Dallas, TX
How Far East Dallas groups headed off NIMBYs with townhome development
Founded decades earlier as Bethel Baptist Tabernacle, the church in Far East Dallas had been shrinking for years. Leaders had tried to attract new worshippers to its sanctuary on Ferguson Road, but membership dwindled until it was down to a few dozen people in the early 2020s.
Mike Chism, a former associate pastor whose grandfather was a charter member of Bethel, said remaining members decided to merge with a church in Mesquite. That left Bethel with a four-acre campus of sturdy, cream-colored brick buildings surrounded by expansive parking lots they needed to sell.
The situation could have deteriorated into another disheartening story about a dying church with an empty building that decays into a neighborhood eyesore.
Instead, it’s an encouraging tale of a church determined to see something good grow on its former property and a watchful nonprofit, the Ferguson Road Initiative, that helped ensure its redevelopment fit the area’s needs. In a city where strident NIMBYism often obstructs redevelopment, it’s a story where NIMBY never happened.
“We had been members of [the Ferguson Road Initiative],” Chism said. “They were aware that we were struggling and needed help figuring out what we wanted to do with the property. They put us in touch with a developer.”
Bethel sold the property to a local developer active in the area and committed to building homes for middle-income families. The deed transferred in March. Proceeds from the sale went to the congregants’ new church home in Mesquite.
Dallas County commissioners agreed in November to kick in $1 million to help pay for underground infrastructure. By mid-2027, construction should be underway on 53 new, single-family, detached townhomes that police officers, teachers and social workers could afford to buy.
“We are absolutely committed to building ‘missing middle’ housing in this community,” said Vikki Martin, the initiative’s executive director.
Her organization’s involvement helps explain why the deal progressed relatively smoothly. The Ferguson Road Initiative has been steadily organizing neighborhood associations and crime watch groups since 1998. It does not run programs; it convenes meetings and coaches local leaders. When there’s a zoning change request, or a major property for sale, the initiative has a process to ensure local residents help guide what happens next.
Martin’s group will arrange a preliminary meeting to bring together the developer, property owner, neighborhood association leaders, relevant City Council and Plan Commission members and a few others. The leaders take the information back to their associations and solicit comment. The process leaves room for reasonable discussion and compromise.
“It’s all very organized,” Martin said. “There’s no yelling.”
The vacant church, with its distinctive, blocky tower, still stands near the intersection of North Buckner Boulevard and Ferguson Road. After it’s gone, something very different, but very much needed, will rise in its place. Bethel’s final legacy in Dallas will be new homes and an example of how redevelopment can grow from trust and goodwill.
We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here.
If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com
Dallas, TX
New video of Lake Dallas explosion draws focus on order decades ago to remove old plastic pipes
The search for the next general manager or president of basketball operations of the Dallas Mavericks has begun. They terminated Nico Harrison in November, which was about nine months too late, and gave any available candidates clear notice that they were open for business.
The plan was always to wait until after the season to start the search. While names popped up as the season reached an end, they didn’t begin turning over the staff until the Monday after the season ended. However, Dallas Mavericks fans are not going to like how the team is going about the search.
Patrick Dumont Leading Search for General Manager
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Mavericks are not hiring a search firm in their hunt for a new lead executive. Instead, team governor Patrick Dumont is “acting as his own point person.”
This is an… interesting decision, to say the least. Dumont is not a basketball person whatsoever, and most organizations usually hire a search firm. The Chicago Bulls hired one as they look for their replacement for Arturas Karnisovas. Just because a firm is hired doesn’t mean a team will listen, though.
The Mavericks hired a firm in their last search for a GM. They let Donnie Nelson go in 2021 after a long tenure with the Mavs. Instead of listening to the firm, though, Mark Cuban ignored it to hire Nico Harrison, who had no previous NBA front office experience. Harrison had been an executive with Nike, which gave him connections with players like Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and plenty of others.
For a while, that seemed to be working out okay. While he still had some questionable transactions, such as trading for Christian Wood and letting Jalen Brunson walk in free agency, they were still able to make a run to the NBA Finals in 2024. Then, he blew it all up, trading away Luka Doncic for an older and injured Anthony Davis, and the team hasn’t been the same since.
It’s imperative that the Mavericks get this hire correct. The interim Co-GM setup with Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley has performed admirably, but the 2026 NBA Draft is important for the Mavs to get right. It’s their best chance to pair Cooper Flagg with another young star, as they don’t own their first-round pick again until 2031 after this.
