Dallas City Council

Now That ForwardDallas Is on The Books, What’s the Future of Accessory Dwelling Units?

By April Towery / October 7, 2024 /

 When the vote was taken on Sept. 25 to approve the ForwardDallas 2.0 comprehensive land use plan, a contingent of pro-housing officials and advocates was already teeing up the next big move to address affordable housing: accessory dwelling units. There was an early push in the ForwardDallas rewrite to allow ADUs “by right” as an…

City Hall Roundup: How Dallas Ended Up Paying Half a Million Dollars a Year for Thanks-Giving Square Tunnels

By April Towery / October 6, 2024 /

Dallas Councilman Chad West is still following the money to find out why taxpayers are funding a truck terminal and pedestrian tunnels at Thanks-Giving Square.  In an early September City Council meeting, West brought the subject up and received support from colleagues to remove an annual expenditure of about half a million dollars, tucking those…

Here’s What Your Council Member Had to Say About the Now-Approved ForwardDallas 2.0

By April Towery / October 1, 2024 /

At last. The ForwardDallas 2.0 comprehensive plan was officially adopted and is now the guiding document for future land use in the ninth-largest city in America. A lot of ink has been spilled about what led up to the Dallas City Council’s 11-4 vote to pass the document on Sept. 25. As always, some golden…

Mendelsohn: Lower Tax Rate is a Farce, Property Owners Will Be Writing Bigger Checks

By April Towery / September 19, 2024 /

Dallas property owners got a little relief Wednesday as the City Council approved the largest tax reduction in recent history along with a $4.97 billion city budget.  But Far North Dallas Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn wasn’t giving hugs or high-fives at the horseshoe. Shortly before the budget and tax rate were adopted, Mendelsohn introduced an amendment…

Resident Volunteers Wrote the ForwardDallas Housing Component, and No One Gives a CLUP

By April Towery / September 16, 2024 /

Occasionally when someone brings up the “socialist city planners” who secretly crafted Dallas’ comprehensive land use plan update over witch’s brew, I’m reminded of something Nathaniel Barrett told me in August 2023.  A 15-member panel of volunteers, the Comprehensive Land Use Plan Committee (CLUP), actually had significant input in drafting the ForwardDallas 2.0 plan as…