Dallas Approves Neighborhood Rezoning Plan

Years of fighting over protection for a changing Dallas neighborhood finally produced a compromise Wednesday for Elm Thicket Northpark near Dallas Love Field.

It sets a precedent that could spread to other Dallas neighborhoods where little old homes are being squeezed by towering new ones and affordable housing is hard to find.

There is also a racial equity issue since Elm Thicket Northpark was traditionally an African American community.

“African Americans began to buy more homes and so now what we are seeing more recently is developers coming in and buying over 50% of the community,” resident Clarence Glover said.

Big new homes constructed in recent years tower over the older, more affordable small ones.

Newcomers in the neighborhood claim they now outnumber the existing residents who sought the zoning restrictions years ago on the size and height of new homes.

The rules were intended to limit soaring home prices, property values and taxes to help existing residents stay in the neighborhood.

“Doing anything to limit the amount that an individual can get as a return on their investment is unfair to anyone,” zoning opponent Brian Somerford said.

A leader of the push for the zoning rules was life-long Elm Thicket Northpark resident Jonathan Maples.

“When I hear my property rights, that falls on deaf ears for me because my people were told where we could go, where we couldn't go,” Maples said.

He was one of more than 50 public speakers in the jammed chambers as years of debate on the issue through other levels of city government finally reached the Dallas City Council for a final vote.

Opponents sought another delay to pursue a different plan for the community and also envisioned the Neighborhoods Plus program years ago.

“The Neighborhoods Plus plan includes infrastructure goals, it includes parks, green space. I don't see a single park in this proposal,” zoning opponent Todd Hellman said.

The compromise approved Wednesday slightly relaxed the rules that had been approved earlier by the Dallas Plan Commission.

Instead of a maximum of 35% of the space on a lot, the approved limit is a slightly larger home using 40% of the lot. But the height restriction of 25 feet remains.  That is lower than many of the very tall new structures already constructed in Elm Thicket Northpark.

“It's not a save-all, fix-all solution. It's a step in the right direction. It's a nod to the history of Elm Thicket,” the neighborhood Councilman Jesse Moreno said.

Other members unanimously supported that deal.

“At some point, you've got to find a compromise that works. These kinds of zoning cases are really tough,” Councilman Chad West said.

Long-time Elm Thicket Northpark residents celebrated in the Flag Room outside the council chamber after the final vote.

“For those of us whose voices have never been heard in government, this is a very important time,” Glover said.

People from other Dallas neighborhoods who favor adding similar restrictions for their areas were among the public speakers.

Affordable housing is a tremendous Dallas challenge with soaring home values across the city.

Council Member Cara Mendelsohn said this help for Elm Thicket Northpark should have come 10 years ago and was a failure of city hall.

Several members asked staff to move faster on other similar requests.