Related
Dallas, TX
Dallas considers combining bigger, regional libraries with housing, retail projects
Dallas leaders are exploring ways to combine new regional libraries with affordable housing and community spaces.
City staff presented the Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee on Monday with early concepts for two library projects. The North Oak Cliff library, in District 1 in southern Dallas, and the Park Forest library, in the north side’s District 13, could serve as a mixed-use developments with housing, public amenities and updated library facilities.
The new libraries will be open longer hours and have expanded services, city officials said.
City Library Director Manya Shorr said the North Oak Cliff project will replace an existing library on the same site, while Park Forest will relocate to a new parcel. Both projects are still in early design and financial testing phases, and staff plan to return with more detailed recommendations, including development structures and revenue-sharing options.
The city closed the Skillman Southwestern Library weeks ago and plans to shut down four more in its move to a regional model.
Consultants from CBRE, a commercial real estate services and investment firm, and city staff presented findings and potential models based on case studies from other cities across the country where libraries have been combined with housing or retail.
Each of the reference projects included affordable housing, with some also offering senior or market-rate units and shared amenities, such as youth spaces, job training centers or creative studios.
According to consultants, the next phase of planning will focus on testing design options against financial feasibility.
Park Forest Branch
At the Park Forest site, the team is considering whether the project could include senior housing, an option they noted may be more readily accepted by surrounding neighborhoods. They also cited the need for additional zoning consultation as the concept moves forward.
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Gay Donnell Willis, who represents the district where the library is located, expressed enthusiasm for combining libraries with housing, calling it “a way to adapt what might be right for the neighborhood and the city overall.”

Preliminary plans for the Park Forest Branch Library in Dallas presented during the Quality of Life, Arts and Culture committee on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025.
Screenshot
She emphasized that the project should remain centered on the library’s mission while exploring how a residential component might help generate revenue for ongoing operations.
Committee members discussed potential funding models, including partnerships through the city’s Housing Finance Corporation or the Public Facility Corporation, which could help leverage affordable housing incentives. They also raised questions about Senate Bill 840, a new state law affecting development height and proximity standards, noting that staff will need to assess its implications for both sites.
North Oak Cliff Branch
Council member Chad West, who represents North Oak Cliff, underscored the importance of community design, including access to green space and outdoor gathering areas. He noted that the surrounding area is considered a park desert and one of the city’s heat islands.
“There needs to be, even if it’s small, some type of incorporated green space,” West said.
Council members voiced broad support for continuing the work, while emphasizing transparency with residents, maintaining the character of the neighborhoods and a clear focus on the libraries themselves.
Preliminary plans for the North Oak Cliff Branch Library in Dallas presented during the Quality of Life, Arts and Culture committee on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025.
screenshot
The next Quality of Life, Arts and Culture committee will be on Nov. 17 at 9 a.m.
Dallas, TX
2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule officially announced
Behold the 2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule.
We knew coming into Thursday that the Cowboys would be on the road to take on the New York Giants in the season opener on Sunday Night Football, that Dallas is “hosting” the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil in Week 3, and that the Philadelphia Eagles would be in town for Thanksgiving Day. Now we know it all.
Among the first things that jump to mind is that bye week is late. Dallas isn’t on bye until Week 14, the Sunday of that week is December 13th for full perspective.
The Cowboys also only play twice in their own building, thanks to the Brazil game, before November. Sometimes those weird quirks show up in schedules and this is certainly one of them.
It is interesting to see that the NFL gave Dallas the longest amount of rest possible after their Thanksgiving tilt. It hasn’t been uncommon for the league to have the Cowboys play on consecutive Thursdays, but perhaps that is a thing of the past.
Dallas, TX
Dallas Approves $180,500 for New Botham Jean Boulevard Street Signs
Flashit Photography
On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved funding that will replace highway exit signs and road signs marking Lamar Street with new signage honoring Botham Jean, the 26-year-old Dallas accountant who was fatally shot in his own apartment by an off-duty Dallas police officer in 2018.
The $180,500 in funding for 13 signs to be installed by the Texas Department of Transportation is the final step in the street renaming that was unanimously approved by the council in 2021. The new signs will be placed at exits along Interstate 45, State Highway 310 and U.S. Highway 175.
Already, Botham Jean Boulevard signs run along the road in the Cedars, where Jean lived before he was killed.
“This street on which he chose to live and the street on which he died can serve as a lasting memory of the upstanding resident who loved Dallas so much,” his mother, Allison Jean, told the council in 2021.
Jean was shot by Amber Guyger, a Dallas police officer, after she entered his apartment believing it was her own. A Dallas jury found Guyger guilty of murder in 2019 and sentenced her to 10 years in prison. She has also been ordered to pay the Jean family nearly $100 million in a civil trial, which accused her of using excessive force.
The Jean family is seeking restitution from the city of Dallas because they argue that Dallas, as Guyger’s former employer, had a duty to defend Guyger and pay out claims brought against her. The Jean family filed suit against the city in April of this year.
On Wednesday, city council member Adam Bazaldua stated that the continued remembrance of Jean’s name is a reminder that “no one is above the law.”
“This has never simply been about changing street signs; it has always been about commemorating a life that was taken too soon,” said Bazaldua. “When driving down Botham Jean Boulevard, we are reminded of the thousands of lives lost across the country each year to senseless gun violence.”
Bazaldua said that once city leaders were made aware that some signs from the initial 2021 street name change had not materialized, the horseshoe took steps to correct the oversight “somewhat promptly.” But he acknowledged that Wednesday’s funding came on the heels of community advocacy urging the project’s completion.
Community leader Yafeuh Balogun said his organization, Community Movement Builders, began asking the city for the updated signs in September 2025. Addressing the council ahead of Wednesday’s vote, Balogun encouraged the horseshoe to vote in favor of the funds because it “would make no sense” to not follow through with the street renaming approved years ago.
“I think this is very powerful simply because driving here today, I still saw the Lamar Street Signs,” Balogun said. “I remember how powerful it was back in 2021 when the city council voted to rename Lamar Street to Botham Jean. I’d like to keep that legacy going.”
Dallas, TX
World Cup volunteers receive uniforms, new tickets released
We’re less than a month out from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and North Texans volunteering in the event have received their uniforms. FOX 4’s Peyton Yager has more on that and the new hospitality tickets released today.
-
Virginia5 minutes agoHonking on the highway: Family of geese escorted off I-66 in Virginia
-
Washington11 minutes agoSuspect arrested in fatal stabbing of University of Washington student
-
Wisconsin16 minutes ago
Wisconsin Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for May 14, 2026
-
West Virginia22 minutes agoWest Virginia Yeager International Airport launches ‘Behind the Journey’ campaign
-
Wyoming29 minutes agoWHSAA warns of possible changes to statewide athletics and activities following budget cuts
-
Crypto35 minutes agoUS and Bolivia Target the ‘Modern Pablo Escobar’ in Massive Crypto Laundering Probe
-
Finance40 minutes agoCasino Group Communication
-
Fitness46 minutes agoVery difficult and extremely cool: how to start doing pull-ups
