City Hall Roundup: From Tire Fires to Tattoo Parlors
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Sometimes, the dynamics of Dallas land use and zoning don’t reveal themselves until something catches fire or a small business runs headlong into an obscure line of the development code. Here are some curveballs that came out of Dallas City Hall recently.
Tire Fire Raises Questions About Industrial Activity on Residential Properties
A massive tire fire that sent black smoke billowing across the D-FW last weekend has prompted Council Member Zarin Gracey (District 3) to examine how much industrial activity has quietly crept onto residential properties in southern Dallas.
More than 100 Dallas Fire-Rescue personnel responded Sunday to the four-alarm fire at 4529 Barstow Blvd. in the Redbird area. Firefighters were initially dispatched around 4:44 p.m. for a reported grass fire before the flames engulfed a house, collapsed its roof, and spread into trailers, gutted vehicles, and large piles of tires stored behind the residence.
Smoke could be seen as far as Carrollton, Plano, and Arlington. No injuries were reported, and nearby homes and businesses escaped the flames, but Gracey said the close call exposed larger land-use questions in the neighborhood.
“The fire originated on a residential property where approximately two acres of tires had accumulated behind the home,” Gracey said. “Because industrial properties are located nearby, many people have understandably associated this fire with those businesses. However, this incident occurred on a residential property located within a residential neighborhood.”
Gracey said preliminary observations indicate there may be nearly 200 acres of residential property in the surrounding area, with industrial activity occurring on dozens of acres intermixed among homes. His office is now working with the Planning & Development Department and other city agencies to determine how the properties are zoned, whether existing uses comply with that zoning, and whether additional safeguards are needed.
Neighbors told WFAA that 4529 Barstow Blvd. had been a longstanding nuisance, and officials noted the property had previous Code Compliance reports, including 2024 service requests for mowing, cleaning, and tire removal, although those cases were closed.
The fire followed broader concerns expressed about industrial encroachment in southern Dallas. During his 2025 reelection campaign, Gracey told CandysDirt.com that protections against industrial uses near residential neighborhoods were among the reasons he ended up supporting ForwardDallas 2.0.
“If residential properties are being used in ways that do not align with their current zoning, then we need to determine what steps should be taken moving forward,” Gracey said. “We must ensure that our zoning regulations accurately reflect how these properties are being used and whether additional safeguards are necessary to protect surrounding neighborhoods.”
Zoning Tweak Removes Restriction on Tattoo, Body Piercing Businesses
Dallas tattoo and body piercing studios will have an easier time opening in some mixed-use areas after the city council struck an unusual restriction from the city’s development code.
Officials voted 9-3 this month to amend Dallas’ form-based zoning regulations to allow tattoo and body piercing businesses as permitted personal-service uses. Previously, the code specifically prohibited such businesses from qualifying as a personal-service use, putting them in the same category as massage parlors and taxidermists.
Council Member Chad West (District 1) pushed for the change earlier this year. Along with four other council members, he requested a public hearing.
The issue had real-world consequences in Oak Cliff’s Elmwood neighborhood, where Pegasus Tattoo and Wellness owners Satchel Victory and Stephanie Adelina ran into the restriction after a building repair forced their business to relocate.
Parts of the neighborhood, including downtown Elmwood, had been rezoned under the city’s form-based code, which is intended to facilitate a more flexible, mixed-use development pattern. But that zoning also meant Pegasus could not fully operate as a tattoo studio at its new location because of proximity to a school.
In August 2024, their landlord wrote on social media about how her tenants had been denied a tattoo-shop permit because of the zoning rules. She questioned why the code barred tattoo businesses while allowing a host of other personal-service uses, arguing that permitting obstacles made it harder to fill older commercial buildings in Elmwood.
“When we changed the zoning to form-based code, we were trying to make it easier and more flexible [for] small businesses like Pegasus to help Elmwood thrive, not harder,” West said following the council vote. He characterized the restriction as “outdated and subjective” and said eliminating it could help bring older buildings back into use.
For Pegasus, the amendment also has implications beyond tattooing. Victory and Adelina said their business directs proceeds from tattoo work and events toward a community care fund they use to subsidize mental health services for people who otherwise might not be able to afford them.
“Now that we can finally operate as a tattoo space again, we can begin replenishing that fund and continue providing much-needed, affordable mental health care in Oak Cliff,” the owners said.
Business Climate Survey Goes Out Wide
The Dallas Economic Development Corporation is casting a wider net as it tries to figure out what’s helping — and hurting — businesses operating within the city limits.
Dallas EDC announced this past week that its Dallas Business Climate Survey is now open to businesses of all sizes, expanding an initiative that initially targeted the city’s 150 largest employers when it launched in July.
The confidential survey is designed to identify barriers to business growth, including workforce, real estate, and operational challenges. Dallas EDC said the results could help officials spot problems before companies consider relocating or scaling back while also guiding future city programs and investments.
“We have received great feedback from businesses that have completed the survey,” Dallas EDC CEO Linda McMahon said. “We want to understand the barriers to growth for all businesses in Dallas so that the City can be proactive in addressing those barriers.”
Dallas EDC was created following a recommendation in the city’s 2019 Economic Development Strategic Action Plan for an independent organization to lead business recruitment, retention, expansion, and marketing. McMahon, who became Dallas EDC’s first permanent CEO in 2024, previously described growing existing businesses and attracting new ones as the organization’s top priority.
Businesses of any size can take the survey by clicking here.
Cannot fathom why three of the CMs voted against the tattoo shop amendment. They’re already allowed by right in regular zoning districts!
Thank you for looking out for the Great City of Dallas.
We the voters need to look at City Council and Zoning Boards.