Hiring the right GM could help bring in more draft capital by bringing in bad contracts or flipping veterans into picks.
Dumont was able to convince Rick Welts, a Hall of Famer, to come out of retirement to be the CEO and lead the charge for a new arena. Maybe Dumont pulls another rabbit out of his hat for the GM.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on X for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
For a moment, it looked like FC Dallas was on its way to another statement win at home tonight.
Petar Musa scored two first half goals, to extend his Golden Boot leading tally to nine goals. But after Dallas grabbed control, the Galaxy found a way back before halftime with goals from Lucas Sanabria and Joseph Paintsil.
The second half brought more chances and more frustration for Dallas, which finished the night with 13 shots to LA’s nine. In the end, the point stretched Dallas’ unbeaten run to five games, though just like last week, it felt like another match where Dallas left points on the table.
Key Moments
7’ – GOAL! After a poor pass back by a LA defender, Petar Musa was free to go one-on-one with the LA goalkeeper. After a touch to get ahead of a defender, Musa slotted home his eighth goal of the season from outside the penalty box.
21’ – Offside! Joaquin Valiente sent a floating ball over the Galaxy defense, where Musa was able to get behind the defense and make an easy play for what appeared to be his second goal of the night. The play was called offside despite a fairly lengthy review period.
38’ – GOAL! This one counts! Musa gets his second of the night off a great ball from Chris Cappis. Logan Farrington picked off the ball in the midfield. He then played Cappis wide to the left of the penalty area. Cappis immediately played a ball back across the goal for Musa to slide in and finish for his ninth of the season.
43’ – Goal LA. Lucas Sanabria got the ball near the top of the penalty area. He took a couple of touches to get outside the penalty box before firing a shot that beat Michael Collodi at the near post.
45+4’ – Goal LA. Gabriel Pec got the ball near the top of the penalty area. He pulled the ball back a bit, which caught a pair of Dallas defenders. This allowed Joseph Painstil to get free behind the Dallas defense as Pec played him through inside the penalty area. Pec immediately smashed home a shot above Collodi to tie the game.
75’ – Another offside goal. This time on a corner kick for Dallas, after a scrum in the penalty box, Kaick hammered home what looked to be the go-ahead goal. But after a few seconds the flag was raised due to a deflection on Osaze Urhoghide, who was in an offside position.
Instant Reaction
Yeah, this is another disappointing result for this team. In a real way, it felt like the first half against Houston from last month. Dallas grabbed the lead, looked in control, but some defensive miscues opened the game up for the visitors to climb back.
With a double-game week coming up, this will certainly be another game where Dallas will wonder ‘what if’ more than anything else…especially when you factor in the two goals called off for offside.
About the Subs
Eric Quill went to his bench for the first time in the 66th minute, as he brought on Santiago Moreno for Logan Farrington. Quill went to his bench again 81st minute with Ran Binyamin and Nolan Norris coming on for Sebastien Ibeagha and Deedson. The final sub came during stoppage time with Herman Johansson and Joaquin Valiente coming off for Sam Sarver and rookie Nick Simmonds, who made his MLS debut.
Man of the Match
No question about it tonight, it has to be Musa.
Where does this fit into the season
As of this writing, the draw puts Dallas into a three-way tie for 5th place with Real Salt Lake and Seattle. Both are in action right now and look firmly in control of their games. I’d expect Dallas to be in 7th place by the end of the night.
What’s next for FC Dallas
Dallas wraps up a three-game homestand next Wednesday night as they host Minnesota United.
-
West Virginia3 minutes agoWest Virginia’s Underrated State Park Is A Serene Getaway With Picturesque Trails And A Unique Hemlock Forest – Islands
-
Wyoming10 minutes agoFormer House Speaker Albert Sommers seeks to win back Wyoming legislative seat
-
Crypto16 minutes agoCentral Banks Say US Stablecoins Threaten Financial Integrity | PYMNTS.com
-
Finance22 minutes agoHow much will Social Security go up next year? See latest forecast
-
Movie Reviews40 minutes agoMovie Review: ‘Agon’ is a Somber Meditation on the Athletic Grind
-
World52 minutes agoPatrick Muldoon, ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘Melrose Place’ Actor, Dies at 57
-
Culture2 hours agoWhat America’s Main Characters Tell Us
-
Lifestyle2 hours agoWe beef with the Pope and admire the Stanley Cup : Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!