News

SIZE LIMITS FOR ELM THICKET/NORTHPARK HOMES?

Commission favors shorter homes, slightly less lot coverage

Zoning proposals to limit home sizes in the Elm Thicket/Northpark neighborhood have pitted those in favor of preserving the area’s historic character against

those who claim changes would reduce property rights. (PHOTOS: RACHEL SNYDER)

By Rachel Snyder

rachel.snyder@peoplenewspapers.com

Dallas City Plan Commissioners have sided with longtime Elm Thicket/Northpark residents seeking to preserve the history and character of the neighborhood.

The commission recently voted unanimously to support a slight decrease in the lot coverage allowed for new homes there.

The proposals would limit maximum lot coverage to 35% for multi-story homes and 40% for single-story homes instead of the 45% allowed in most of Dallas. Many of the original homes in the area are at most 30%.

The proposals would also drop the maximum height of homes by about 5 feet and largely do away with flat roofs used in some new two-story homes.

The neighborhood, bordered by Inwood, Lovers, Bluffview, Lemmon, and Mockingbird, is about 521 acres of primarily single-family homes with some duplexes on the edges.

“It is historically a Black/African American neighborhood,” explained Andrea Gilles, assistant director of planning and urban design. “There are many sources that cite that this is also a freedman town area within the city.”

Gilles said that the area, which was redlined in the 1930s through the 1960s, has seen changes in the last couple of decades. “There’s been a sharp decline in the Black and African American population in this area, and a really significant increase in the Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx populations, and the white populations,” she said.

Gilles added that the area is seeing significant property value increases and higher housing costs with more new constructions and teardowns. Those changes prompted a zoning process “looking at how you incorporate moderate changes to the zoning that soften the different development styles,” she said. The Dallas City Council, likely later this year, will have the

Their new neighbor final say on the contentious zonnext door will loom ing case, which has over them with been in the works since 2016. less disrespect and “The proposed hostility. zoning does not correct the sins of Mark Rieves the past, nor does it begin to make up for the sins of the past,” said Mark Rieves, a former plan commissioner and member of the Elm Thicket/Northpark steering committee.

But it does provide, Rieves said, “a nod of respect to the existing legacy residents who have called Elm Thicket home for half a century. Their new neighbor next door will loom over them with less disrespect and hostility.”

Zac Thompson committed to maintaining the West University Boulevard home where his late mother lived all her life. “We have a chance to maintain a history that is unique. This is one of the last communities in Dallas that is historically Black.”

However, some stakeholders are unhappy, seeing the proposed changes as infringing on their property rights.

“There’s no way the group that wants these changes could have gotten more than 50% of property owners to agree to all of this,” Allison Silveira said. “It is a fact that housing is one of the primary ways for wealth accumulation in this country. Are you really going to inhibit and deny that to neighbors in this area?”

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Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde and Dallas ISD police discuss steps to make campuses safe.

(PHOTO: COURTESY DALLAS ISD)

Officers train over the summer for active-shooter situations at schools.

(PHOTO: COURTESY DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT)

School Safety Stays Top of Mind Dallas ISD superintendent talks proactive approaches, investments

By Maria Lawson

maria.lawson@peoplenewspapers.com

School safety remains top of the list for Dallas ISD and, specifically, new Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde.

In preparation for the new school year, the district held a press conference in early August to describe plans to keep campuses safe with investments in school safety measures and professional development.

Thanks to a $100 million bond approved by voters in 2020, the district has implemented campus security cameras, keyless entries for facilities, video doorbells, construction and renovations that maintain secure vestibules, and weapon protection systems. This bond also contributed to professional development for faculty and staff to know how to handle campus threats.

The district plans to make training a continuous effort and work with the police department to address the “complex problem.”

“At the end of the day, we also know that people are our biggest assistants in ensuring that we know of dangers that may be coming to our schools,” Elizalde said.

Dallas ISD’s police department works with the Dallas Police Department to determine protocols, decide who takes the lead in certain situations, and, most importantly, communication, district Police Chief John Lawton said. The district held active shooter training in late July with the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Fire Department. Elizalde emphasized the idea of being proactive in creating safe spaces instead of waiting until it’s too late. “For educators, for parents, this is really a difficult time,” she said. “Schools should be a place of joy. We should be talking about content, projects, and recess, but we also know the realities of today, and it requires us to talk about drills and practices.” More initiatives taken on by the district this year in-

We should be talking clude a clear or mesh backpack about content, projects, requirement on and recess, but we also secondary cam puses, addition know the realities of al and updated today, and it requires us training for security guards, to talk about drills and and social media practices. investigations with the police Stephanie Elizalde department and other agencies. Elizalde also said the district encourages parents and families to report concerns they see or hear about. “This is going to require a multi-prong approach,” Elizalde said. “This is about layering our safety and our security protocols. It’s not going to be one thing.” FAST FACT Since 2020, gun violence has been named by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the number one hazard to teens and children in America.