Olivia, a 12-year-old rescue dog, was all smiles and wags earlier this month when the street name, Parkwood Drive, was changed to Olivia Court in her honor. Olivia, a rat terrier, and chihuahua mix, is a well-known local Southlake dog who frequently walks in Northwood Park.
She belongs to the daughter of Eric Karl, who regularly walks Olivia in the neighborhood. He proposed changing the street’s name to safeguard the community from ongoing traffic after it was discovered that more commercial businesses would be developed in the area.
“Our primary goal is to keep FM 1709 and commercial traffic out of a residential neighborhood and away from our school crossing,” Karl stated in a letter written to the Director of Planning and Development Services, Dennis Killough.
“There are two Parkwood Drives, one is known as a residential street, and it has five homes on it; the other Parkwood Drive is in a commercial area,” Karl stated.
The recommendation to change the name came after Karl and other homeowners met with the commercial developer at a Southlake Program for the Involvement of Neighborhoods (SPIN) meeting in April 2022. The SPIN process was very successful in this instance, according to Karl.
When it was time to think of a name for the street, after a process of elimination, Olivia seemingly was the right choice.
City Council approved the name change at the March 21, 2023, City Council meeting.
The process took over a year to come to fruition, but it was “woof” the wait!
