Dallas, TX
Here’s a way Dallas might build more single-family homes
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/BESGDCORB5A3NNIXSUTJELHDAA.jpg?ssl=1 "Here’s a way Dallas might build more single-family homes")
There are a lot of ideas being discussed now to help address the problem of home affordability in Dallas.
One that deserves strong consideration is lowering the minimum-required lot size for the construction of a new home.
The idea isn’t uncontroversial. In its early years of development, Dallas and surrounding cities had such abundant land that larger lots were much easier to afford. Now, the cost of land is a key driver in rising prices. Residents in many established neighborhoods worry that lowering lot sizes could lead to dramatic changes in the places they call home.
We agree that the city must be sensitive of longtime residents’ concerns. But we also think that reducing the amount of land needed to build a home could go a long way toward ensuring that Dallas continues to flourish as a city that is affordable to people at every income level, and especially to the middle class who too often are being priced out of life here.
In December, five Dallas City Council members signed a memo to initiate conversations related to reducing minimum lot sizes and allowing duplexes and quadplexes by right in single-family neighborhoods.
The discussions predictably devolved into chaos because complicated and potentially disruptive solutions were all lumped together. Different zoning and land use changes need to be considered separately. The idea to allow duplexes by right should be put on hold for now, but city officials should seriously explore the pragmatic solution of reducing the minimum lot size.
The minimum lot size varies in Dallas, but it ranges from around 5,000 to 7,500 square feet. Austin’s City Council recently adopted a resolution to reduce minimum lot size from 5,750 to 2,500 square feet. It’s expected that reducing minimum lot sizes allows developers in the market to build more single-family homes. Smaller lots would make the land, and therefore the homes, less expensive.
The move would introduce more housing while still incentivizing home ownership over renting. Lowering the minimum lot size does not mean that larger lots would be taken away; it just means that families who can only afford smaller homes would have options beyond renting.
Reducing minimum lot sizes has been embraced across the political aisle as commonsense policy. The Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, recently published a report that found that less restrictive municipal regulations around lot sizes would allow the market to work better to close the housing affordability gap. At the state level, Sen. Paul Bettencourt had introduced a bill that would prohibit big Texas cities from mandating lots larger than 1,400 square feet. The city should work with residents now to gauge their interest in this kind of reform, before the state makes a law. City officials could consider piloting reduced lot sizes in certain neighborhoods where residents are open to more density.
For Dallas to remain the vibrant city it has always been, residents and city officials will have to come together and consider how to use our land most effectively. Reducing the minimum lot size could be that measured solution to support younger residents without impacting long-time homeowners.
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
5 teens hurt after police chase ends in crash
Five teenagers were hurt after a crime spree ended in a crash. Police say they found multiple handguns inside the vehicle after the crash, and all five teens were taken to the hospital.
DALLAS – Five teenagers were hospitalized late Tuesday night after crashing a carjacked sedan into a traffic light pole during a brief police chase, Dallas authorities said.
Carjacking and crash
What we know:
The incident began at 10:37 p.m. in Old East Dallas, where a man was carjacked at gunpoint by a group of armed juvenile suspects in the 4500 block of Live Oak Street, according to Dallas Police Department records. The suspects left the scene in the victim’s white Honda sedan.
Just before 11 p.m., a Flock license plate recognition camera flagged the stolen vehicle at an apartment complex in the 9400 block of Bruton Road in Pleasant Grove.
Responding patrol officers spotted the Honda traveling west on Bruton Road near South Buckner Boulevard. When officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver accelerated and sped off, initiating a pursuit.
The chase came to a violent end at 11:02 p.m. at the intersection of Bruton Road and Second Avenue. Police said the driver lost control of the sedan and slammed directly into a steel traffic signal support pole.
Officers found five teenagers inside the heavily damaged vehicle. Dallas Fire-Rescue paramedics took all five suspects to local hospitals. Police said some of the teenagers suffered serious injuries, but all are expected to survive.
Investigators recovered multiple handguns from inside the crashed vehicle.
What’s next:
Detectives from the Dallas Police Department’s robbery and vehicular crimes units, alongside crime scene investigators and patrol officers, are continuing to investigate the incident. Charges against the juveniles are pending.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Dallas Police officers at the scene.
Dallas, TX
Death penalty off the table for man accused of beheading Dallas motel manager, prosecutors say
In need of help on the edge, the Dallas Cowboys tried to make a huge move this offseason. They made multiple attempts to trade for Las Vegas Raiders superstar Maxx Crosby, but were never able to get a deal done.
Once that one was off the table, they decided to send a fourth round pick to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for veteran Rashan Gary. The move was criticized, which is rather confusing when you think about it. Dallas gave up a mid-round pick, and reworked his contract to where it hardly makes any impact on a salary cap. They also filled a position of a great need with a player who might not threaten to lead the league in sacks, but is well-rounded and can help against the run just as much as he does when rushing the passer.
Gary is entering his eighth season in the league and has 271 tackles and 46.5 sacks. He’s coming off another solid campaign, which is why he’s No. 9 on our list of top 10 players on the Cowboys’ roster.
Rashan Gary 2025 review
Gary’s numbers in 2025 were respectable, but could be misleading. He was on pace to record 18 sacks, as he had 7.5 through the first seven games of the year. He then disappeared for the final nine games, recording no sacks while struggling to generate pressure.
That led to his season as a whole being considered rather disappointing, which is why the Packers were willing to move on. It’s also why Dallas was able to convince him to take a pay cut after he joined their team. What was most frustrating for Green Bay was the fact that they needed him to step up when Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL late in the year and Gary was unable to do so.
Rashan Gary 2026 prediction
One thing critics of the move are failing to see is the fact that Dallas doesn’t need Gary to record double-digit sacks. They need him to be the veteran voice for a group of young pass rushers who are trying to find their footing in the league.
Second year player, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and rookie Malachi Lawrence both have the talent to be game-changers off of the edge. What they don’t have, is the experience. That’s where Gary comes in.
As those two continue to develop, Gary will be the stabilizing veteran force who can make plays on early downs, while also being disruptive as a pass rusher. We can’t ignore the struggles that he had in 2025, but perhaps the change of scenery will give him some motivation to turn back the clock. And Dallas didn’t have to give up much to give him that opportunity.
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