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Dallas should prioritize housing in debate over park fees

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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.

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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.

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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, TX

Cowboys news: Former Dallas 1st-round pick weighs in on who should be next DC

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Cowboys news: Former Dallas 1st-round pick weighs in on who should be next DC


Every offseason it seems like I see a linebacker’s name pop up that the Cowboys need to get to help the defense. This year it may be Quincy Williams. Could he be the guy the middle of the defense is missing? I’ve seen some reactions, and when you dig into the type of player he is the coverage numbers may make you second guess. And honestly, I get it because it doesn’t look pretty. When you actually dig into how Quincy Williams plays, and how he is used, the conversation changes fast. So let’s talk it through like fans, not scouts trying to sound smart.

The First Thing You Need to Know: This Dude Lives in the Box

Quincy Williams is not a coverage linebacker, and he never has been. He will not be floating around in space trying to run with slot receivers or carry tight ends down the seams. When you look at the snap data, it’s not even debatable. He spent hundreds of snaps in the box, very few on the edge, only a handful in the slot, and almost none on the outside.

That tells you exactly how defenses should play him. He is there to attack downhill. If you judge this man based on coverage stats alone, you’re grading a fish on how well it climbs trees. How Quincy Williams Actually Plays

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What I like about Quincy Williams is simple: when he sees it, he goes. There’s no dancing, no waiting for someone else to make the play. He triggers fast and shows up with bad intentions. Is he perfect? Absolutely not, but were any of the Cowboys linebackers last season even above average.

He will miss a tackle here and there because of his aggressive play style, but I’ll take that every day over a linebacker who catches blocks and gets pancaked. What I found even more impressive was he lines up all over the box. He can play weak side, strong side, and take inside looks, but he rarely just sat in the middle calling things out. He’s a flow-and-hunt guy, so the Cowboys would need to let him scrape, chase, and hit. That is where his game makes sense.

Not Much of a Pass Rusher

This may be another area where people will get twisted. Yes, you will see him walked up near the line sometimes, but he’s not an edge rusher. He is not winning with moves or stacking sacks. Those snaps are about pressure and confusion to make the offense account for him, mess with protection calls, and let the defense work around it. He’s a blitzer, not a technician, and if used incorrectly, it looks ugly.



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Man dies after dog attack in Dallas home, police say

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Man dies after dog attack in Dallas home, police say


A man has died after a dog attacked him inside a home in North Texas on Thursday afternoon, officials say.

Dallas police officers responded to a call in the 4100 block of Esmalda Drive at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7. Investigators determined the man was attacked by a dog inside a residence in the 4100 block of Pringle Drive.

The victim was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries, police said.

According to a press release, the Dallas Police Department is treating the case as a homicide.

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Police ask anyone with information to contact Detective Kenneth Castoral at 469‑781‑1261 or by email at kenneth.castoral@dallaspolice.gov.



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Dallas, TX

Every Dallas Restaurant That Closed in 2025

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Every Dallas Restaurant That Closed in 2025


Dallas lost a lot of great restaurants in 2025.

Photos by Allison McLean

According to the Chinese New Year, 2025 was the year of the snake, and Dallas shed more than its fair share of restaurants and bars. 

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We actually started off on a high note with the closure of Salt Bae’s restaurant, Nusr-Et, which had the audacity to charge upwards of $1,000 for a steak. 

After that, local favorites started dropping like flies. Many leases seemed to come to an end with an increase in demand for space sending rent skyrocketing. Along with rising food costs, local restaurants are taking a hit.

It’s not all bad, though. Peppered into the mix are some restaurants and bars in Dallas that closed, but were remodeled and reimagined into new concepts. Others are looking for new spaces with lower rent. The rest, however, are gone for good. 

The beginning of this year will likely be no better than the last, and it’s as good a time as ever to get out and support your favorite local spots. Money tight? We know where to go.

These are all the Dallas restaurants that closed in 2025. 

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