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.

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