Affordable Housing

Reducing Minimum Lot Size: Neighborhood Nightmare or Affordable Housing Dream Come True?

By April Towery / December 14, 2023 /

The Austin City Council took a bold leap last week, agreeing to allow builders to develop up to three housing units on almost any lot in the city where single-family homes are allowed, thereby reducing the minimum lot size necessary for dwellings. Dallas housing advocates, elected officials, and Not In My Backyard homeowners were watching, and…

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The Real Estate Council’s Linda McMahon On Affordable Housing: ‘We’ve Got The Pipeline; We Just Need The Money’

By April Towery / December 13, 2023 /

The Dallas Housing Opportunity Fund has a pipeline of shovel-ready affordable housing deals in place but needs investor funding to take them to the finish line, officials told members of the Dallas City Council’s Economic Development Committee earlier this month. Linda McMahon, president and CEO of The Real Estate Council, reviewed during a Dec. 4…

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Public Facility Corporation Reform Passed in The Last Legislative Session. What Happens Now? 

By April Towery / December 4, 2023 /

Public Facility Corporation reform laws were approved in this year’s Texas Legislative session, but an affordable housing watchdog group says it falls short. It also grandfathers PFCs approved before the passage of House Bill 2071. The new legislation provides affordability, accountability, and transparency. It also makes headway in curbing abuses and tenant protections, advocates say. …

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Dallas Officials Say Federally Funded Housing Programs Are Too Challenging For Developers

By April Towery / December 4, 2023 /

Dallas City Council members last month reviewed a pair of development programs used to spur affordable mixed-income housing throughout the city in the hopes that City Council will authorize changes to make the initiatives more developer-friendly.  The programs are complicated and the funds are restricted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development guidelines.…

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Advocates Push to Add $200M For Affordable Housing in Dallas’ 2024 Bond

By April Towery / November 27, 2023 /

The Community Bond Task Force is set to make recommendations to the Dallas City Council on Dec. 6 about how to divvy up 2024 bond funds for housing, economic development, parks, streets, and erosion control projects.  The CBTF issued the following recommendations, totaling $1.1 billion, in an Oct. 27 memo: The bond election is next…

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