West Dallas residents fighting for shingle factory's removal could be blocked by new state law
DALLAS - A group of organized West Dallas residents called Singleton United have been fighting to get an asphalt shingle factory that has been in the area for decades closed down.
They use a process that's in jeopardy of going away.
"This is where I grew up, GAF has always been in our background," said Janie Cisneros.
Cisneros has lived in this West Dallas neighborhood all her life.
GAF, an 80-year-old asphalt shingle factory on Singleton Boulevard, has always been her neighbor.
"The smell stinks. Sometimes it’s like sulfur dioxide, other times it is just nasty chemical stench" she said.
Many members of Singleton United showed up at Dallas's Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee meeting Tuesday to protest a proposed code amendment that would strip Dallas residents of a right they've had for decades to help clean up their neighborhoods.
The process is called amortization.
"Currently the code is that residents can file for amoritization to initiate it themselves," said Cisneros.
Dallas City Code has allowed any resident who could pay a $1,000 filing fee to initiate amortization proceedings against a business that was not in compliance with its zoning and causing harm to their community.
Senate Bill 929, recently passed by the state legislature, makes amortization much harder for cities to carry out.
Zoning Committee members appeared to be caught off guard and passed a unanimous motion to table the issue until they can get more clarity from city staff.
"I would encourage staff to re-look at this and look at a process that is inclusive and not exclusive," said Loire Blaire from the Dallas Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee.
"I really do look forward to seeing big language in from the city attorney's office that addresses the many valid concerns from both members of the committee and the public has raised today," said another committee member.
Cisneros says she returned to her West Dallas neighborhood hopeful.
"Because the people in charge of the meeting asked some really great questions and were really trying to figure out solutions, so residents right to fight for amortization," she said.
The committee directed city staff to get clarification from the city attorney's officer on the language of SB 929 and how it related to amoritization proceedings.
The issue will be revisited at a meeting on Nov. 14.