Sam Eskander is Dallas’ Chief Building Official and He Couldn’t be Happier

It’s rare to find a city government employee who loves his job and enjoys being around his coworkers. Like, really loves his job and enjoys being around his coworkers. 

When I reached out to Sam Eskander last week to ask him about his new gig as Dallas’ chief building inspector and deputy director of Planning and Development, I looped in the Fort Knox that is the City of Dallas Communications Department and revealed my motives. I just want to get to know this new chief building inspector who has what we in real estate consider one of the most important jobs on Jefferson Boulevard.

Eskander replied immediately, said he’d do it, and there was no need to send questions in advance by email. He’d do it on Teams; he’d do it on Zoom. He’d probably do it on a boat or in a moat or with green eggs and ham. Suffice it to say that my first impression of Sam Eskander is that he’s a pretty nice guy and, more importantly, he’s transparent about the operations of a city department that’s been under heavy scrutiny. 

Chief Building Official 

After finding out last week he’d passed a series of exams to earn his “CBO” — chief building official — certification, Eskander’s promotion was sealed and the 18-year city employee is now tasked with ensuring that permitting turnaround times remain reasonable, a public-facing dashboard is presenting accurate data, and morale is high in a department that’s had a rough few years. 

The backstory on permitting and building inspections is lengthy and complicated. Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert merged Planning and Urban Design with the Development Services Department (DSD) in June to create the new Planning and Development Department. Emily Liu was hired to lead the merged operation. The role of Andrew Espinoza, who was serving as both chief building official and Development Services Director, was eliminated.

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The consensus around City Hall is to move forward rather than dwell on the past. Eskander, who joined the City of Dallas in 2006 as a civil engineer, already has a solid reputation among the building community and his peers. 

Jeff Dworkin and Alan Hoffmann, past presidents of the Dallas Builders Association, told me recently that they serve on a small committee of industry leaders that meets quarterly with city officials and they’ve seen positive change at City Hall in recent months. 

“We’ve got good people there,” Hoffmann said. “I’ve known Sam for years. He’s a really good guy. They’re trying. They’re very systemic now, whereas previously — and I’m not going to trash them — it was more for soundbites and show.” 

In a Dec. 2 meeting of the Dallas City Council’s Economic Development Committee, Liu and Interim Assistant City Manager Robin Bentley highlighted Eskander’s hard work in improving the commercial permitting turnaround times and contacting builders with permit applications that have been pending for more than 180 days.

Until recently, there were more than 10,000 “dead” permits in the system. And because some inspectors were entering commercial permits with the prefix “COM” and others used “COMM,” the data was inaccurate. It’s now been fixed and the dashboard reflects a significant decrease in turnaround times. 

“Every once in a while, you’ll see a month where the approval median will jump to 800 or 900 days, and that’s because they approved one permit that’s been sitting there for two or three years,” Bentley said. “If we get rid of those out of the system, we’ll stop seeing those data spikes and we’ll start seeing a more realistic turnaround time.” 

Eskander has also been praised for setting a culture change in which team members reach out to builders and developers by phone when there’s a problem with a permit. 

“[That’s] the most amazing thing I’ve heard in the longest time … I think it’s a huge change to go from just denying something to picking up the phone,” said Councilmember Kathy Stewart in last week’s Eco Dev committee meeting. “You’ve made my day, my year. Thank you for that small change that really is dramatically huge in terms of its impact on everybody in your department and the people who are … interacting with the city.” 

The Interim Assistant City Manager Bentley added that she’s been “nothing but impressed with the level of talent and expertise in the Planning and Development Department, on the permitting side and the zoning side and the planning side.” 

“These are smart experts,” she said. “I think they just needed to be empowered. Thank you to Emily and her team for spreading that message and changing the culture.” 

Who is Sam Eskander?

