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Plan Seeks More Owners and Retail
Dallas Morning News, by Wendy Hundley
May 19, 2004
Lake Highlands and northeast Dallas have too many residents living in apartments and need more parks, housing options and specialty retail areas.
Those are some of the preliminary conclusions of the District 10 Land Use Plan that was started six months ago to address zoning and other issues in the area.
The plan, drafted with input from residents and business owners, was presented Monday at Dallas City Council member Bill Blaydes' town hall meeting. Mr. Blaydes had pushed for a comprehensive zoning plan in his bid for the District 10 seat last year. Over the next year or so, advisory committee members will help create a strategic plan that can be presented to the City Council.
"A land-use plan is a blueprint for building a healthy and sustainable community," said Shawn Holyoak, Dallas chief planner.
A healthy community, he said, has a balance of housing, jobs, transportation, shopping and entertainment. Several issues undermine the health of District 10, he told the audience at Lake Highlands High School.
District 10, which stretches from Northwest Highway to the Richardson border, has a housing imbalance, with 67 percent of residents living in rental homes. In Dallas citywide, 60 percent of residents live in multifamily housing, Mr. Blaydes said.
The report recommends increasing homeownership to 50 percent and creating more diverse housing options, such as condominiums and town homes.
Single-family housing is expensive. The median price of homes in the district is $150,000, compared with $88,000 citywide, Mr. Holyoak said.
To complicate land-use planning, the are has 82 unique zoning disricts, with 39 specific-use permits and 42 areas with deed restrictions.
"It adds another layer of complexity to zoning," Mr. Holyoak said.
The preliminary report also recommends:
- Adding five neighborhood parks, ranging from 1 to 15 acres
- Adding a library north of LBJ Freeway
- Attracting more specialty stores and restaurants
- Encouraging appropriate redevelopment, especially in the areas around Dallas Area Rapid Transit light-rail lines
- Better use of industrial areas
- Addressing deteriorating apartment complexes.
"I'm encouraged that we're moving in the right direction," Lake Highlands resident Kirby White said after the meeting.
He said the plan correctly identifies some of the main concerns in the area, such as the large number of apartment complexes.
"I like the idea of raising the number of homeowners," he said. "It adds to the stability of the neighborhoods." However, he added, some of the proposals will cost money. "Funding sources have to be identified," Mr. White said.
The price tag of these improvements is also a concern for resident Greg Sampley.
"If they do it the right way, it will be a good thing," he said, "but I don't want it to cost me any more tax dollars."
Reprinted with permission of The Dallas Morning News.
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