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I WILL NOW CALL THIS MEETING THE SOUTH
[South Dallas Fair Park Opportunity Fund Regular Meeting on November 17, 2025.]
DALLAS FAIR PARK OPPORTUNITY FUND BOARD TO ORDER.THE TIME IS 6:00 PM START OFF WITH A ROLL CALL WITH MYSELF, LEANER JOHNSON PRESENCE.
MR. WINE SIGNS CHAIRWOMAN KIMBERLY, SEND CC AND ION.
CC AND MS. DESTINY UBA PRESENT MR. WILLIAM DAWKINS? PRESENT MS. AMY FREEMAN.
MR. CHAIRMAN? CARL ENRIQUE PRESENT.
WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES, UH, FROM THE LAST MEETING.
EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED A COPY OF THOSE IN THEIR PACKET IF THERE ARE NO CHANGES.
OBJECTIONS, MR. CHAIR? SORRY FOR THE INTERRUPTION, BUT, UM, AMY FREEMAN IS ONLINE AND SO SHE WAS JUST IN THE ATTENDEE PILE.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE WAS COUNTED.
UH, MS. FREEMAN, UH, COULD YOU, UH, FLIP YOUR, UH, CAMERA ON PLEASE? UH, YEAH, I AM WORKING ON THAT NOW.
IF YOU'LL GO AHEAD AND ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR PRESENCE.
UH, MS. AMY FREEMAN? YES, SHE'S PRESENT.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM.
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM OCTOBER 27TH, 2025.
UH, EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED A COPY OF THOSE IN THEIR PACKET.
IF THERE ARE ANY, UH, CHANGES, COMMENTS, OBJECTIONS ON THAT.
IF NOT, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE? SO MOVED.
ALL IN FAVOR? ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? OH, COMMENT.
UH, CHAIRMAN HAS A QUICK COMMENT ON THE, ON THE MEETING MINUTES.
I YIELD MY TIME TO MS. SIMS. THANK YOU.
I JUST, UM, WANTED NICHOLAS JUST TO VERIFY THE, UH, SPELLING OF CC'S FIRST NAME AND PERHAPS THAT'S THE NAME WE DON'T KNOW HER BY, BUT IF YOU'LL JUST DOUBLE CHECK THAT.
OTHER THAN THAT, I'M FINE WITH THE MINUTES.
SPELLING OF MS. UH, SIENNA IN ION'S, UH, NAME? MM-HMM
A ANY OTHER, UH, COMMENTS? UH, FEEDBACK, OBJECTIONS? WE HAD A, WE HAD A MOTION, UH, BY MR. HUGHES.
NEXT AGENDA ITEM, PUBLIC SPEAKER.
DO THEY HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS SIGNED UP FOR THIS EVENING? OKAY.
NO PUBLIC SPEAKER SIGNED UP FOR THIS EVENING.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS STAFF UPDATES FROM THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FROM MR. NICK ERRA.
WE'LL HAVE A PART, UH, TO UPDATE US ON THE PREVIOUSLY APPROVED HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTS FROM FISCAL YEAR 23, 24, AND 25.
AND THE SECOND PART OF OUR UPDATE WILL BE FOR, UH, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS, UH, THAT, THAT WE HAVE IN THE PIPELINE, UH, SO FAR THIS YEAR.
SO THE WAY WE'LL DO, UH, QUESTIONS WILL HOLD QUESTIONS, UH, FOR EACH RESPECTIVE PART.
SO AFTER PART A, WE'LL TAKE, UH, QUESTIONS AFTER THE A UPDATE, AND THEN AFTER PORTION B WE'LL TAKE, UH, UH, QUESTIONS FROM PORTION B.
WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO, TO YOU, NICHOLAS.
UM, I'M RECOVERING FROM A COLD, SO PLEASE BEAR WITH ME.
I MIGHT HAVE TO CLEAR MY THROAT A FEW TIMES, BUT I AM FEELING GREAT.
UM, SO YEAH, SO THE FIRST ITEM, UM, IN THE STAFF UPDATE,
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ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THAT AT THE NEXT MEETING WE'LL BE TAKING A LOOK AT SOME OF THE SUBMISSIONS FOR THE NOFA THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY OPEN, THAT IT WOULD BE A GOOD, UH, CHANCE TO KIND OF GO OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTS AND GIVE YOU GUYS A SENSE OF KIND OF WHERE WE ARE.THE VAST MAJORITY OF THOSE HAVE CLOSED.
NOW WE INHERITED MANY OF THOSE FROM SBC, BUT WE'RE IN A PRETTY GOOD PLACE.
AND SO TO KIND OF START WITH A CLEAN SA SLATE, I WANTED TO KIND OF PRESENT WHERE WE ARE WITH SOME OF THOSE CONTRACTS.
AND SO YOU'LL SEE HERE WE HAD FIVE GRANTEES IN FY 23, AND WE'VE SUCCESSFULLY CLOSED OUT ALL OF THOSE CONTRACTS.
UM, AND, AND SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE, THE AWARD AMOUNT ON THE LEFT AND THE FINAL AMOUNT THAT THE GRANTEE DREW DOWN ON THE RIGHT.
