Dallas, TX
Dallas should prioritize housing in debate over park fees
Earlier this month, Mayor Eric Johnson told a group of U.S. senators that the solution to the housing shortage in Dallas and elsewhere is to cut bureaucratic red tape and make it easier for builders to build.
A dispute over Dallas park fees will give the mayor an opportunity to show he means it.
In February, the City Plan Commission considered a request to increase the fees that developers must pay to Dallas in lieu of dedicating parkland as part of their projects. City staff brought the proposal forward in light of a state law that caps how much large cities can demand in parkland or charge in park acquisition fees.
Under the state law, cities can charge a flat fee per dwelling unit of no more than 2% of the median family income. Dallas city staff proposed raising the park fee to the maximum 2%. Most developers opt for paying this fee rather than building parks themselves.
Currently, a developer must pay $1,165 in park fees for a single-family home. Raising the fee would take that number to $1,308. Apartment builders, however, would feel the increase more acutely. A developer building a complex with 250 apartments of two or more bedrooms would go from paying $229,250 in park fees to $327,000. That’s an increase of 42.62%.
The plan commission wisely interrogated the park fee increase and decided it would be better to halve it instead.
At least two park board members have blasted the move, one calling it “appalling.” They framed it as a setback, and one noted that Dallas’ park fees are among the lowest in the region.
That may be the case, but Dallas is also trying to dig itself out of a reputational hole for being a bureaucratic nightmare for developers. Keeping its fees low where it makes sense should be its strategy.
The use of the park development money collected so far doesn’t make a compelling argument for raising the fees, either. As our colleague Devyani Chhetri reported, the park acquisition fund has collected $17 million since it started in 2019 but has only used about $2.3 million to acquire land in northern Dallas.
Part of the problem has to do with rules about how the money is allocated among seven different zones. City staff is proposing reducing the number of zones to five to make it easier to acquire parkland, which makes sense.
Raising the fee, however, is another matter. Dallas voters approved $345 million in bond money for parks last year. There’s no need to be appalled about a move to lower park fees.
The matter is now expected to move to the City Council. Members should take a measured look at the facts and make a decision consistent with their stated commitment to build more housing in Dallas. It’s not a zero-sum game. The city can make life easier for housing developers while working with the private sector to expand and improve parks.
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DALLAS – Dallas police need a name for a dangerous robber who pulled a gun on a 7-Eleven clerk and walked out with the cash register drawer.
He was caught on camera. But it’s been six months, and he’s still at large.
7-Eleven Robberies
What we know:
The robbery in question happened on Jan. 13 around 10:30 p.m. at the store at 302 North Marsalis Avenue.
A Black male who is about 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 170 to 180 pounds walked in and waited until no other customers were inside.
“After it’s empty, he displays a handgun and points it at the cashier,” said Det. Eduardo Lopez Villa. “I don’t know what he said. He just demanded the cash from the cash register.”
Det. Villa said the suspect took the whole cash register drawer before fleeing eastbound on foot on 8th Street.
What you can do:
The detective believes anyone who knows the suspect will be able to recognize him.
“Yes, most definitely based on the video and the screenshot. If you know him, you’ll recognize him,” he said.
Tipsters can call or text Det. Villa at 469-755-8445.
“I need his information so I can talk to him about this incident,” he said.
FOX 4’s Trackdown
You can watch Shaun Rabb’s Trackdown series every Wednesday on FOX 4. Episodes are also posted weekly online, on YouTube and on FOX Local.
FOX 4 viewers have now helped to make 220 arrests.
The Source: The information in this story comes from Dallas Police Det. Eduardo Lopez Villa.
DALLAS – Slow-moving thunderstorms brought localized flash flooding to parts of North Texas on Tuesday evening, blocking highways near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and dropping several inches of rain in portions of Tarrant and Parker counties.
Flash Flood Warnings
Local perspective:
Flash flood warnings are in effect for Hopkins, Hunt, Rains and Van Zandt counties until 7:45 p.m.
Flooding was reported along Texas 183 near Valley View Lane south of DFW Airport, where stranded vehicles and water-covered roadways created hazardous travel conditions.
A flash flood warning remained in effect near the airport, although rainfall rates had begun to diminish as the storm weakened.
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings
The National Weather Service also issued a severe thunderstorm warning for northern Hood County, citing the potential for gusty winds and small hail. Forecasters reported hail ranging from pea-sized to marble-sized in parts of Hood, Parker and Denton counties.
Forecasters attributed the weakening storms in Denton County to an outflow boundary, a meteorological feature that can disrupt thunderstorm development.
The warning area was reduced as the storm weakened near sunset.
LIVE RADAR
What they’re saying:
FOX 4’s Kylie Capps said the storms moved unusually slowly from east to west, allowing heavy rain to accumulate over the same areas for several hours.
Rainfall estimates showed some locations in eastern Parker County and western Tarrant County received nearly 5 inches of rain during a six-hour period, while areas near DFW Airport recorded more than 2 inches.
Elsewhere in North Texas, northern Rains County received nearly 5 inches of rain.
7-Day Forecast
What’s next:
Forecasters expect a quieter overnight period, with only isolated showers lingering into the evening. Additional thunderstorms are possible Wednesday afternoon, though coverage and the threat of severe weather are expected to remain limited.
Temperatures are forecast to reach about 90 degrees Wednesday.
Rain chances are expected to continue through the remainder of the workweek and into the weekend as an upper-level low-pressure system sends multiple disturbances across North Texas.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4’s Weather Team
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