|
Park Land Dedication
Ordinance
TREC has worked closely with Dallas Park Department staff,
Parks, Trails and Environment Committee Chair Stewart and other
council members on the updated Park Land Dedication Ordinance, which
aligns city policy with the 2023 state law and creates a new fee
structure, exemptions for affordable units, and larger Nexus zones.
The proposal is moving forward and is tentatively scheduled to be
briefed at the Parks, Trails and Environment Committee on November 3,
and a full Council vote on November 12.
Proposed Uptown
Construction Parking Ordinance
Over the past year, TREC has worked with District 14
Councilmember Paul Ridley, chair of the Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee, and his staff on the proposed PD-193
construction parking ordinance. We appreciate his openness to our
questions and feedback, and we agree that parking issues in Uptown
are real. However, TREC has concerns about cost, liability,
enforceability, and added uncertainty for projects, and believe other
tools – such as parking benefit districts and enforcement of current
parking laws – can achieve the desired outcomes with fewer unintended
consequences for development. This item was briefed to the Economic Development
Committee on October 6. If you build or operate in PD 193, please
share examples and feedback with Michael Williams so we can keep pushing for a practical,
predictable approach that protects neighborhood access and keeps
projects moving.
Firefighter Air
Replenishment System (FARS) – A Win for TREC Members
Earlier this year, TREC members flagged that Firefighter Air
Replenishment Systems (FARS), designed for high-rise buildings, were
now required on low-rise projects. Currently only one vendor provides
FARS, which has driven prices above $1 million in certain
developments under 75 feet in height. TREC provided feedback to city
staff, and Dallas Fire-Rescue issued a memo on September 29 administratively revising
the city’s policy. This is meaningful progress toward predictable,
right-sized life-safety requirements that protect residents and first
responders without unnecessary cost burdens.
City of Dallas SB 840
Guidance
At the August 22 Development Advisory Council meeting, city
staff provided an update on SB 840, which will require Dallas
and other large cities to allow multifamily and mixed-use residential
development by right in most commercial, office, warehouse, and
retail districts. The law eliminates density caps, sets height
limitations at the greatest point allowed within that municipality,
limits setbacks, and reduces parking requirements for developments
that meet the 65 percent residential requirement. You can read more
on the bill’s impact and implementation processes on the city’s
website here. The Lab Report also does a deep dive on the
potential impact on Dallas – citing that the new law could affect
62.5 percent of land in Dallas County. Meanwhile, other neighboring
cities like Arlington, Frisco, Irving,
and Plano rushed to amend their underlying
ordinances to blunt the effect of SB 840.
DallasNow Update -
Multipage Uploads
TREC members have reported that uploading large plan sets in
ProjectDox is more manual than before the DallasNow rollout, with
confusion across related records (e.g., site plan vs. building) and
difficulty organizing by trade. After feedback from TREC’s Planning
& Development Working Group, Dallas is standardizing
submittals as multipage PDFs by discipline with
specified naming conventions. Step-by-step guidance on file name
formatting and a how-to guide are forthcoming.
City Meetings
View upcoming city meetings here.
|
