ForwardDallas, the zoning plan that divided residents, will go before the City Council

After more than nine hours of deliberations Thursday, the City Plan Commission voted 10-4 to send ForwardDallas, the proposed land use plan, to the full City Council. The decision follows hundreds of meetings and much debate since the first version was released last fall.

Supporters of the plan say it’s a way to address what’s changed in the city since it adopted its first land-use plan 18 years ago. They point to the need for medium-density housing, such as duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes, to expand the city’s housing stock. Also important, they say, is the recognition that the city has since adopted guidelines on addressing environmental issues and racial equity, both of which should be reflected in how the city uses its land.

Opponents argue that ForwardDallas will ruin neighborhoods by eliminating single-family zoning and encouraging multi-family development, leaving bungalows, mid-century ranches and antebellum cottages in the shadows.

But ForwardDallas is a guide, the document the city will use — including feedback from neighbors and input from city staff and the City Council — when considering whether to allow a development to go forward. ForwardDallas can approve more density in a single-family neighborhood, but each project must still go through several steps before it’s approved, including a discussion about whether it’s a good fit for the neighborhood. It’s not a rubber stamp.

It divides parts of the city into “placetypes,” which are defined by the types of buildings that already occupy the land. A “primary use,” according to the city’s definition, identifies the types of structures already present in each neighborhood, or the types of developments the city would like to see built there in the future. For example, an established neighborhood filled with single-family homes would fall under a placetype that identifies single-family homes as the primary use.

The Community Residential placetype includes single-family homes, parks and schools. Single-family homes are the primary use, and commissioners voted earlier this summer to ensure that multiplexes would never be considered a primary use. A Neighborhood Mixed Use placetype would encourage multifamily homes, mixed-use buildings, lodging and commercial properties.

The plan also attempts to work with five “themes” as it addresses each type of place: environmental justice and stability; transit-oriented development and connectivity; housing choice and access; economic development and revitalization; and community and urban design.

Planning commissioners Thursday night made several changes before voting to send the document to the City Council. Many commissioners acknowledged fears surrounding the housing portion of the plan.

“I know there have been a lot of concerns from some people who live in single-family neighborhoods that this document will be a significant departure from where we’ve been,” said Tony Shidid, chairman of the Planning Commission. “But I think this body has worked long and hard to implement meaningful safeguards to address what new housing looks like in our neighborhoods. And ZOAC (the Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee, the body that precedes the Planning Commission) and the body will continue to figure out how we can address whether we can provide additional housing to our neighborhoods without destabilizing them.”

The majority of the committee agreed with that assessment.

Commissioner Melissa Kingston, who represents Old East Dallas, downtown and Uptown in District 14, said while the plan wasn’t perfect, “I also don’t think it has the level of importance that some people ascribe to it.”

She ultimately voted against it, later saying on Facebook that she would feel more comfortable if the public were given more time to review the “hundreds” of changes the Commission made on Thursday.

“While I believe there are numerous good aspects to the plan, despite the significant time we have spent on this plan, I have decided that we owe it to the public to review the revised document before we vote on it,” she said.

Commissioner Tom Forsyth, who represents District 4 in South Oak Cliff, disagreed with Shidid’s assessment that the commission had done enough to address residents’ concerns. He said he plans to speak out against the plan when it comes before the City Council. Deborah Carpenter, who represents District 6 (which includes West Dallas), and Joanna Hampton, who represents District 2 (which includes Dallas Love Field Airport and parts of downtown and Far East Dallas), also voted against sending the plan to the council.

With the City Council facing a deadline to develop a plan to make the police and fire department pensions solvent, complete charter changes that will go before voters in November and finalize next year’s budget, ForwardDallas likely won’t go before the full council until later this fall. The latest draft is scheduled to be presented to the council’s Economic Development Committee on Aug. 5.

But Dallas will have to address its land use and zoning sooner rather than later. On Nov. 11, lawmakers in Austin can begin introducing bills. Both chambers have been tasked with considering legislation around city land use planning and housing affordability, including possible bills that would undermine local zoning ordinances that limit lot sizes and certain types of densities. If a land use plan is approved, the city would have an additional tool to advance its interests.

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Bethany Erickson

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Bethany Erickson is the senior digital editor for D-magazineShe has written about real estate, education policy, the stock market, and crime her entire career, sometimes all at once. She hates lima beans and 5 a.m. and takes SAT practice tests for fun.