April Towery

April Towery is former News Development Director for CandysDirt.com and covers Dallas City Hall. She studied journalism at Texas A&M University and has been an award-winning reporter and editor for more than 25 years.

Dallas City Manager Releases $4.63 Billion Recommended Budget With Tax Rate Decrease

By April Towery / August 4, 2023 /

Budget season is officially underway at Dallas City Hall, and Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax offered local reporters a sneak peek Thursday afternoon at his draft document.  The city manager’s $4.63 billion recommended budget represents a $138 million, or 8.1 percent, increase over the current year’s $4.51 billion budget. Broadnax said he’s recommending a 0.65-cent…

Dallas Councilman Chad West Proposes Minimum Lot Size Reduction Similar to Austin’s Plan

By April Towery / August 3, 2023 /

The Austin City Council voted last month to reduce the minimum lot size from about 5,700 square feet to 2,500 square feet, a decision hailed as a victory by “Yes In My Backyard” housing advocates.  The measure essentially means more houses can be built in a higher-density fashion, theoretically closing the gap on the lack…

Tokalon Drive Residents Organize in Opposition to Lakewood Conservation District Expansion

By April Towery / August 2, 2023 /

The road to an expanded conservation district has been a long one for the residents of Lakewood, so it only stings more to see the residents of Tokalon Drive — frequently heralded as one of the most beautiful streets in Dallas — have organized against it.  Those who assembled to protect their neighborhood from teardowns…

Dallas Joins Smart Surfaces Infrastructure Initiative to Combat Texas’ Cruel Summer

By April Towery / August 1, 2023 /

Regardless of how we’re setting the thermostat during this blazing Texas summer, it’s a fair assumption that probably no one in Dallas-Fort Worth is walking around outdoors barefoot these days. It’s a scorcher — July 4, 2023, was the hottest day on Earth in recorded history.  In an effort to provide some relief, the City of…

Southern Gateway Park Over Interstate 35 Will Connect East And West Oak Cliff

By April Towery / July 31, 2023 /

Sometimes a park does more than provide shade trees and a place for children to play. Occasionally — once in a lifetime, some say — a park presents a rare opportunity to connect communities and create a gateway to a better life for residents. That’s the goal of the Southern Gateway Park, deemed “a park…