City Hall Roundup: Dallas Approves CityBuild’s 36-Unit Bonton Gardens Apartment Project 

The Dallas City Council gave the green light earlier this month to Bonton Gardens, a new multifamily development in Southern Dallas. 

A complicated development agreement included approving the sale of two Land Transfer Program lots to CityBuild Community Development Corporation and revoking a previous agreement with Notre Dame Place Inc. 

The project is proposed to include 26 rental units at 6106 and 6116 Bexar St. and will be combined with a lot already owned by CityBuild at 6112 Bexar St.,  

District 7 Councilman Adam Bazaldua highlighted the efforts of Bonton Farms, which has addressed an area historically known as a food desert and provided jobs to formerly incarcerated individuals.  

“They have definitely been a force to be reckoned with, with all of the resources and quality-of-life improvements they have brought to South Dallas and Southern Dallas,” Bazaldua said. “They have expanded their portfolio to bring more grocery options into the community with Grocery Connect in partnership with Kroger and also working with Methodist. We have now been approved for our medical clinic in Bonton and now this is going to bring 36 affordable housing units to the community.”

Land Transfer Program

The purpose of the City’s Land Transfer Program, according to this April 5 memorandum from Assistant City Manager Majed Al-Ghafry, is to incentivize the development of quality, sustainable housing that is affordable to Dallas residents and the development of other uses that complement the City’s Comprehensive Housing Policy, Economic Development Policy, or redevelopment policy. 

“Specifically, the LTP authorizes the City to sell qualifying City-owned real property and resell tax-foreclosed real property to for-profit, non-profit, and/or religious organizations in a direct sale at less than fair market value of the land, consistent with the authorizing state statute or the City ordinance,” the memo states. 

Interim Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization Director Cynthia Ellickson explained that the original developer withdrew from the project and “CityBuild stepped up.” 

“The project has changed; that’s why several things are being rescinded,” Ellickson said. “They no longer want 17 lots. They want only two. We’re no longer giving them grant funds.” 

The remaining 15 land transfer lots will be reverted back to the city until another request for development is submitted, Ellickson said.