Residents Demand Single-Family Neighborhood Protection at ForwardDallas Public Hearing

More than 60 residents returned to City Hall on Thursday night for a second public hearing on an updated draft version of the ForwardDallas comprehensive land use plan. The document is under review by the City Plan Commission and will be presented to the City Council in the fall, officials said last week. 

City staff began updating the plan over a year ago and say they hope the document will streamline processes. For example, when a developer submits a rezoning request for a particular use within a particular “placetype,” CPC commissioners and council members have a guiding document to point to when saying, “We can’t do that. It doesn’t align with the plan.” 

Texas municipalities are required to have a comprehensive land use plan. The draft ForwardDallas iteration is a “2.0” update of a document adopted in 2006. While it’s referenced in every zoning case that goes before a governing body, it isn’t always followed. 

Critics of the plan say it will make it easier to put duplexes and triplexes within or adjacent to single-family neighborhoods. 

Planning Director Says ForwardDallas Land Use Plan Won’t Be Ready For Council Review Until Fall

ForwardDallas is Still Not About Zoning

City Plan Commission Chair Tony Shidid emphasized that while some of the public feedback has offered valuable insight that could reshape ForwardDallas, some feedback stems from confusion or misinformation. 

“I recently had a thoughtful discussion with a homeowner who had plans to remodel his home but has opted to postpone the project after hearing he would be losing his single-family zoning,” Shidid said. “This is of course incorrect. ForwardDallas is not a rezoning document nor does it recommend such changes. Rezoning requests will still go through the same rigorous process. Regardless of the final draft, ForwardDallas would not change any zoning designations.”

District 1 Plan Commissioner Christian Chernock told CandysDirt.com after Thursday’s meeting he remains concerned that an effort to please everyone will result in a watered-down plan. 

“ForwardDallas and density is the zoning equivalent of planting a tree. It’s thinking about the future,” he said.  

Watch Thursday’s ForwardDallas public hearing here. 

What’s New About ForwardDallas 

The CPC has met frequently over the past month, working with staff to make changes and incorporate the feedback they’ve received. 

Chief Planner Lawrence Agu gave a brief overview Thursday about how public feedback is informing CPC discussions and revisions to the draft document. 

In 2006, there was one residential classification, called a “building block” rather than a placetype, that included everything from single-family to multifamily neighborhoods. Residents wanted a more nuanced distinction between single-family neighborhoods and apartment communities, Agu said. 

“We’ve gone from just one residential neighborhood building block to three placetypes in ForwardDallas — the small-town residential, community residential, and city residential,” Agu said. “Aside from the rural-focused residential community, which is the small-town residential, community residential is the only placetype that shows single-family as a primary use. Its intent is to be focused on single-family.” 

Planners also are giving more consideration to industrial uses in the updated version. Of the 63 speakers at Thursday’s meeting, 24 were in favor, 32 were against, and seven were either neutral or spoke solely about environmental justice concerns.

Protection For Single-Family Neighborhoods

Critics of the plan repeatedly said Thursday that ForwardDallas would not solve or even address housing affordability. 

Tom DuPree said he’s attended seven meetings regarding ForwardDallas, and a common thread is a strong desire to ensure the integrity of single-family neighborhoods. 

“Multifamily dwellings, childcare, senior care homes, ADUs, or ancillary structures should not be permitted in single-family neighborhoods without [specific use permits],” he said. “Nothing in ForwardDallas addresses this problem.” 

John Botefuhr said he worked on the Garland Road Vision Plan and understands the concept of a broad plan to forward the vision of the city. 

“Take away the dot on the multifamily on the community residential and let’s think about this,” he said. “In 10 years, if we’ve outgrown and [we’re] bursting at the seams in the corridors, then let’s start looking at a more detailed plan in that yellow area and maybe make a few more colors.”

District 14 Park and Recreation board member Rudy Karimi explained that he tried to rally support for a skate park near the Glencoe neighborhood last year and withdrew the proposal because the neighbors didn’t want it. 

“People were heard, their concerns were noted, and the plan changed,” Karimi said. “Give the power to the people. They are telling you what they want. It doesn’t look like you’re listening.”

He suggested that single-family residential should be added as its own placetype without multiplexes. Further, he said neighborhoods should be able to “opt-out” of the land use plan in the name of neighborhood self-determination, “not at the zoning level because it’s too late.” 

The Case For More Housing Options

Paul Carden advocated for supporting uses such as churches, schools, and parks in the community residential placetype. 

“Supporting uses, though not the primary use, are really important for our older and transit-oriented neighborhoods,” he said. “For us, the inflexibility that some are proposing for the community residential placetype of just pure single-family, while that may work for some neighborhoods, it does not work for all neighborhoods.” 

Carden added that in his neighborhood, he’s seen a quadplex converted to a single-family home and a homeowner who now lives in a van because he was displaced. 

“What I see [is a proposal to] make it all single-family detached,” he said. “It’s displacement by right and collaboration by exception.” 

About 10 advocates with Dallas Neighbors for Housing presented a slide deck during the public hearing and each used their one minute of speaking time to refer to a different slide in the presentation. 

“We’re here to represent the 53 percent of Dallas residents 35 and younger — the kids, as we’ve been called,” said Nate Hemby. “We’re advocating tonight for a city that’s liveable and affordable for everyone, not just for the current homeowners.” 

West Dallas resident Stephanie Champion said density alone would not guarantee affordability. 

“ForwardDallas is a necessary first step, but it must be coupled with housing policy,” she said. “Density should never be allowed by right but it can and should be tied to deed-restricted affordability.” 

More Information on ForwardDallas

The Dallas Planning and Urban Design Department provided the following links for those who wish to learn more about the plan and the input that’s been received thus far. 

• View the FAQ page.
• View the Resource page.
• View the May 2 ForwardDallas Briefing. 
• View the April 18 CPC ForwardDallas Public Hearing.
• View the April 11 ForwardDallas Workshop.

Upcoming meetings include a CPC special briefing and public hearing at 9 a.m. June 17, and regularly scheduled briefings and public hearings at 9 a.m. May 16, June 6, and June 20.