Residents of the Bishop Arts District in Dallas have grown frustrated over vacant properties in their community owned by building developers.
Four properties in this district have been bought by developers and yet remain unused and have become littered with trash. The properties at 111, 115, 117, and 119 West Eighth Street include two vacant houses and two completely vacant lots.
“I’ve been here for 8 years, this is the worst this block has ever looked,” neighbor Alan Perry told NBC 5.
He said the properties are “zoned for mixed-use” and commercial development, specifically buildings as high as six stories, and yet they remain vacant.
“I expect things like that to happen in my neighborhood, but I also expect that developers will take care of the lots that they buy,” said Perry.
Another neighbor, Benito Moriel, described the current property owners as “irresponsible.”
“This could be a situation where they’re trying to make everyone sell and lower our property value and get everyone so fed up, and sell for cheap, and say, ‘Hey I don’t want to live next to a dump, here you go,'” he asserted. “And that’s when they decide to develop.”
One of the property co-owners, Andrew Strange, told NBC 5 on Monday that developers are seeking “entitlements” from the City government such as tax breaks before beginning work on the properties.
Strange added that homelessness and vagrancy at the site have hindered development. The properties must be clear of trash and debris, but vagrants continue to mar the sites.
“Due to the homeless issues we are pulling demolition permits and clearing the site along with the trash,” Strange told NBC 5.
Staff from the Office of Homeless Solutions and Code Compliance were reportedly present at these properties on Monday.
The Dallas Express contacted the City of Dallas for a statement from the Office of Homeless Solutions but received no comments by press time.
The neighborhood in question lies in Dallas City Council District 1, represented by Council Member Chad West, who claimed that the owners of these properties are among the highest code violators in District 1, per NBC 5.
He added that the developers should not assume they will receive entitlements from the City but should do a better job of communicating with residents.
“It’s certainly not a good first step in the right direction,” he said. “The property owners need to get this property under control.”
The council member said he disagrees with the owners’ assertion that unused properties falling into such poor condition is par for the course.
“This doesn’t happen all the time,” West said. “Vacant buildings can be secured and cared for by absentee owners while they’re waiting to do something else.”
“Bishop Arts is not a place where things are not happening,” he continued, adding that the City of Dallas could grant incentives for developers who offer “affordable housing” units as housing costs continue to rise across the metroplex.
Last week, the City Council waived 75 years of tax payments for multiple housing developments that will provide “affordable housing,” as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The Dallas Express contacted Council Member West for further comment but received no response by press time.