Dallas City Council

Dallas Council Delays Decision to Simplify Code on Neighborhood Childcare Facilities

By April Towery / December 18, 2023 /

This coming February, the Dallas City Council will revisit requiring a Special Use Permit for neighborhood childcare facilities in single-family areas.  A public hearing on the matter was held Dec. 13, at which council members heard from a few residents who don’t like the idea of businesses operating near their homes. Council members also heard…

Builder Permit Fee Increases Delayed as Stakeholders Push Back on Development Services Department Inefficiencies

By April Towery / December 16, 2023 /

Dallas Development Services is looking to increase the builder permit fee in an effort to recoup a $22 million departmental deficit.  The department collects about $28 million in revenue each year, but has an operating cost of about $50 million, Development Services Director Andrew Espinoza told the Dallas City Council’s Economic Development Committee on Dec.…

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…

Dallas Looks at Merits of Artificial Intelligence to Improve Efficiency in Development Services Department

By April Towery / November 22, 2023 /

Altamonte Springs, California, recently became the first U.S. city to implement artificial intelligence for site plan reviews, and the initiative has caught the attention of Dallas leaders looking for ways to improve the permitting process in the Development Services Department.  It took Development Services Director Andrew Espinoza over a year to clear a permit backlog…

Former Dallas Planning Chief Julia Ryan Slams ‘Toxic’ Criticism of Public Sector Employees

By April Towery / November 20, 2023 /

When Dallas Director of Planning and Urban Design Julia Ryan announced her departure from the city, speculation swirled that all was not well at Marilla Street.  Ryan’s resignation was announced in a memorandum from City Manager T.C. Broadnax, in which Dallas City Council members were advised that Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization Director David Noguera was…