And why do some people refer to him as “Mina”? Eskander’s full name is Mina Samuell Eskander. His parents were born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, and came to Dallas for his father’s architecture career. The building official was born in Lewisville and has been in North Texas for his entire life, earning a degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. 

“My dad used to take me to work on summer breaks, and he would take me around downtown Dallas and show me buildings that he designed,” Eskander said. “I was really fascinated. I loved it so much. Dallas has always had a really special place in my heart. I wanted to be a part of Dallas.” 

He married a girl who grew up in Brooklyn but whose parents are also from Egypt, and they have four children ranging in age from 11 to 2 years old. 

Eskander, 43, began his career in Dallas working with builders on their engineering plans and then walking them over to the permitting department to complete the process. 

“I’ve been building relationships over these 18 years with builders, developers, engineers, surveyors, contractors, even attorneys,” he said. “I’m really thankful that everyone has looked to me as a problem-solver. I’ve been doing it for so long and a lot of people have me on speed dial. I’m glad I can be there for them and help them out.” 

Improving Efficiency

Interim City Manager Tolbert’s strategic decision to merge planning with development services was “actually an excellent step,” Eskander said. 

“We used to be merged; we used to be one department back in the day,” he said. “Now we’re merged again, and this is a good thing for us. Being separated, I saw silos between the departments.” 

For example, Development Services wasn’t involved in the creation or review of Dallas’ numerous Planned Development Districts but they were tasked with issuing permits within those highly-nuanced zones. 

“We don’t have a full understanding of the intent of the PDs and there’s always been a gap in communication between us and them,” Eskander said. “Now that we’re merged … we took the permitting plans examiners and put them under the same umbrella with the planners that review the PDs. Now they’re all one team. There’s better collaboration; there’s better communication. Whenever a PD is adopted, the message is communicated all the way throughout the whole team. That should eliminate or reduce a lot of mistakes that occurred in the past.” 

One could surmise Eskander is referring to Elm Thicket, where some builders recently were ordered to stop work on residential projects that were permitted and approved based on outdated zoning regulations. Some builders have changed and resubmitted their plans, and some are appealing the stop-work orders or requesting variances through the Dallas Board of Adjustment. 

Eskander said that in the midst of organizational changes, Tolbert came to visit the newly merged department twice. 

“The fact that she came to us and spoke to us showed us that she’s with us and for us and here to help us,” Eskander said. “It’s rare for a city manager to come visit us. That really meant a lot to the department. The second time she came, I saw smiles that I had not seen in a very long time.”

The Planning and Development Department is stacked with talent, he added. 

“They really do love what they do and they want what’s best for the development community. They are really good people, and I’m thankful to be part of this group.” 

Moving Forward

Eskander’s professional career outlook is pretty bright, but what does the crystal ball say about new construction possibilities in 2025? The building official said he hopes to see more housing in the new year. 

“It’s difficult to predict how things are looking,” he said. “Just looking at our report card, we’re pretty steady. Maybe commercial dropped just a tad, but we’re steady. We’re really busy.” 

A dedicated residential permitting team can provide same-day permits if the application is properly filled out. 

All of the department’s review processes are undergoing efficiency upgrades, with a particular focus on pre-development review and the “Q-Team. ”

“We are working to provide clearer expectations and better feedback,” Eskander said. “On the Q-Team, we removed a lot of disqualifiers and merged two Q Teams. We created a more inclusive and efficient review process for projects of all sizes.” 

DSD recently launched computerized virtual inspections for water heaters and will expand that program in the future. 

“We email them the green tag, then we go into the system and we green-tag it,” Eskander said. “It’s so convenient for the contractor and the homeowner. It’s working great.” 

It’s clear that Eskander doesn’t think he can single-handedly turn the department around but is confident he’s on a winning team. When asked if he had any final thoughts, the building official said simply he wanted to highlight the department’s mission statement. 

“Together we are planning and building a better Dallas for all,” he said. “I live by that mission statement and I will do everything I can for the development community.”