Dallas voters will decide the outcome of 10 proposals on the May 4 municipal bond election ballot, including projects to spur housing development across the city.
Dedicated housing bond funding could add an estimated 3,000 units of affordable housing, said Brian Toney, an organizer with the Dallas Housing Coalition. This funding could be used for single-family home ownership opportunities, as well as mixed-use and multifamily development.
Proposition G provides $72 million in funding for economic development and includes $36.6 million for projects that support housing development.
City officials told the public last month that more than half of the money originally planned for housing development would need to be shifted to economic development.
According to the city, state law requires bonds designated for housing infrastructure to be separated from funds that can be used for grants, loans and other incentives for housing construction.
The city's Economic Development Department produces affordable housing through investments in infrastructure, such as water lines and sewer lines, that are required before housing is built.
“Ken Montgomery's construction at the Bottom, some of the things that Builders of Hope and James Armstrong are doing, and even Habitat for Humanity, are building roads that will allow us to build homes. They could benefit from funding for infrastructure such as sidewalks, sidewalks, and sewage,” Toney said.
“They're going to continue to build all the housing, and they have the means to make that happen. They may not be able to afford the pre-construction public infrastructure that those housing needs.”
Some of Prop. G's funding for housing projects lays the groundwork for larger economic development projects that include more than just housing opportunities.
Jennifer Neiswander, interim director of Dallas' Office of Bond and Construction Management, said the city has the option of designating specific housing projects to be paid for up to $36.6 million from its economic development bond allocation.
Uses for eligible housing infrastructure bonds could include road and sidewalk improvements that could support future housing development, city officials said.
Proposition H would also provide $26.4 million in funding for housing and infrastructure projects across the city.
Last fall, local housing advocacy groups affiliated with the Dallas Housing Coalition launched a public campaign to raise $200 million in bonds to support housing development in Dallas, especially the development of affordable housing.
Neither proposal lists specific projects in specific congressional districts. Dallas City Councilwoman Carla Mendelsohn highlighted this criticism in an April 12 column. dallas morning news.
Mendelsohn acknowledged that the housing is “a worthy investment,” but said he does not support the housing proposal because Dallas has other ways to pay for development costs without adding debt or interest to the city's books. Ta.
“We have more than a dozen housing development tools at our disposal that do not require us to directly tax our residents,” wrote Mendelsohn, who represents Far North Dallas' 12th District. “Among them are federal and state programs, city tax breaks, population bonuses, etc.” and the use of the Dallas Housing Finance Corporation, which can issue bonds that are repaid by rents received on the units. ”
Ashley Brundage, the newly appointed CEO of Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity, said the reason housing proposals don't have specific projects attached is primarily due to the long timelines involved in the housing project financing process. He said this is because it is necessary.
“[The city] Because of the nature of housing developments and the timing it takes for projects to come together, we can't identify them in advance,” Brundage said in an interview. dallas morning news. “You can't do that up front and then have the developer sit back and wait and see if the warranty expires.”
Brundage said the city has already committed to affordable housing development through the adoption of several city plans, including Dallas Housing Policy 2033, which includes development efforts in targeted areas with significant disinvestment. He said that
While the city plans to target three neighborhoods in south Dallas for housing development, a variety of projects will continue throughout the city to increase Dallas' housing supply across city council districts.
Early voting on the bond program begins Monday and will run through April 30th.
