Dallas’ Development Services Department (DSD) has been planning to move into its new permit building at 7800 N Stemmons Fwy by the end of spring, but the cyberattack back in May on the City of Dallas has allegedly pushed the official move-in date back to the fall.
The City of Dallas purchased the North Stemmons office high-rise in August 2022 to consolidate the various sub-departments under DSDs into a one-stop shop for related services.
“Too many different departments are interacting with each other during the building permit process, which can leave builders stranded at inopportune times,” Dallas Builders Association (DBA) Executive Officer Phil Crone told The Dallas Express in April.
Given DSD’s history of challenges under City Manager T.C. Broadnax‘s leadership, it is unclear if the department’s argument that a new permitting office with a strategic and well-thought-out layout would help address permitting delays and long turnaround times in Dallas.
DSD’s median turnaround time for single-family permits in 2023 is about 35 days, while larger commercial projects average around three to four months, according to historical data from the City, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
When asked if DSD was ready to move into its new permitting office, Dallas’ chief building official, Andrew Espinoza, revealed that the City’s Bond Office had pushed back the scheduled move-in to the fall.
“From what I’ve been told, the phase one move was pushed back to around September or October due to the ransomware attack,” Espinoza said to The Dallas Express. “A lot of the IT resources were redirected to putting [DSD] back online as opposed to getting us set up [in the new building].”
“[The bond office] has been coordinating with contractors, handling budget issues and logistics stuff, along with electrical and plumbing,” Espinoza added.
In addition to delays allegedly caused by the cyberattack, Espinoza also said that DSD was still waiting for the building’s renovation to be completed.
“There was some work that needed to be done — mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and IT infrastructure were all set up brand new,” he said. Plus, “there are still design features we’re working through, so that does take a considerable amount of time and resources.”
Once DSD has moved into its new building and communication has been streamlined, Espinoza suggested that the department will be better able to tackle future permit demand and better equipped to mitigate permit delays and holdups.
While DSD has made some forward-facing progress in addressing permitting times in 2023, the department has much more work to do to lower approval times to recommended levels.
“What I want to see is Development Services become the go-to place for all services related to development in Dallas. I hope the Department’s new office building will accomplish that,” Crone said in April.