Activists Come Out Swinging on Both Sides of ForwardDallas Comprehensive Land Use Plan
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Just one week after Dallas plan commissioners said they didn’t want a watered-down ForwardDallas land use plan, residents showed up en masse at a public meeting to say they won’t stand for anything that threatens the integrity of their single-family neighborhoods.
During almost three hours of testimony on April 18, city plan commissioners also heard from ForwardDallas supporters who are optimistic the plan, as drafted, will make it easier to build more housing and affordable units to address a crisis they say is sending longtime residents and potential homebuyers to the suburbs.
Multiple Sides to The ForwardDallas Story
There are multiple sides to this story. Some say there is no housing crisis. Some say affordable housing and multifamily development are needed in some parts of the city, but certainly not adjacent to their longstanding single-family neighborhoods. And plenty of people still don’t know what ForwardDallas is or how it could affect them.
Using the acronyms for “Yes In My Backyard “ and “Not in My Backyard,” one spectator at last week’s meeting said the YIMBYs outnumbered the NIMBYs 3 to 1.
By our count, 46 residents addressed the City Plan Commission. Twenty-seven were in favor of the current draft; 12 were opposed. The remainder did not take a strong stance for or against the plan.
City Plan Commission Chair Tony Shidid said an extensive public engagement process began in April 2021 and has included more than 200 public meetings and events.
“Your participation and feedback have been invaluable in shaping this document,” Shidid said to the crowd gathered at last week’s meeting. “There has been a range of discussions and opinions surrounding this update — some factual and accurate, and some not … Your voices are crucial and we hear you.”
Video from the April 18 ForwardDallas public hearing can be viewed here. Video from an April 11 ForwardDallas CPC workshop can be viewed here.
Forward Dallas is a comprehensive plan that is distinct from zoning.
A comprehensive plan is a plan for the long-term development of the city and is governed by Chapter 213 of the local government code, while zoning is governed by Chapter 211, officials with the Planning and Urban Design Department explained at the April 18 meeting.
“A comprehensive plan does not rezone any property,” a staff member read from the code. “The comprehensive plan serves merely as a guide for rezoning requests rather than as a mandatory restriction on the city’s ability to regulate land use.”
The Case Against ForwardDallas
Urban planner and Swiss Avenue resident Jim Anderson said the proposed land use plan is about density, not affordability.
“State law dictates that zoning must follow the comprehensive plan, so this is the camel’s nose under the tent,” he said. “How do we control the changes? You’re going to divide a single-family lot into six units, and they’re going to sell for what price? Is there a plan to make them affordable? I don’t think so. This is scary. This is going to change the dynamics of the city.”
District 7 resident Jose Rivas said he understood that ForwardDallas does not rezone but gives city policymakers the guidance to rezone.
“Our [Parkdale] neighborhood was built in 1926,” he said. “Most of our homes were built in the late 1940s into the ‘50s. We are not protected by a neighborhood stabilization overlay, a conservation district, or a preservation district. I am here to speak on behalf of our residents that we are opposed to what is going to happen based on the guidance provided by ForwardDallas. We ask you to make protections for neighborhoods that have been around for a very long time that will be disrupted by the actions of this committee.”
Several speakers requested a single-family placetype be added to the plan.
District 14 resident Melanie Vanlandingham said she felt bad for the young people in the audience because they “have been terribly misguided.”
“Staff admits that this is not about affordability or affordable homes,” she said. “You heard every single one of them say ‘affordable,’ and that’s not what this is. It doesn’t promote protecting homeowners threatened by rising land valuations and taxes. It doesn’t propose any of the programs initiated in other cities to keep residents in their homes or to promote affordability. It doesn’t maximize areas around DART stations to build those new walkable, single-family neighborhoods or even vibrant high-density units.”
ForwardDallas promotes warehouses along major corridors, Vanlandingham added.
“Why is ForwardDallas promoting and protecting warehouses instead of planning for more neighborhoods?” she said. “Give us a single-family placetype without multifamily. Keep your infill out of our neighborhoods.”
Some of the criticism surrounded the lack of Spanish translation at community meetings. Opponents of the plan repeatedly suggested that additional housing be built on vacant land rather than in existing neighborhoods.
Addressing The Dallas Housing Crisis
Home prices have nearly tripled over the last six years, according to the Dallas market value analysis, said District 10 resident Adam Lamont, a founding member of Dallas Neighbors for Housing.
“Those who want to water down ForwardDallas are looking to maintain a status quo,” Lamont said. “That is simply not working.”
Real estate developer Valerie Ballard said she supports housing for everyone. Ballard said she lives in an accessory dwelling unit she built 30 years ago.
“People are moving out of Dallas,” she said. “We’re losing our Dallas people because they cannot afford to stay. As a developer in District 8 in the area … across from UNT Dallas, we need density. I urge you to go forward.”
The Argument For ForwardDallas
Pro-ForwardDallas speakers addressed the need for affordable rental properties and a history of environmental racism that has occurred in Dallas due in part to an antiquated land use plan. One man said a friend was recently hospitalized and has a cancer diagnosis, due to industrial land uses in Joppa.
“He’s moved heaven and earth working on this map to wipe away the discrimination that makes it hard to breathe in Joppa,” the speaker said. “I know many people have adverse reactions and don’t like ADUs and duplexes, but as far as I know, they don’t give you cancer.”
Others focused their comments specifically on the need for context-sensitive missing middle housing and community residential placetypes.
“Some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city have small multifamily homes that blend beautifully with the other homes in the neighborhood,” Nate Hemby said. “In my part of town, Winnetka Heights, King’s Highway, and Kidd Springs are some of the most sought-after parts of the city, and they’re dotted with the types of homes that are going to be encouraged again by the current version of the plan.”
Lakewood Heights resident David Shinn said ForwardDallas was imperfect but necessary.
“One of the things that’s been striking to me this evening is the generational divide between the speakers,” he said. “We have a group of older, established single-family homeowners who are simply looking to protect their homes. We have a group of younger folks who are simply looking for hope and a way to live in our city. What’s ForwardDallas about? Are we looking to the past or are we looking toward our future? My biggest fear is that CPC or council is going to gut this document and make it ineffective.”
What’s Next For ForwardDallas
The next ForwardDallas public hearing is set for 6 to 9 p.m. May 9. In the meantime, the City Plan Commission continues to meet weekly to incorporate feedback and edit the draft.
Review the ForwardDallas draft here and the latest placetype map here.
