The City of Dallas is developing a new housing policy.
David Noguera, director of the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization, told the city council on Tuesday that the new Dallas Housing Policy 2033 is more in line with the City’s Racial Equity Plan.
City staff was clear that the Dallas Housing Policy 2033 cannot function apart from the Racial Equity Plan. The City’s current Comprehensive Housing Policy was adopted last year to keep the City out of trouble with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development following “compliance allegations.”
After a “Racial Equity Audit,” several goals were adopted into the new housing plan, which City staff said will lead to a more “equitable” policy.
“This new policy is a game changer,” said Councilmember Casey Thomas II, adding that he thinks the policy will “build wealth” throughout Dallas.
He commended City staff for developing an entirely new housing policy rather than simply trying to alter the Comprehensive Housing Policy.
“The Comprehensive Housing Policy was never designed to be a visionary document,” added Councilmember Chad West. “We’ve come a long way since the Racial Equity Audit.”
The pillars of the new 10-year housing policy include reducing housing costs “in all areas of the city,” prioritizing infrastructure investment in “equity target areas,” and cultivating communication with residents of “historically disadvantaged” communities to gather their feedback.
However, Noguera suggested that the current City budget does not provide enough funds for housing programs to fulfill the goals of this policy.
He claimed the City would need to allocate an additional $400 million, on top of private sector development, in order to “close [the] gap” in “affordable housing.”
“There is a dire need to develop more units,” Noguera said. “This policy is a framework for what we need to create more units.”
For her part, Councilmember Jaynie Schultz criticized the current iteration of the policy for being too focused on “housing affordability” and not properly addressing housing availability. She said the availability element must be integrated with this policy.
Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn also criticized City staff for a lack of transparency. She also noted that the City has limited funds to spend and urged staff to develop more precise goals.
City staff is still working to finalize the Dallas Housing Policy 2033, after which the city council will vote on whether to adopt it.
