Melanie Vanlandingham
The Dallas City Council recently denied three zoning requests for duplexes in the Mount Auburn neighborhood, prompting a larger discussion on the need for self-determination in areas that have been threatened by what residents perceive as incompatible high-density development. Residents at the Jan. 8 council meeting who spoke out against duplexes in their neighborhood considered…
It’s become challenging to offer a fresh perspective on the myriad public hearings, town halls, and detailed discussions on Dallas’ comprehensive land use plan update. The arguments have been the same for months. Housing advocates want more housing. Some longtime residents are concerned that greater density will change the character of their single-family neighborhoods. Arguments…
Just one week after Dallas plan commissioners said they didn’t want a watered-down ForwardDallas land use plan, residents showed up en masse at a public meeting to say they won’t stand for anything that threatens the integrity of their single-family neighborhoods. During almost three hours of testimony on April 18, city plan commissioners also heard…
The City Plan Commission kicked off a series of workshops last week on the ForwardDallas comprehensive land use plan. They talked about density, placetypes, and parking requirements — and they acknowledged the plan has not been well-received by a contingent of residents who are concerned it will change or even destroy their long-established single-family neighborhoods. …
We get it. The ForwardDallas comprehensive land use plan only informs zoning; it doesn’t assign it or regulate it. It’s not necessarily about housing, affordable or otherwise. It’s simply a guiding vision document that creates “placetypes” based on what kind of development should generally occur within the city limits. So why is everybody so mad…
