Dallas City Council approves Forward Dallas plan, first zoning update in 18 years

DALLAS - The Dallas City Council approved the first major zoning change to city neighborhoods in the past 18 years.

The council voted 11-4 in favor of the amended Forward Dallas plan.

It sparked a debate about whether the city should allow more density or protect single-family neighborhoods as they are now. 

The two sides both see a need for middle-income housing in Dallas, but they disagree about whether Forward Dallas will help the affordability of Dallas.

One side thinks new dense construction will help create more middle-income housing. 

But those who opposed the plan argue allowing multiplexes to be built where older single-family homes are now will make owning a home with a yard much harder to attain. 

With more than 60 speakers, public comment on Wednesday lasted for more than two hours,

"What about people in marginalized communities who don't know about this? Developer builds and taxes go up. People can't afford to live in neighborhoods, and it creates displacement," said Mary Paras, who opposes the plan. "If I wanted to live in an apartment, I would have. I want my grandkids to walk to school."

"The only way out of the housing shortage is to build more housing," said Roy Atwood, who supports the new plan. "While new construction may not be affordable right away, it will cause demand on older homes to go down."

Forward Dallas defines multiplexes as a secondary use in neighborhoods zoned as single-family now. It means a developer can go to the city planning commission to get approval for multifamily developments.