Council Says No to Duplexes in East Dallas’ Mount Auburn Neighborhood
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The Dallas City Council recently denied three zoning requests for duplexes in the Mount Auburn neighborhood, prompting a larger discussion on the need for self-determination in areas that have been threatened by what residents perceive as incompatible high-density development.
Residents at the Jan. 8 council meeting who spoke out against duplexes in their neighborhood considered the denials a victory, but is Mount Auburn protected from gentrification in the long term? Several elected officials suggested an authorized hearing or conservation district is needed to tighten up the area’s Planned Development District and ensure that teardowns are limited.
Located off Grand Avenue near Interstate 30, the East Dallas neighborhood of Mount Auburn was developed in 1907 and is within Planned Development District 134, created in 1982. Over there you’ll find El Taco Loco (and tons of other taco spots) and Kalachandji’s, a Hare Krishna temple that is also home to one of the most popular vegetarian restaurants in the city. It’s a burgeoning area that’s been attracting new teardown development
Last week’s proposals came from property owner Hector Valdez, who said he wants to build duplexes at 5409 Garland Ave., 5023 Garland Ave., and 412 Wayne St.
“There’s nothing we can fix,” he said. “Even if we wouldn’t do a duplex we’ve got to tear it out and build a big home … I don’t see any reason why it has to be denied.”
The City Plan Commission recommended denial of all three projects, meaning a supermajority or three-fourths of the council would have to vote in favor for those recommendations to be overturned. The council ultimately denied all three requests “with prejudice,” meaning the property owner has to wait two years before bringing back a new plan.
Mount Auburn has remained a stronghold for East Dallas’ working-class residents who have consistently campaigned for the retention and betterment of single-family homes, streets, and parks, residents with the Neighborhood Coalition of Dallas said in an email distributed before last week’s council meeting.
“The purpose of the PD is to protect our affordable neighborhood housing,” Mount Auburn resident Karen Roberts said. “Allowing [these] single-family [lots] to be zoned duplex will exacerbate the demolition of affordable homes in Mount Auburn and accelerate the gentrification of this historic, affordable neighborhood.”
Jesse Moreno Stands Up for Mount Auburn
District 2 Councilmember Jesse Moreno, who represents the Mount Auburn area, said he was deeply concerned about the rezoning requests. He painstakingly ticked off city policies and statements in the ForwardDallas 2.0 comprehensive land use plan that would be violated or inconsistent at best if the rezonings were approved.
“Maintaining the fabric of existing communities while ensuring affordability must be the critical mission of the city,” Moreno said of the first rezoning request at 5409 Garland Avenue. “Introducing new duplexes interferes with the existing fabric of this community and it will certainly not be an affordable option. We must not continue to gentrify our communities at the expense of those who worked so hard to get here in the first place.”
Councilmember Paul Ridley said the Mount Auburn zoning cases represent a citywide issue: “Whether we want to support the gentrification of an existing affordable housing neighborhood and the self-determination that we all, I think, espouse support for.”
“If we approve this density increase, we are going to see a flood of these applications in future days and it’s going to forever change the character of this neighborhood,” Ridley said. “That’s not something I want to see … It’s one of the few remaining naturally affordable housing areas in the city. We need to preserve that character and that affordability.”
Homes Are ‘Getting Torn Down Anyway’
Councilmember Jaynie Schultz pointed out that teardowns are already occurring in Mount Auburn, regardless of how the land is zoned.
“If the house is getting torn down anyway because your neighborhood is vulnerable, then what’s the difference between a duplex and a single-family [home]?” Schultz asked.
The duplexes are about $1 million projects and cost $4,000 a month in rent whereas single-family homes in the area are about $800,000, Roberts said.
“They can make more money on a duplex,” she said.
Schultz said the city needs a tool to prevent the “suffocation of neighborhoods with McMansions.”
“Because there’s no leadership effort to try to preserve this neighborhood at this time, I see no reason not to add housing when the square footage is the same as a single-family home,” she said.
The duplexes have no front yard and create additional on-street parking and drainage problems, claimed residents who opposed the rezonings.
“They are much more expensive than existing homes, lead to gentrification, and push out lower-income residents, especially renters,” one Mount Auburn resident said in an email obtained by CandysDirt.com.
Will Dallas Allow Multifamily in Single-Family Neighborhoods?
Zoning cases such as the ones considered last week are a test for elected officials, said Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn.
“The test is, will we allow a single-family neighborhood to become multifamily?” she said. “We have greatly increased the percentage of renters in Dallas over the last five years, more than 10%. The ForwardDallas mantra that density creates affordable housing has actually been proven false with this specific case. What will happen is actually this change will greatly raise the property value of the surrounding neighbors and their taxes … It’s literally removing affordable single-family homes to make way for unaffordable duplexes.”
Landscape architect Melanie Vanlandingham pointed out that Dallasites were told that “under ForwardDallas 2.0, [planned developments] were explicitly protected.”
