Dallas Mayor George Sergeant rides in the front passenger seat of the President’s car. Behind him are FDR and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Photo courtesy of Jim Lake Jr.

The 107-year-old Oak Cliff house on a hill that once belonged to former Dallas Mayor George Sergeant won’t be torn down if a deal to reduce parking requirements isn’t reached.

Sign up for our newsletter!

* indicates required

But Jim Lake Cos. would move the house to land it owns in Waxahachie without a parking deal, Jim Lake Jr. told neighbors in a meeting Thursday night. In that case, a three-story building could be built on the lot, and the hill could be taken down to grade.

Lake wants to turn the building into a restaurant space, which it would lease to an operator. But there’s not enough area surrounding the 3,000-square-foot building for the 30 parking spaces that city code requires for a restaurant.

The company is asking for concessions — just 15 parking spaces — based on the building’s age and its proximity to the streetcar. The restaurant likely would have about 160 seats. Besides the 15 self-park spaces, there also would be a valet stand.

Neighbors on the next block, Elsbeth Street, told Lake Thursday that parking on their street already is scarce on weekends. They don’t have garages, and most of homeowners park at least one car on the street. They say valet is hardly a relief as that stuffs cars into the neighborhood as well, and the city won’t enforce valet rules.

City Councilman Scott Griggs says he encourages the adjacent neighborhood to apply for more resident-only parking.

“As a community, we need to think about how we get around,” Lake said at the meeting. He then referred to the hundreds of new apartments under construction at Davis and Zang: “There’s about to be 1,000 new bodies at that corner.”

The City Plan Commission is expected to hold a hearing on the matter in its 1:30 p.m. meeting Thursday, Aug. 17.