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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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2024 General Election Results
Congratulations to the
TREC PAC-endorsed candidates for the 89th Texas State Legislature who
won their elections on November 5:
- House District 66: Matt Shaheen (I)
- House District 67: Rep. Jeff Leach (I)
- House District 70: Rep. Mihaela Plesa (I)
- House District 98: Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (I)
- House District
100: Rep. Venton Jones
(I)
- House District
102: Rep. Ana Maria
Ramos (I)
- House District
103: Rep. Rafael
Anchia (I)
- House District
104: Rep. Jessica
Gonzalez (I)
- House District
105: Rep. Terry Meza
(I)
- House District
108: Rep. Morgan Meyer
(I)
- House District
109: Aicha Davis
- House District
110: Rep. Toni Rose
(I)
- House District
111: Rep. Yvonne Davis
(I)
- House District
112: Rep. Angie Chen
Button (I)
- House District
113: Rep. Rhetta
Bowers (I)
- House District
114: Rep. John Bryant
(I)
- House District
115: Cassandra Garcia
Hernandez
- Senate District 8:
Sen. Angela Paxton
(I)
- Senate District
12: Sen. Tan Parker
(I)
- Senate District
16: Sen. Nathan
Johnson (I)
- Senate District
23: Sen. Royce West
(I)
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On November 5, Dallas
residents voted to approve Propositions S and U and rejected Proposition T.
In summary:
- Proposition S: Allows local citizens to file
lawsuits against the city alleging violation of city ordinances
or charter provisions
- Proposition T
(FAILED): This would have
tied the city manager's bonus pay or possible
automatic termination to the results of a community survey
- Proposition U: Caps 50 percent of all new revenue
-- including enterprise funds -- and allocates the other 50
percent to public safety initiatives
TREC’s Executive
Committee voted to join a broad coalition
of city and community leaders in opposing all three amendments which
could have unintended consequences on the city's ability to govern
and budget for future needs. TREC will be monitoring the impact the
passing of these amendments has on the city and particularly the
commercial real estate industry.
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Commercial Permitting Improvements
In a memo issued
Friday, the city shared updates on its commercial permitting
improvements. The Planning and Development Department has cut the
median time for issuing new construction commercial permits from over
300 days to 112 days. Nearly half of the 10,000 inactive permits that
had clogged the system have been closed. The department also launched
a new Commercial Permitting Process Improvement Project in
collaboration with the Toyota Production System Support Center to
enhance processing efficiency. Learn more about these improvements here.
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Parking Reform
On November 21, CPC is
scheduled to be briefed on a potential ordinance to remove parking minimums from Ch.
51A.
The draft ordinance was approved by ZOAC in January 2024 and was held
behind the ForwardDallas debate until now. While TREC has long
supported the idea of removing or reducing parking requirements, the
proposal also includes some additional design standards and a new
Transportation Demand Management Plan process that needs further
study and consideration.
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Construction Parking Concerns
TREC is collaborating
with Councilmember Ridley and city staff to find a compromise on a
proposed ordinance that would require parking plans for new
construction projects in Uptown, specifically PD-193. Staff presented
the draft ordinance to the Economic Development Committee on November
4, and it will be heard by the full council in the coming
months.
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HFC-PFC Bylaws
On October 29,
Councilmembers called a Housing and Homelessness Solutions meeting to
discuss review of the HFC/PFC bylaws. At the meeting, councilmembers discussed
how revenue should be used, possible limitations on HFC/PFC
locations, project approval processes, oversight by city staff, and
how to staff the HFC and PFC Boards. Committee members took a straw
poll vote to continue the HFC/PFC programs as is while the bylaw
discussion continues into the new year.
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Digital Advertising Kiosks
On September 16, the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee surprised staff and
stakeholders by directing staff to issue a new request for proposals
(RFP) for digital advertising kiosks. On October 24, Councilmembers
Paul Ridley and Jaynie Schultz authored another five-signature memo,
and mayor Eric Johnson re-referred the
item to the Quality of Life Committee for further consideration.
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Park Land Dedication
Passed during the 88th legislative session, the legislature adopted
H.B. 1526 in an effort to cap the collection of
park land dedication fees in the state's largest cities. Dallas Park
Department staff began work last fall on ordinance revisions that
better align with the new state law. On October 22, ZOAC was briefed
on the new ordinance proposal for the first time. They requested staff
prepare five amendments to the draft ordinance, including reducing
the number of nexus zones from seven to five, retaining the
developer's option to either dedicate land or pay a fee-in-lieu,
allowing fee-in-lieu funds to support connectivity and trails across
the nexus zones, and allowing limited use of funds to support
operational expenses. The TREC team is working closely with city
staff to reach a consensus on the fee structure and ordinance changes
for multifamily development.
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Join TREC PAC
State and local
officials impact the commercial real estate industry from zoning to
permitting to tax policy, and TREC needs your support to elect
candidates who support sound policies. TREC PAC members at the
Champion level or above enjoy exclusive member benefits, like
attending the 89th Texas Legislature RECsTX Lobby Day at the Texas
Capitol in February, interviewing candidates for Dallas City Council,
and voting on candidate endorsements and contributions. Help
TREC support candidates that will shape the policy landscape for our
members, join TREC PAC today!
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Public Policy Committee
Interested in joining
TREC's Public Policy Committee?
Contact Michael Williams to
learn more. The next meeting will be Thursday, December 5, at 8:30 a.m.
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Legislative Bill Working Group
The 89th Texas
legislature will gavel in on January 14, 2025, and legislators will
begin prefiling bills in November. TREC is reinstituting the
Legislative Bill Working Group for members to help analyze
legislation that could impact commercial real estate. If you are
interested in state public policy, please reach out to Michael Williams to
learn more!
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On Thursday, November
14th, TREC members are invited to attend a special event with Federal
Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, presented by the Dallas Regional Chamber
in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and World
Affairs Council. You can register here.
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Manage Your Preferences
The
Real Estate Council
3100 McKinnon Street, Suite 1150 Dallas, TX 75201
214.692.3600 | recouncil.com
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