Community Engagement Sessions Planned For ForwardDallas Land Use Plan Update
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Another round of ForwardDallas workshops kicks off at the end of January as the city seeks to guide future development, preserve neighborhoods, and address equity.
Online sessions are planned to solicit feedback from homeowners, business owners, the nonprofit sector, the development community, and environmental justice advocates.
The comprehensive land use plan ForwardDallas was adopted in 2006 and is being updated to reflect the needs of today’s neighborhoods, said Andrea Gilles, assistant director of Planning and Urban Design.
ForwardDallas
Public input is vital, say those who are crafting the plan.
“There is an imbalance in Dallas neighborhoods that may limit education, income-earning potential, and life expectancy,” Gilles said in an email to CandysDirt.com. “No resident’s life outcomes should be negatively affected by their ZIP code.”
Dallas has more than 1,000 planned developments, a queue of 17 neighborhoods awaiting authorized hearings for zoning changes, and a history of exclusionary zoning. An updated comprehensive land use plan can put the Planning and Urban Design Department in a more proactive role going forward, city officials have said.
Residents can register for a listening session for one of the interest groups or provide feedback through the ForwardDallas website.
What’s The Point?
In addition to community listening sessions, the Planning and Urban Design Department also is offering a “ForwardDallas Live” event from noon to 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 10.
“Your neighborhood influences you and your family’s lives — everything from your housing options, to how you get around, to where the newest park is, and what businesses are near your home,” Gilles said in promotional literature for the upcoming ForwardDallas events. “This in turn influences your daily commute time, the quality of the air you breathe, where you can spend your money, and your physical, emotional, and mental health.”
Input on ForwardDallas will be used to create a citywide future vision plan to establish guidelines for how public and private land should be used and what the city should look like.
The document will guide what will be built, where it is built, and how neighborhoods are affected by development, according to city officials. In fact, when a zoning application goes before the City Plan Commission, it can make or break a project if it is — or isn’t — in line with the city’s comprehensive plan.
“ForwardDallas will help inform decision-makers on where investments such as real estate development, transportation projects, and park expansions need to be prioritized,” Gilles said. “That means the plan we create together now has the power to shape how future generations experience Dallas as a place to live, learn, work, create, and grow.”
