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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.
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The Dallas City Council returned from their summer
recess in August and hit the ground running. Immediately, Council and
City staff began working on the FY24 budget and meeting with
constituents about budget priorities. In mid-August, Mayor Johnson
reappointed committee memberships and chairs. In a weak mayor system
like Dallas, this is one of the most important powers and privileges
of the mayor. You can find the complete list of committees as well as
the mayor’s priorities for each here.
While Council elections are non-partisan, Mayor Johnson’s recent
announcement that he is now affiliated with the Republican Party is something to watch. The announcement was made in
the Wall Street Journal on September 22 and likely signals his
intention to seek higher office or a prominent political appointment.
Mayor Johnson said in his opinion piece he will continue to conduct
the business of Dallas as he has before, but how it affects
relationships around the Council horseshoe remains to be seen.
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ForwardDallas Comprehensive Land Use Plan
Dallas is updating its comprehensive
land use plan, ForwardDallas, originally adopted in 2006. The plan is
being vetted by City staff and the Comprehensive Land Use Plan
Committee (CLUPC), which Linda McMahon, president and CEO of TREC,
serves on. After incorporating initial public feedback about future
“placetypes” and neighborhood preferences, staff is resuming a second
round of public meetings about the Forward Dallas
Comprehensive Plan. TREC recently hosted its
second meeting with the planning staff to give members an opportunity
to learn more. The draft land use maps are expected to be shared as a
part of this next phase and TREC will share broadly as soon as they
are available. View the interactive land use maps here.
It is critical the commercial real estate
industry provides feedback regarding the design standards outlined in
the plan. Once approved, the "placetypes" map will guide
all future zoning decisions including future rezoning / PD
applications.
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Parking Reform
Dallas is finally tackling parking reform through two
proposed policies, one of which addresses on-street parking
requirements in the public right-of-way and one that tackles
off-street parking requirements on private developments. TREC has
actively monitored and provided feedback on both initiatives to City
Council and staff for several years.
The Dept. of Transportation published its draft Curb Management Policy on July 17 and accepted public comment through the
end of August. The policy has been in development since 2022 and is
intended to govern on-street parking and policy decisions related to
the curb. It’s expected to be considered by Council in October.
The Zoning Ordinance Advisory
Committee (ZOAC) resumed discussion of off-street parking reform in
August, including potentially removing parking minimums from the
city’s development code and codifying additional design standards
and/or transportation demand management tools. City staff will
present its recommendations to ZOAC in October and policy changes
will need to be approved by ZOAC, the City Plan Commission, and full
Council.
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2024 Bond Program
In preparation for a 2024 bond
program, City Council appointed a Community Bond Task Force (CBTF)
and five subcommittees focused on streets, parks, critical facilities
(including the arts), flood control, and housing & economic
development. The CBTF kicked off its work on May 11 and met
throughout the summer. The chairs of five subcommittees of the CBTF presented
their recommended projects and propositions to the full task force on
September 19. While the recommendations total almost $1.8 billion,
the expected size of the bond program remains $1.1 billion. Following
a series of
town hall meetings, the CBTF
will develop a final recommendation to present to the City Council on
December 6.
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Following
a busy 88th Legislative Session,
we are recapping several bills of importance to TREC and their
outcome below. Looking ahead TREC is monitoring their implementation
at the local level and keeping an eye on discussion about future
special sessions. Govenor Abbott has indicated that he will call the
Legislature back in October to discuss and pass legislation related
to education vouchers.
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Key 88th Legislative Issues
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HB 14 -Third-Party Review Law
The bill was intended to help streamline the
approval process for development and inspections to avoid unnecessary
delays by allowing certain individuals to review development
documents if a regulatory authority did not issue a timely decision
on applications. While the law is likely to have less impact in
real-world situations than intended by the Legislature, it does serve
notice to cities that the State has a keen interest in ensuring that
economic development is not being stifled by inefficiencies in the
local development process.
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HB - 2071 PFC Legislation
This law took effect on June 18th, and
reforms state law authorizing and governing Public Facility
Corporations (PFC), which are arrangements between individuals and
local taxing entities to provide affordable housing in exchange for a
tax reduction or exemption.
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HB 2127 -"Death Star" Law
This bill was intended to ensure a consistent
regulatory environment on businesses statewide by overruling local
ordinances that overstep state guidance in certain areas. This law
was declared unconstitutional by a State District Judge prior to
taking effect, and sets up a continuing legal battle that will
ultimately be settled by the Texas Supreme Court.
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Learn More
Learn more about TREC's
public policy work priorities.
recouncil.com/public-policy
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Get Involved
If you are interested in
public policy and want to serve on a committee or working group,
please contact Travis Reynolds.
The next public policy committee meeting is Thursday, October 5.
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