District 14 Candidate Q&A With Amanda Schulz And Joseph Miller

Editor’s Note: This is the sixth and final installment in a series of responses to CandysDirt.com questionnaires issued to all candidates running for office in the May 6 Dallas City Council election. Candidates in the races for Districts 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 12 did not respond to the questionnaire. Early voting begins April 24.

Candidate: Amanda Schulz

Opponent: Incumbent Paul Ridley (did not respond), Joseph Miller

Why do you think Dallas continues to attract corporate relocations and new residents at a greater frequency than the rest of the nation? 

Despite concerns that the cost of living is increasing, Dallas still remains highly competitive, as compared with other major cities, in offering a high-quality affordable life. Rents in Dallas are still roughly half of what you would pay in New York City, for instance. Groceries are about 40% less expensive. Residents also do not pay state or local income tax. 

Combine that with job opportunities, dynamic restaurants and nightlife, amazing arts and culture experiences, and the ever-growing greenspaces in our expansive park and trail system, and it’s easy to see why an outsider would have many reasons to move to Dallas. Dallas also has the reputation of being a welcoming city, offering commerce-friendly and growth-friendly policies to both small businesses looking to start up and corporations looking to relocate, although I would say that the suburbs tend to outperform us in the area of large-scale relocation. 

What areas in your district could see a housing boom in the next few years? 

There is no question that the Uptown area of District 14 is ripe for the biggest growth. This will be growth not only from a business development standpoint but also as to housing because more people will want to live in the same general area where they also work. This is especially true as we continue to develop these areas into more walkable urban spaces filled with businesses that provide necessities, such as grocery stores, coffee shops, pharmacies, and restaurants. 

What is occurring in your area that could poise your district for growth, and how can you support that? 

District 14 still has a lot of vacant and/or underutilized real estate. When you have dirt availability, you will have growth potential. Capitalizing on some of these opportunities might take a re-evaluation of antiquated zoning, in some instances, and certainly will require a complete overhaul of our permitting process. Straightening out permitting would be a top priority place for me to lend support, as a council member. 

It’s clear that proposed House Bill 14 is aimed at municipalities, like Dallas, that can’t get their act together. Although we have seen some improvements in the residential sector of permitting, commercial permitting is still largely a disaster. When a developer is shooting in the dark, in terms of expected timelines, this calls the funding approval of projects into question and only escalates costs. If we are to remain an attractive city for business development, job growth, and affordable housing, we must have leaders dedicated to solving this problem. 

How can the City of Dallas improve the redistricting process, and how would that positively impact your district? 

Redistricting has been historically problematic at all levels of government. The purpose of redistricting is two-fold. It is implemented to ensure that minority groups have representation on a percentage level roughly equal to their respective populations and it focuses on keeping communities of interest intact. 

We must continue to value neighborhood cohesion and make sure that minority communities have seats at the table and fair representation. Ensuring all of these points as priorities would only make any district stronger. 

How would you vote on the matter of allowing or restricting short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods? 

Hardline mandates on short-term rentals are problematic. Owners of short-term rentals are not just out-of-town conglomerates. Many of them are our very own Dallas neighbors who are responsibly trying to make a living and, even, creatively working to cover the costs of staying in their own homes. 

Statistics show that a very small percentage of these Dallas properties are even classified as “bad actor” properties. Meanwhile, an entire industry now exists that employs many workers and provides revenue in our city. This is more about ineffective administration as to code enforcement and that our code needs revisiting to put the appropriate regulatory measures in place and add more teeth to penalties to get a bad-actor owner’s attention. 

How do you feel about the Public Facility Corporation financing structure for multifamily development? 

While this is a definitive mechanism to bring more affordable housing to Dallas, the questionable issue really lands on taking a property off of the tax rolls, for a lengthy period of time, when there aren’t clear accountability and reporting requirements. For a city that struggles to fund many of our basic services, infrastructure, and school needs, removing potential tax revenue for a long period of time has to be evaluated carefully. The public benefit for any PFC project should definitely outweigh the losses in revenue in order to make sense. 

How do you plan to engage with the public and local media? 

Better engagement within my district is one of the key components of my platform. Effective engagement is more than just offering a basic council newsletter. That type of platform is good for general issues that affect the entire district as a whole, but it doesn’t reach into the specific quality-of-life issues for individual neighborhoods. I plan to have much more detailed and connected interaction with each neighborhood organization and many of the residential buildings within my district, providing tailored communication on issues that are specifically applicable to each community. 

I also plan to have a much more collaborative relationship with our police and fire departments, our DISD school administrators, trustees, parent organizations, and many of our other strategic partners involved in the arts, culture, and parks. As to local media, I will be very happy to respond to those media outlets that also engage in responsible and accurate journalism. 

How do you feel about using historic and conservation districts to preserve a neighborhood’s character? 

Creating historic and conservation districts requires extensive petition and application procedures where neighbors must come together to make those preservation decisions; so, in that regard, it’s a beneficial process that engages neighborhoods and often results in the continuation of history and the safe-keeping of the unique appeal of communities. 

