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.

Parks Bond Funds Increase as Council Members Pledge Millions in ‘Discretionary Funds’ 

By April Towery / February 5, 2024 /

The 2024 bond propositions that will appear on a May 4 ballot didn’t shake out favorably for every advocacy group, but a $75 million pot of “discretionary funds” — $5 million for the mayor and each council member to allocate as they wish — means the numbers informally approved at Wednesday’s council meeting can still…

Fear-Mongering And Ulterior Motives: Who’s Getting Played in Debate Over Minimum Lot Size Reduction? 

By April Towery / February 5, 2024 /

We can tell you what was said during a Dallas City Council discussion last week on expanding housing development options and reducing minimum lot size requirements. We’ve pulled some great quotes from the two-hour briefing and heard what residents on both sides have to say.  But you still might walk away wondering what’s really going…

City Hall Roundup: Dallas to Pay Out $55M to Trinity East Energy Over 2014 Lawsuit

By April Towery / February 4, 2024 /

The Dallas City Council approved last month a massive $55 million payment to settle a lawsuit with Trinity East Energy LLC natural gas company.  The oil and gas company filed suit in 2014 claiming that Dallas backed out of a deal to issue specialty permits after entering a lease with Trinity to drill on city-owned…

Dallas Council Moves Forward With $310.5M For Parks, $61M For Housing in May 4 Bond Election

By April Towery / February 1, 2024 /

A May 4 Dallas bond election is imminent, and Dallas City Council members unofficially agreed Wednesday to designate about $310.5 million for parks and $61 million for housing.  The Dallas City Council was operating as a “Committee of the Whole” during Wednesday’s meeting and took straw votes on the bond allocations, therefore no binding decisions…

Zoning Committee Recommends Elimination of Minimum Parking Requirements 

By April Towery / January 31, 2024 /

Developers could soon be able to decide for themselves how many parking spaces are needed for a new housing complex or business. The Dallas parking code hasn’t been overhauled since 1965, and the city’s Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee decided Tuesday it’s time for that to change with a vote to end minimum parking requirements.  The…