Cara Mendelsohn

Development Services Audit Report Does Little to Address Builders’ Concerns

By April Towery / November 4, 2022 /

Do you think you have a stressful job? Try being Andrew Espinoza.  Dallas’s director of Development Services basically holds the keys to the city’s future growth and development, and it’s currently at a near-standstill due to a problem created before he was hired according to city council members on Wednesday.  It seemed the cavalry had…

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Rental ‘Inflation Pandemic’ Prompts Overhaul of Dallas Eviction Ordinance

By April Towery / October 20, 2022 /

The rent is too damn high.  And renters who can’t make their monthly payments are likely to be evicted, which causes a whole new set of problems contributing to Dallas’s homeless rate.  The Dallas City Council heard Wednesday from officials with Child Poverty Action Lab, who said more than 19,000 evictions have been filed in…

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Dallas City Council’s Budget Prioritizes Housing Through Increased Funding And Policy Changes 

By April Towery / October 5, 2022 /

The Dallas City Council has been meeting weekly to trudge through the city’s budget process, and while housing issues don’t always garner the headlines, it’s clear that elected officials are putting time and money into the matter.  At least four funding allocations and program changes have been approved over the past month. The city council…

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Budget Talks Continue as Dallas Adds 10 Code Officers to Address Apartment Violations

By April Towery / September 24, 2022 /

09/25 This story has been updated. Initially we said CM Tennell Atkins did not want to reduce the new city tax rate beyond the proposed 3-cent decrease; another CM reminded us that was inaccurate. Dallas City Council members deferred adoption of the city’s $4.51 billion budget Wednesday but approved several amendments, including an allocation to…

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Will Dallas’ Racial Equity Plan Actually Work to Create Affordable Housing?

By April Towery / September 1, 2022 /

In an effort to put policy behind its goals of creating affordable housing and fixing problems in neglected and poor neighborhoods, the Dallas City Council recently adopted a Racial Equity Plan.  One council member, however, is skeptical about the document’s ability to bring positive change to the whole city.  The 75-page Racial Equity Plan was…

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