The City of Dallas announced three target areas (all in south Dallas) that will be the focus of housing equity efforts to support historically underserved communities.
The selection of the three target areas is just one step in implementing Dallas Housing Policy 2033, which the City Council adopted last April.
According to data compiled by TDA Consulting, homes in these areas have lower median sales prices, less stability, and more vacancies than the city of Dallas as a whole, and the populations in these areas are socially and economically disadvantaged. Highly vulnerable.
In these areas, the city will prioritize the development of much-needed infrastructure such as roads, sidewalks, and public facilities, as well as tools to build affordable housing and rental units and limit the displacement of current residents. We aim to utilize it.
TDA Consulting was contracted by the city in May 2023 to support the implementation of housing policies. The company's CEO, Dionne Roberts, explained Dallas' vast housing needs at a January meeting of the Dallas Housing and Homelessness Task Force.
“It gets narrower. [the target areas] “Going from 15 to three was probably the most difficult part because there are a lot of areas in the city that have great need,” she said.
But targeted areas are intended to identify areas where investment from both public funds and private market projects is already concentrated, so the city can have the greatest impact, Roberts said. Ta.
Dallas City Councilman Chad West said he expected a more aggressive timeline for implementation of the 2033 Dallas Housing Policy.
“We've been working on this housing policy and approved it almost a year ago, but today we're only actually hearing about one of the seven pillars,” West said. “At this rate, unless we accelerate this, it will take years to roll this out.”
City Councilor Carla Mendelsohn questioned the readability of the map for the target area, but agreed overall with the area selected.
“From what I know about our city, these seem like good locations,” Mendelsohn said. “Why aren't we putting resources into them? And, look, none of those are my areas. But we want this to be what's best for our entire city. You have to look at it as if it were there.”
Nolan Gray, a national housing policy expert and research director at California YIMBY, an affordable housing nonprofit, said Dallas' commitment to investing in targeted neighborhoods stands out from other cities with similar disparities among residents. He said that this is consistent with the efforts of
“If we go into historically underserved communities and invest in resurfacing streets, installing sidewalks, putting up street trees, building parks, improving libraries and schools; It makes sense,” Gray said. “Historically, different regions have enjoyed different levels of public funding, and we must right that wrong.”
Gray said cities can implement strategies to prevent people from being forced out of their homes by purchasing existing affordable housing to keep rents low and provide owners with property tax relief. said that it can be done.
To select the area, TDA Consulting used a recently updated market value analysis and the Dallas Racial Impact Assessment tool, which city officials use when making decisions such as where to locate a particular property. Developed a stock index.
“This allowed us to identify areas where there were significant disparities and how those regions were positioned in the market,” Roberts said.
The 37 square miles of the selected geographic area in south Dallas represents nearly 10% of the city and impacts City Council Wards 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8. However, the target area has been significantly affected compared to other parts of the city. Declining median home sales prices and increasing poverty rates.
Target Area 1 includes 9 square miles of the Fair Park neighborhood in south Dallas, home to 32,000 residents. Moderate home sales prices are approximately $213,000 and the vacancy rate is 5.5%. Approximately 55% of households are Black and 37% are Hispanic.
Target Area No. 2 is home to approximately 42,000 residents and extends along the south bank of the Trinity River, just south of Target Area No. 1. The median home sale price in this area is $233,500, and nearly 7% of housing units are vacant. . Almost 57% of households are Black and 40% are Hispanic.
Target Area No. 3 is home to approximately 17,000 residents and is located along Dallas' southernmost border and adjacent to Paul Quinn University. The median home sale price in the area is $216,000, and 2.4% of units are vacant. Almost 66% of households are Black and 27% are Hispanic.
“Overall, what we're looking for is not just historical disparities in the community, but market value “This is an opportunity in a region that has undergone significant changes.”
Targeted areas are not designed to eliminate citywide funding, Roberts said, but rather specific projects that may offer bonus points on future funding applications to encourage investment. It is said that it will be used instead to recruit.
The adoption of Dallas Housing Policy 2033 follows an audit called by former Dallas City Council member Casey Thomas to ensure that the city's 2018 policy includes an actual plan on how to measure progress and reduce disparities in municipal housing. It became clear that there was a lack of a way to create one.
The new policy directs the city to identify and reduce disparities in housing opportunity and increase housing production and preservation to improve affordability for mixed-income communities in all areas of the city. ing.
The housing policy, also known as DHP33, is designed around seven pillars that aim to collaboratively implement strategies, leverage partnerships and revitalize neighborhoods through development.
The first pillar is identifying target areas for the equity strategy, followed by city-wide housing, infrastructure production and conservation, cooperation and coordination, engagement and education.
TDA Consulting is also tasked with building a comprehensive housing task force, developing agreements between city agencies, developing compliance policies and procedures, and refining programs.
As part of determining which areas the city should target, TDA Consulting will develop a robust community engagement plan that will include virtual and in-person meetings, focus groups, and a telephone town hall with approximately 4,000 participants. I did.
“Community engagement was not new,” Roberts said. “This has been happening for a while and it's not going to stop.”
The company also received 641 responses to its Housing and Community Needs Survey, which helped narrow the area.
Roberts said this level of engagement was significantly higher than some state-level engagement programs her company has implemented in the past.
“I understand that a city the size of Dallas (population 641) might not seem like a huge response, but this really speaks to the level of community interest.”
More than 60% of Dallas residents surveyed said they plan to live in their current home for five years or more. Robert said this shows residents' commitment to the neighborhood and their desire to invest in the future.
Respondents who ranked various housing activities in terms of need consistently found that the city's highest needs were building more affordable housing, expanding homebuyer assistance programs, and renovating existing homes. I showed it.
“What wasn’t really appreciated was the demolition,” Roberts said. “I think this is a reflection of the importance of preserving existing housing stock and the recognition that there is already a dearth of quality, affordable housing in our communities.”
TDA will conduct additional community outreach activities in targeted areas and will submit a housing task force meeting in February to learn more about what communities need and want in housing opportunities. We plan to accept applications.
“These efforts were particularly helpful in getting feedback from the community and assessing whether what the data suggests is consistent with the community's own experience,” Roberts said.
Thor Erickson, Dallas' assistant director of housing and neighborhood revitalization, said at the January meeting that the next step is to set investment goals for targeted areas using metrics that will be tracked over time.
Erickson said the city's housing policy will take five years to implement, but a dashboard tracking the department's investment activity should also be online by the end of 2023.
