City Hall Roundup: Development Code Change Would Protect Tenth Street Historic Homes From Demolition
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The Dallas City Council is expected to vote Feb. 28 on a code update to protect historic homes from demolition when they fall into disrepair.
Neighborhoods such as Southern Dallas’ historic Tenth Street are watching closely. A code amendment would repeal a 2010 ordinance that they say has had a disproportionately negative impact on Black neighborhoods.
During a 10-hour City Plan Commission meeting Jan. 18, residents spoke in favor of changing a subsection of the development code that deals with certificates of “demolition for a residential structure with no more than 3,000 square feet of floor area pursuant to a court order.”
James McGee, president and CEO of Southern Dallas Progress Community Development Corporation, said he’s anxious to see what happens when the matter goes before the Dallas City Council.
“It is important because most if not all of the homes on Tenth Street are smaller than 3,000 square feet,” he told CandysDirt.com. “It makes it harder to demolish homes and Tenth Street has had over 50 demos.”
Preservation Dallas Executive Director Carolyn Howard said she supports the removal of this section of the Dallas development code.
“It has disproportionately affected low-income districts including Tenth Street and Wheatley Place,” she said.
The ordinance as it stands doesn’t get rid of blight; it gets rid of “adorable little historic houses that are serving the excellent purpose of housing families,” said Dallas resident Evelyn Montgomery.
“A nice row of intact historical homes tell us more about the history of Dallas than one mansion, and yet mansions can be allowed to fall apart for quite some time and the Landmark Commission could stop them,” she said.
Mockingbird Lane Accidents Prompt Traffic Study, Petition For Signal
The Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate reported that a fatal vehicle crash on Mockingbird Lane in early January prompted action from neighbors and the Dallas transportation department.
Neighbors started a petition for a traffic light at Mockingbird and Dalewood lanes.
“Something needs to be done to ensure homeowners, as well as drivers, are safe,” resident Nancy Marsh told The Advocate.
District 9 Councilwoman Paula Blackmon took notice and requested a comprehensive traffic study.
“Staff will collect traffic, speed, and accident data for this segment of Mockingbird to identify mitigation measures,” the Advocate reported. “They will also conduct traffic signal warrant analyses at the intersection of Mockingbird with Hillgreen and Dalewood/Chapel Hill.:
Cedar Crest Community Center Renovated
The 50-year-old Cedar Crest Community Center reopened Jan. 11 after a massive renovation project.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the 7.9-acre site on Hutchins Road, where the nonprofit Behind Every Door Ministries is setting up shop.
BED Ministries “purchased the community center to restore the important asset to the South Oak Cliff community with $10 million in funding assistance from the New Markets Tax Credit program and the Dallas Development Fund,” according to a city press release.
The community center will serve more than 3,000 low-income community members. It features a fitness room, sports fields, and health clinics.
