|
|
The Real Estate Council is
actively monitoring issues at the state and local level that impact
the commercial real estate industry and our partners. Our mission is
to build a better city – and public policy is an essential component
of that vision.
|
|
|
|
Parkland Dedication Ordinance
Passed
in the most recent legislative session, House Bill 1526 was intended to grant certainty to
multi-family developers in the state’s largest cities. Unfortunately,
the City of Dallas is poised to take full advantage of this new law
to increase the parkland dedication fees assessed to all residential
development to the highest possible level beginning January 1, 2024.
For the last three months, The Real Estate Council has tirelessly
advocated to mitigate the damaging effects of the proposed changes,
including speaking to the Dallas Parks and Recreation Board at its October 19 meeting
(discussion begins at 42:30 mark) and the Dallas City Council Parks,
Trails, and the Environment Committee’s November 6 meeting
(discussion begins at 29:45).
As these changes to the city’s current ordinance
make their way through the process to be brought into compliance with
the new state law, TREC will continue to be at the forefront of the
discussion on behalf of our members.
|
|
|
|
Dallas Permitting Update
TREC
is also monitoring the city’s implementation of House Bill 14,
which amended the turnaround timelines for municipalities to consider
development documents, sometimes referred to as the “shot clock.”
Under HB14, a developer can procure its own third-party review and
submit the approved documents to a municipality if the municipality's
review has not taken place within 15 days of the deadline.
As a part of this implementation effort, Dallas Development Services
staff are considering new practices to approve, deny, or
conditionally approve/deny permit applications within the HB14
timelines. As a result, staff have stated
they will no longer accept permit applications that have ongoing
platting or zoning cases.
TREC is meeting with our partners at the City of Dallas to resolve
and streamline this issue quickly to avoid any increased delay times
this may cause to the permitting process.
|
|
|
|
ForwardDallas Comprehensive Land Use
Plan Update
After
incorporating initial public feedback about future “placetypes” and
neighborhood preferences, staff recently released its draft plan and
land use maps.
The maps
provide a parcel-by-parcel guide to what kind of development the City
of Dallas hopes to see in each neighborhood moving forward. The draft
plan will also include recommended urban design guidelines for each
proposed placetype. TREC is reviewing these and welcomes member
feedback. At this time, these are strictly recommendations, but it is
contemplated that they could ultimately be codified within a
particular zoning request or future re-write of Ch.51A.
This is the final opportunity to provide comments. Once the comment
period expires, city staff will take the plan through the approvals
process and ultimately to the City Council.
|
|
|
|
Our
Industry's Place in Policy Engagement
TREC President and CEO Linda McMahon recently penned an
article for D Magazine that highlights the importance of having the
commercial real estate community engaged in public policy efforts.
Read Now
|
|
|
- Parking Reform: The city's Zoning Ordinance Advisory
Committee will continue
conversations about amending Dallas' outdated parking code
during its December meeting.
- 2024 Capital Bond: The Community Bond Task Force has recommended that
the Housing, Economic Development & Homelessness allocation
within the $1.1 billion 2024 bond package be cut by nearly
60 percent, to $100 million.
- Charter Review: The Charter Review Commission is currently
considering amendments to the City of Dallas' Charter. Residents
have until the Commission's December 5 meeting to submit
amendments for review.
- Transportation: Dallas City
Council recently heard a briefing on the potential
for a new "Central Link" streetcar line connecting the
M-Line Trolley in Uptown through Downtown to the Dallas
Streetcar line in Oak Cliff.
- Dallas Development Fees: Dallas
Development Services recently completed a fee study and provided
recommendations to update the
cost recovery structure to be 100 percent recoverable (current
level is 55 percent cost recovery).
- Infrastructure Impact Fees: In a memo to the
Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Assistant City
Manager Dr. Robert Perez identified several potential impact
fees as sources of new revenue to fund the $8.6 billion streets
and transportation needs inventory catalogued as part of the
2024 bond process.
- Fourth Special Legislative Session: Gov. Greg
Abbott has called lawmakers back to work out legislation
enabling Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). On Friday,
November 10, a bill combining ESAs, teacher pay raises, and
boosting school funding passed out of House
Committee and is expected to go to the floor this week.
- Constitutional Amendment Election: Texans
approved 13 of the 14 amendments to the Texas Constitution
during the November 7 election.
|
|
|
|
Renew your TREC PAC membership for 2024 and ensure your
business interests are well-represented locally and in Austin.
Memberships begin at $500 ($250 for Young Guns age 35 and under), and
you can qualify to participate on the TREC PAC board by contributing
$1,000 or more.
|
|
|
|
|
Our final
Public Policy Committee meeting of the year will take place
Wednesday, December 6, at 2:30 p.m.
Please contact Public Policy and Programs Manager Travis Reynolds with any questions or to become more
involved.
|
|
|
|
Manage Your Preferences
The
Real Estate Council
3100 McKinnon Street, Suite 1150 Dallas, TX 75201
214.692.3600 | recouncil.com
|
|
|
|
|
