If you build it, they will come.

And that's what many Lakewood-area residents living in the Edgemont Park Conservation District are afraid of if the 14-unit multifamily complex at 6159 Oram St. continues its "as-is" unfettered existence.

At 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12, the Board of Adjustments for the city of Dallas will hear the protests of Edgemont petitioners who object to the Oram structure's height. The public hearing takes place in Dallas City Hall's council chambers.

At issue is residents' claim that the building exceeds city zoning laws regarding maximum lawful height. Residents contend that the maximum height legally allowable is 36 feet. Furthermore, concerned residents believe the property violates the city's allowable residential property slope. Moreover, many residents feel the city failed in its duties to guard the public trust by permitting Tom Nelson, the property's developer, to use the "dirt skirt" concept to circumvent building code rules.

A dirt skirt is an elevation of dirt that is placed along the side of a new structure. The technique is used to create the semblance of higher ground than what actually exists. In the case of the Oram property, residents contend the developer circumvented the building code when the dirt was placed alongside the four corners of the building in the form of planter boxes.