Dallas lunch this afternoon was all white. Are you discriminating? Did you not make any minorities feel comfortable enough to sit at your table? Did you invite any?
@ bob,
If CCC is on the west side of Westside, it’s outside the HP lines. Apparently the line runs down the street. Interestingly, the HP website references a boundary map that includes HPUMC while the City of UP zoning map on its site also includes the NE corner of Mockingbird and Hillcrest. I don’t know of any other possibilities.
@ Another,
It’s Arod. D-bags aren’t a protected class.
A-Rod was allegedly told that the waiting list was too long and athletes were not allowed to be members. And months later, Troy Aikman became a member. But he was a former athlete.
@Not Quite Ready: There is no such policy, but it can be difficult for black businessmen to become members. Just ask Kneeland Youngblood.
And Wick’s point is that exclusionary clubs and neighborhoods would prevent other CEOs from relocating to Dallas.
@ Tom. I said “some” value.
I’m just trying to get to the non-emotional spirit of Wick’s question which I take as, “What is the true financial impact of a country club on its surrounding community particularly regarding tax/property values.”
Wick, can you possibly explain the criticism of your “Leading Off” column when you yourself live in Highland Park and have for some time? You choose to live there for a reason and I’m sure it’s not just because it has great schools for the kids. In all seriousness, you could easily buy a home in Oak Cliff, and a nice one at that, if you are yearning for some racial diversity and not have to worry about the drain on your property taxes to support the Dallas Country Club, which is obviously not hurting for money given the massive construction project going on there.
Call me silly, but it seems a tad hypocritical.
@Tom — the very idea that a non-white Fortune 500 CEO that could afford to live in any of those areas would somehow be intimidated from doing so is ridiculous. And not just the CEO — I can’t imagine that any person of any race that’s successful enough to afford a multi-million-dollar house would believe she couldn’t live wherever the hell she wanted. They’re that successful because they don’t let BS like that stop them.
Thank you, Wick. I believe you are just stratching the surface of our affluent neighborhoods’ inability to be “open, encouraging and welcoming…to bring every single kind of intelligent human being to Dallas to work and raise his family and succeed.” In addition to the all-white institutions, just ask area realtors what potential homebuyers from out of town say as they are toured through Park Cities neighborhoods during months when those little white crosses (and some not so little) are planted in lawn after lawn. I am a traditional Christian but believe this practice is deemed covertly racist and not-so-welcoming to well-educated business people of varying races and creeds who might be considering the area for relocation. And heaven forbid if any of those yard signs were to be little stars of David or the Islamic crescent and stars — you can bet there would be a zoning regulation introduced at HP/UP city halls tout de suite.
@ Bob, you are wrong. Check your sources.
@Matt – There may not be any BS that stops them, but there’s plenty that discourages them from doing so. I think that’s what Wick is referring to.
My new member class at HPPC was approximately 40% African, primarily from Kenya. I think we all benefited from the diversity of experience in the class. I think Dr. Scates will be proud to tell you about the steps being taken to promote diversity at HPPC.
GMOM–I was half-right (and half-wrong). HP United Methodist, on the northeast corner of Hillcrest and Mockingbird, is in HP. Central Christian is on the Dallas side of Westside Dr.
If churches that are predominately white are discriminating against minorities, who are churches that are predominately black discriminating against.
@KLB- The white crosses were created and produced by a Park Cities resident interested in promoting cooperation and dialogue between the various denominations of churches in our community. The theme titled, “Better Together” is described further on the crosses if you look at one closely, but you probably never bothered to do that. It’s enough for you to drive by and assume racism. I’m inclined to believe that a well educated business person of any race or creed would put more thought into this subject than you have.
doesn’t the Constitution have something in it about free association?
are there any minority clubs that don’t have white members? why not investigate them
two interesting blog posts from John Stossel related to association
http://stossel.blogs.foxbusiness.com/2010/05/25/oreilly-tonight-freedom-of-association/
http://stossel.blogs.foxbusiness.com/2010/05/25/fire-john-stossel/
@Max Fuqua – Why would you blindly jump to those conclusions about me and my position? As a longtime Park Cities resident and traditional Protestant, I have actually put a lot of thought into this subject and so have many others. We are well aware of the history of this project, thank you very much. But why would you or anyone else think that white crosses are an appropriate symbol to promote “cooperation and dialogue between the various denominations”? What about all the other faiths/belief systems who don’t use crosses? That is exactly the kind of narrow-minded bubble-think that makes our community appear so off-putting to outsiders. Now, why don’t YOU put more thought into this subject than you apparently have.
KLB- If you are not sure why the cross is an appropriate symbol of unity among Christian church denominations, go here http://www.eastercross.org
Still trying to get my bubble brain to understand how Easter crosses represent “covert racism”. Religious intollerance perhaps, but racism? Please enlighten this AWB.
@ Bob, HPMC is really, really NOT in HP although it ’s called HP, like HPPC is in UP and the PCPC, I think is in Dallas. Maybe the closest church to HP is teh Christian Science Church on Preston at Armstrong and it’s not in HP. I know, very confusing.
@ Max, The white crosses “HE IS RISEN” in front yards become a bit old after May/June since they were put there way before Easter.
It’s kinda like leaving Christmas lights up all year AND lighting them. I think if you got close enough to read “Better Together”,
you would get your a$$ blown off since you would be in someones front flower bed. Lose the crosses, no matter what? IJS
HPUMC is in UP, PCPC is in Big D and this P.C. BS is all over the place. Agree the crosses need to come down in a reasonable time, but it’s not racist to leave them up.
All, HPUMC is in Highland Park. Check the DCAD record here:
http://www.dallascad.org/AcctDetailCom.aspx?ID=65133822010010000
What about SEX DISCRIMINATION?! The only official “members” of those racist and elitist clubs are MEN. The wives retain their privileges if they are widowed, but the real members, as I was told, are all men.
Of course these ridiculous elitist clubs should not be tax exempt! If it were up to me they would pay a surcharge for the archaic discriminatory values they perpetuate.