Citing Code Issues With Stemmons Building, Development Services Moves Back to Oak Cliff Municipal Center

There’s been some recent buzz about how the office responsible for issuing building permits had to vacate its new building because it didn’t have the proper permits. 

That’s not exactly how it went down, according to Assistant City Manager Majed Al-Ghafry, but the department — which has struggled recently to improve permit turnaround times and retain staff — did in fact move out of its newly inhabited home at 2800 Stemmons Freeway and back to the Oak Cliff Municipal Center. 

Al-Ghafry sent the following email to Dallas City Council members on April 2. 

This email is to inform you that to ensure our Development Services staff in the 7800 Stemmons location can continue their work uninterrupted, we will relocate them back to the old Oak Cliff Municipal Center (OCMC) effective immediately. This move is the result of additional facility improvements recently identified at their current location that necessitates moving existing staff in the building back to OCMC for the time being. The remaining improvements include work on the fire suppression system, IT equipment, connectivity, elevator work, and other key tenant improvements.

Employees will remain in OCMC until all improvements to 7800 Stemmons are complete. There will be no partial move back.  For the short term, we will continue to collaborate with IT, Building Services, the Bond Office, and Development Services to conduct a comprehensive assessment of required facility updates along with available and potential funding gaps for immediate needs. 

We will continue to communicate this important information to all our internal and external stakeholders in a timely manner. Our goal is to finish the work expeditiously and to move staff back once the building is complete. An exact timeline is not available as of today, but we will update you as soon as we learn additional information.

Majed Al-Ghafry, Assistant City Manager

In response to inquiries and the real estate community, Al-Ghafry issued another “official statement relating to the matter.”

The building at 7800 Stemmons is functional even while tenant improvements in some floors are taking place. There remain a few building enhancements to update on the floors that Development Services will occupy such as fire panels, work on two of the four elevators, and minor plumbing work to a few bathrooms.

However, to keep work uninterrupted and ensure staff is only focused on development services tasks, I, Majed Al-Ghafry, representative of the City Manager’s Office, directed staff of about 50 co-workers to return back to OCMC so we can complete the improvements expeditiously, without interruptions. When all enhancements are completed, the entire Development Services Department at OCMC will move to 7800 Stemmons permanently.  I will keep you updated on the progress and the full move back periodically.

There has never been a life or safety issue with the building, including structural, fire, HVAC, lighting, or major plumbing issues.  City staff in charge of the enhancements have always been on the premises to monitor and report challenges or issues relating to the building, and they log all activities relating to the enhancements.

Majed Al-Ghafry, Assistant City Manager