Dallas City Council to Rezone 35 Acres of West Oak Cliff

Dallas City Council is set to decide what kind of investment and development could be built in a West Oak Cliff neighborhood, in a case dividing residents on how to shape the future of the community.

The rezoning case affects 35.25 acres centered on the intersection of Hampton Road and Clarendon Drive. It would allow mixed-use and small multifamily buildings and encourage pedestrian-friendly development, the Dallas Business Journal reported. City officials have viewed the area as ripe for rezoning for such developments since 2019, and it’s part of the city’s broader efforts to encourage density and walkability in development.

The vote also comes as Texas Senate Bill 840, which takes effect Sept. 1, will require Texas cities to allow residential development in nonresidential zones.

West, whose district includes the area, pitched the zoning change as protection for single-family homes and small businesses from large developments.

The rezoning could encourage development of vacant lots. A quarter of lots in the rezoning area are vacant, West said.

The rezoning would limit building heights to 50 feet and allow for only small-scale multifamily projects. Drive–thrus would not be not allowed, and developments would be required to build out landscaping buffer zones and sidewalks. City Council eliminated parking minimums for smaller scale projects in May.

The zoning change comes with concerns about displacement and gentrification of the area’s predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods. A petition opposing the rezoning circulated earlier this year, posted online by the Automotive Association of Oak Cliff. It garnered more than 1,000 signatures. The petition claimed the zoning changes could eventually spike property costs and drive out residents.

Four of six neighborhood associations in West Oak Cliff signed letters of support for the rezoning, however, and the other two have not yet taken a stance on the matter. — Eric Weilbacher