“This case violates this PD zoning,” she said. “This PD says this lot is single-family and it stays single-family. This PD, albeit old, was ahead of its time. It knew that duplexes were important and single-family was important and it kept that mix … Upzoning single-family lots here under the guise of more duplexes actually results in and incentivizes even more teardowns of existing affordable single-family homes.”
Teardowns drive out middle-income multigenerational families, she added.
“If you upzone, you are guaranteeing demolition of a single-family house,” she said. “This neighborhood deserves to be protected as it is.”
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Thank you very much April for covering this hearing at City Council. Those of us who worked so hard to have these cases denied know we are not just working to protect Mt. Auburn, but similar, vulnerable neighborhoods throughout Dallas. We are grateful for those residents of other neighborhoods and the Neighborhood Coalition who stood with us in this challenge. We won a battle, but know the war continues and we must band together.
We are also very grateful for the leadership from District 2 Plan Commissioner, Joanna Hampton and Councilman Jesse Moreno. Their dedication and hard work made all the difference.
Thank you for helping Dallas residents see these threats to all neighborhoods. The Dallas Planning staff is hell-bent on tearing down SF houses to build multi-plexes. Councilman Moreno also cited many falsehoods that planning staff used to justify their support of these cases, as they often do. They spend zero time determining or communicating real consequences of the latest fad they are pushing. Next up this week: staff wants to eliminate parking requirements everywhere and force all parking onto the street – including parking for apartments, homes, businesses, restaurants, and bars. All that parking will instead be in your neighborhood. Dallas needs planners and leaders who won’t sacrifice our existing neighborhoods.
It’s time to take responsible action. Investing in underdeveloped areas can foster thriving, tax-paying communities. The city’s priority should be to encourage this growth, rather than hinder it. Stifling growth not only harms the city but also results in our skilled workforce paying taxes to other locations.
We need to face the reality on the ground. Long-term homeowners are violating regulations by converting single-family homes into overcrowded, substandard living spaces. This situation cannot be tolerated any longer!
Additionally, let’s not say that duplexes create parking issues. Many of the “classical” homes in the area already house multiple families under one address, and their entire front yards are turning into parking lots, along with the streets, to accommodate the 20 people living in a single home!
It’s time to act responsibly. Investing in underdeveloped areas can create a thriving, tax-paying community. The city should prioritize encouraging this growth, rather than stifling it. Suppressing growth harms the city and leads our skilled labor force to contribute taxes to other cities.
We need to take action now. It’s important to recognize the reality on the ground. Long-term homeowners are violating regulations by converting single-family homes into overcrowded, substandard living spaces. This situation can no longer be tolerated!
Additionally, please don’t claim that duplexes create parking problems. Many of the “classical” homes in the area already accommodate several families under one roof, and their front yards are becoming parking lots, along with the streets, to accommodate the many people living in a single home.
I get it. Young people want to move here and have a nice home, but at what cost? Pushing out legacy homeowners because you want their dirt? This is not good for Dallas. There are lots of undeveloped/underdeveloped areas ready for new builds. Here is a thought: tear down all the crappy, old apartments in North Dallas and redevelop it as condos. Same difference; same displacement.
First of all no one is forcing to sell or pushing out anyone; this is the USA, you have to have willing buyer and a willing seller for a transaction to happen.
This is another example where is City of Dallas has created a mess with zoning; how can you allow a duplex on one lot and not on another lot when they are right next to each other. If you already have allowed for duplexes, why hurt other property owners by not allowing them to decide how they want to develop their property, do as I say not as I do.
Also, if the City is against Duplexes in Mount Auburn, they should go through the entire neighborhood and close down all non-confirming duplexes. If a lot is zones as a SF why are landlords allowed to rent them as a duplexes. Even the City has given two address and two water meters to SF homes converted “overnight” without permits to duplexes.
The new duplexes that were built in Mount Auburn have ground level garages and open air parking up front. And they look really good. Residents in the duplexes generally park off the street, while most people in the older residences park on the street. It’s true that the new construction increases property values in the neighborhood, and hence, increases property tax and is partially responsible for rent increases. That’s the real concern. It’s easy to overlook that increased house values Is also a good thing. Equity of property value gains is like more money in the bank. Property values in Mount Auburn have greatly increased over the years. The new builds and renovations increase resale value and make the neighborhood more desirable. The real fight for the Mount Auburn neighborhood should be against the out of control high property taxes that eat up our equity gains. Cleaning up the neighborhood and adding some traffic lights (synchronized to slow down speeders) on East Grand (State Highway 78) are definitely worthy projects. Speed bumps are not allowed on the state highway. And it would be a big plus if residents parked in their driveways and garages. Duplexes are not the problem. Restricting quads and larger builds like apartment buildings might be a better fight to avoid making the neighborhood population high density. New construction, renovations, and even new duplexes are improvements, not problems.
I live in a single family house in Mount Auburn and park my two vehicles on my property under a portico. I have no vested interest in the new construction or duplexes, other than appreciation of seeing the neighborhood improve.