I live in a conservation district myself, and my husband and I specifically sought out an older home as lovers of both the history and character of our neighborhood. Most of the conservation districts in District 14 have allowed for growth while still maintaining their original beauty and charm. We already have many existing CDs in District 14 and have not seen a neighborhood application for a new one in over a decade, so I do not foresee much more of this happening in the future, at least in our district. 

What is the role of a developer in providing affordable housing? What is the role of the city in providing affordable housing? 

Affordable housing can’t just be placed on the backs of developers. I think mixed-income, multi-family projects that involve partnerships by non-profits, private developers, and the city are the types of developments that will bring the best affordable housing to the table for all. 

What projects/needs in your district should be given priority in the 2024 bond? 

It will be a crucial time for District 14 to allocate dollars toward improvements that satisfy the basic needs of citizens first, before focusing on elaborate pet projects with a lot of bells and whistles. At the top of that list would be dollars to go toward our many infrastructure issues first and then capital improvements for public safety facilities.

Candidate: Joseph Miller

Opponent: Incumbent Paul Ridley (did not respond), Amanda Schulz

Why do you think Dallas continues to attract corporate relocations and new residents at a greater frequency than the rest of the nation? 

Dallas is a business-friendly city with two major airports in the center of the country. Also, Dallas is in a state with no income tax and gives tax breaks as an incentive to attract new corporate business.

What areas in your district could see a housing boom in the next few years?

I foresee a housing boom in Downtown as offices, are presently unoccupied. or are only partially occupied, due to more folk now working some days from home, getting transformed into modern luxury apartments all wired up for state-of-the-art communication systems.

Also, the Uptown area, between North Hall Street and Cedar Springs Road is ripe for renovation. When this happens, it will increase business activity and decrease crime.

What is occurring in your area that could poise your district for growth, and how can you support that?

Mixed-use real estate including condominiums with retail on the first/ground floor. If elected, I could support that through voter education for zoning change approval.

How can the City of Dallas improve the redistricting process, and how would that positively impact your district?

Redistrict based on the population of people actually living in Dallas based on their identification address.

How would you vote on a matter of allowing or redistricting short-term rentals in residential areas?

I would vote AGAINST short-term rentals in residential areas as these rentals cause the surrounding property values to decrease that in turn, decreases the tax revenues.

How do you feel about the Public Facility Corporation financing structure for multifamily development?

Public funding for critical projects (for example – affordable housing) is at an all-time low. As a result, this is forcing our City Councilors to seek alternative funding sources. However, unless more public funding using traditional sources becomes available, which is most unlikely in the foreseeable future, the City Council will need to explore other types of funding solutions. One such method that is gaining traction is Public Facility Corporation (PFC) financing. The PFCs are primarily used for developing mixed-income/workforce housing development where 50% of the units are reserved for families at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI).

And, the other 50% of the units are rented at the market rate. In other words, PFCs provide housing for the “missing middle,” that is the 60% to 80% of the AMI population that is not served by existing housing tax credits or other market-rate developments.

The primary goals of PFCs (see below) are noble and are designed to achieve the following:

• Ensure that all PFC projects align with Dallas’ Comprehensive Housing Policy and adhere to the broader affordable housing industry’s rent and income standards
• Takes into consideration the income of all residents living in the property and that there is no source of income discrimination at the property
• Ensure a diverse unit mix to provide housing options for families with children.

Unfortunately, we know there is no such thing as a free lunch. Whereas the City will get more affordable housing, it comes at a huge cost. Specifically, the PFC-financed developments will be taken off the property tax rolls for 75 years. That’s a huge tax break!

The tax burden shortfall will then shift to Dallas property owners. To get affordable housing, will the Dallas property owners be prepared to accept an increase in their property taxes and/or a reduction in their schools, roads (potholes), libraries, emergency services, hospital districts, and local government services?

That’s going to be the dilemma facing the 14 Dallas City Councilors.

How do you plan to engage the public and local media?

I would engage the public using town hall meetings and respond to the media in a timely manner.

How do you feel about using historic and conservation districts to preserve a neighborhood’s character?

I 100% agree with using historic and conservation districts to preserve the character of neighborhoods. People move to these neighborhoods with the expectation that their new neighborhood will not only have but also retain its ‘Old World charm,’ i.e. with its character and its traditions/attitudes and beliefs. Thus, some people are looking for their neighborhood architecture to enhance the sought-after pace of life typically associated with Europe – the “Old World,” as opposed to the “New World” of America where everything is relatively new, commercial, and faster paced.

What is the role of a developer in providing affordable housing? What is the role of the city in providing affordable housing?

The role of developers is critically important in solving the affordable housing shortage. However, we must recognize and acknowledge that developers are entitled to make a profit. The City and the developers must gain each other’s trust and work together as a team to solve the affordable housing shortage.

What projects/needs in your district should be given priority in the 2024 bond?

Provision of more walking and bicycle trails. For example, the non-profit Katy Trail in District 14, also known as the jewel in the crown is great for Dallas and for businesses.