Podcast: Is Dallas’ Multi-Family Zoning Debate Even a Debate, or Is It Necessary?
Share News:
Mention the words “multi-family” and “rezoning” around any North Texas homeowner and you might take cover for the fireworks. Those words are hot on the lips of some Dallas residents right now, who say they want to protect the integrity of their neighborhoods — and are voicing their concern to their elected city council members. Seeking insights on the ongoing discourse surrounding up-zoning lots in single-family neighborhoods, host Candy Evans turned to land use consultant and longtime Dallasite, Dallas Cothrum of Masterplan in this episode of Dallas Dirt.
The Linchpin
The debate began when Dallas City Council Member Chad West co-authored an official city memo last month, urging the council and city staff to examine the City of Austin’s approach to affordable housing — increase housing density to create more addresses.
In doing so, he sparked a flurry of opinions from homeowner advocates who don’t want to open that can of worms, so to speak. The memo requested a city council discussion to explore allowing vacant lots in single-family neighborhoods to be rezoned as gentle multi-family use, or duplexes and triplexes, West clarified for us in a previous episode of Dallas Dirt. It’s not policy; it’s just a discussion, the Oak Cliff councilman says. [This feels like a Jerry Maguire moment; it was just a mission statement.]
Right Idea, Wrong Approach?
“I think Chad West was trying to invoke some decision-making here and move the needle,” Cothrum told Candy. “I don’t think it was the right way to do it, but I give all five of those [city council members] praise for having some courage to put their name on it and have this idea get out there. I think there’s no way this isn’t going to pass.”
And though there’s no official agenda item to debate, or even directly address this concept, Cothrum has been party to hundreds of contentious zoning discussions with citizens. He weighed in on what such a zoning variance would look like.
“Allowing duplexes and triplexes and so on in single-family neighborhoods is terrible,” Cothrum said. “It’s changing the rules in the middle of the game. But if the neighbors want that protection, they have to give up that on the perimeters of their neighborhoods, it has to be more dense.”
Perimeter rezoning was one of West’s points on the Dallas Dirt podcast, comparing it to historic duplexes and fourplexes you’ll find in Highland Park, where the estates’ staff lived in the early 21st century.
Do NIMBY Opinions Matter?
Cothrum says he hears resident opposition often in his role at Masterplan, and the consensus is generally the same.
“It’s always, ‘Oh, I love your project, but it needs to be over there.’ Well, the people over there say it needs to be here,” Cothrum says.
But Cothrum controversially argues that the most vocal opponents of denser residential zoning are often the least influential on developers.
“At almost any community meeting, you get all these people that have opinions that retailers aren’t interested in,” he says. “Retailers are geared towards people aged 16 to 35, or women slightly older than that […] because they go out more, they buy more drinks, they buy more things, they donate to the church, and that goes a long way.”
“I believe we’re losing a lot of these young professional people who never live in Dallas to start with. They just rent something in Las Colinas or West Plano, and then that’s where they buy a house. Those are places that are successfully getting a lot of that 20 percent discretionary spending because they live there, they work there, they make friends there, and they stay there.”
About the podcast: Dallas Dirt is a weekly audio and video podcast hosted by Candy Evans. Listeners and viewers are invited to share their comments and suggestions at [email protected]. Dallas Dirt is accepting pitches for local Dallas and Texas-based podcast guests. PR requests and guest submissions may be emailed to [email protected]. Advertising and episode sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact [email protected] to inquire.
2 Comments
Leave a Comment
It is a conversation that needs to be had, it isn’t like an apartment tower is going to be built on the vacant single lot next to your home. I believe there is room for neighborhood-appropriate duplexes and triplexes in the conversation.
As a native Dallasite turned Houstonian living in an upscale inner city single family neighborhood from the 1920’s, we have like the Highland Park example, duplexes, fourplex apartments, and several 10-12 unit 1960’s garden apartments and 1970s two story townhomes that were built when the deed restrictions lapsed. (They have since been renewed for only single family detached dwellings). It has certainly not affected our property values or the desirability of the neighborhood. New builds are $2.0m+, lots start at $575K. No one seems to mind the variances and, honestly, they give the neighborhood a little more character. If the idea floating is for vacant lots to be upzoned, that hardly seems like an issue for anyone north, northwest or northeast of Downtown to worry about. In those areas, the cost of the land alone would not make upzoned affordable housing a reality.