Dallas committee rejects plan to ban multiplexes in residential neighborhoods
DALLAS - It is a hotly debated topic in the city of Dallas right now.
Should current neighborhoods zoned for single-family detached homes also allow multiplexes?
On Friday, the city plan commission rejected a move to preserve single-family detached zoning in a 10-4 vote.
The topic brought out hundreds of homeowners in dozens of meetings.
"The problem for me is it is a fast track for gentrification," one Dallas resident said during Friday’s meeting. "An attempt to bulldoze the only affordable housing left."
Dallas city leaders compromise on new housing development plan
As Dallas considers its comprehensive plan for growth and development, many are still debating if the city should open up neighborhoods restricted to single-family detached homes to multiplexes.
"This document says a ‘10-plex’ can be built next to any of our homes. Any. A 10-plex!" said Dallas resident Melanie Vanlandingham.
A lot of the debate centers around affordability, with some arguing multiplexes will create more affordable housing.
"In the next 10-20 years, if we do not open the door to density, our children and grandchildren will be living outside the city of Dallas," said Dallas City Plan Commissioner Tabitha Wheeler-Reagan.
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The plan is called "Forward Dallas" and includes a provision that would allow multiplexes to be built on single-family lots. There are some homeowners who aren't happy about it.
But others argue older affordable homes will turn into unaffordable luxury units.
"This is a plan to make housing more expensive and push people out so affluent people have better places to walk around," another Dallas resident told the committee.
City Plan Commissioner Melissa Kingston explained why she supported a motion to keep single-family detached homes as a primary use while allowing multiplexes to be considered as a secondary use. That means they could still be allowed if a developer gets approval from the commission.
"It's become clear over last 6 months that the community is divided," she said. "That is what the single-family people are asking for: some comfort. We are not going to mow down their neighborhoods."
But in the end, the majority of the city plan commission disagreed.
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"The duplexes don't cause harm to single-family homes," said City Plan Commission Vice Chair Brent Rubin. "And single-family homes don't harm duplexes."
The vote means that the city's comprehensive plan called Forward Dallas will express that the city believes multiplexes should be allowed in all neighborhoods in Dallas. However, the Dallas City Council will have the ultimate say on this topic later this year.