UM, AND SO THAT'S FY 23 AND THOSE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY CLOSED OUT.
AND THEN WE HAVE FY 24, AND I'LL START FROM THE BOTTOM OF FY 24.
UM, WE HAVE, I LOOK LIKE LOVE, WHICH WAS, UH, SUCCESSFULLY CLOSED AND THEIR GRANT WAS DRAWN DOWN.
AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, IN A PREVIOUS UPDATE, WE TALKED ABOUT GEMS AND HOW GEMS DECLINED THEIR GRANT AWARD, UH, WHEN THEY WERE BEGINNING THE COMPLIANCE PROCESS, UH, CITING THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE CAPACITY AS A SMALL NONPROFIT TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ON THE REPORTING THAT WAS REQUIRED DURING COMPLIANCE.
AND SO, AGAIN, WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THAT BEFORE, BUT HERE IT IS AGAIN, JUST TO KINDA GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHERE WE ARE WITH OUR FY 24 CONTRACTS.
UH, BCL OF TEXAS WAS ONE OF THE FIRST CONTRACTS THAT WAS APPROVED IN FY 24.
UM, AND THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS NOW, OR EXCUSE ONE OF THE LAST ONES, EXCUSE ME.
AND THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF NOW OF, UH, GETTING THEIR REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST APPROVED.
SO THEIR CONTRACT IS CURRENTLY ACTIVE AND THEY'RE ON TRACK, SO THAT'S GOOD.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE ABIDE, ABIDE WOMEN'S HEALTH SERVICES.
THEIR CONTRACT PERIOD DID END, UH, AND FORTUNATELY THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO MEET ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS IN THEIR COMPLIANCE PERIOD.
AND SO WE DID SEND A NOTICE OF DEFAULT TO ABIDE, UM, AT THEIR SITE VISIT.
ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS THAT THEY NEED TO ADHERE TO IS WHAT WE CALL THE 90% REQUIREMENT.
AND THAT'S HOW WE GUARANTEE THAT THE MONEY, UH, GRANTED FROM THIS FUND GOES DIRECTLY BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE TO VERIFY THAT AT LEAST 90% OF THE BENEFICIARIES THAT THEY SERVED RESIDE WITHIN THE SERVICE AREA AT THE SITE VISIT THIS PAST SUMMER.
UM, THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO VERIFY THAT AND THAT THERE WAS A, A REALLY SIGNIFICANT GAP.
UH, WE GAVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF APPROACH IT DIFFERENTLY TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION, MORE EXPLANATION.
THEY, UH, CONCLUDED THAT THEY WERE, WOULD STILL NOT BE ABLE TO VERIFY THAT NUMBER.
AND SO WE MOVED FORWARD WITH THE LETTER OF DEFAULT.
AND THIS IS, SO THAT CLOSES OUT FY 24.
UM, I KNOW YOU MIGHT HAVE QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL MOVE ON TO FY 25.
JUST TO KIND OF GIVE YOU THE FULL, UH, THE FULL SLATE HERE.
AND FY 25, AS YOU REMEMBER, THESE WERE THE ONES THAT WE, THAT WERE AWARDED BY YOU ALL THIS PAST SPRING.
AT THE END OF SPRING, EARLY SUMMER.
ALL OF THESE CONTRACTS ARE NOW ACTIVE.
UM, ONLY TWO OF THEM HAVE BEGUN THE REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS, BUT THE REST OF THEM ARE ON TRACK TOGETHER.
AS YOU REMEMBER, YOU APPROVED, UH, A PERFORMANCE PERIOD CHANGE TO FY 26.
AND SO I ACTUALLY HAVE A, A MEETING SCHEDULED WITH TOGETHER, WE THRIVE TOMORROW JUST TO KIND OF GO BACK OVER THAT INFORMATION.
UM, BUT THAT KIND OF GIVES YOU A SENSE OF WHERE WE ARE WITH THE PAST THREE YEARS OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTS.
AND I'M WILLING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS FOR WHATEVER QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, NICHOLAS.
UH, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, UH, ABOUT THE UPDATE TO ANY OF THE CURRENTS PAST? NO.
FOR AWARD NEEDS, UH, MR. DAWKINS? SO I'LL LET THE ATTORNEYS JUMP IN AS SOON AS I MISSTATE SOMETHING.
UH, BUT HOW WE ARE PURSUING IT IS IF THEY REPAY THE GRANT, UM, WHAT THEY, YOU KNOW, THE 23,000, THEY WILL HAVE CURED IT AND THEN THEY WOULD BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY IN FUTURE ROUNDS, BUT THEY HAVE TO REPAY WHAT THEY HAVE RECEIVED.
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WE CAN DOUBLE CHECK ON THAT, BUT I THINK IT'S JUST THE REPAYMENT OF WHAT WE HAD AWARDED THEM.ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK, UH, FROM ANY OF THE I DO HAVE A QUESTION, MR. CHAIR.
UM, WHEN THERE IS A DEFAULT ON THE GRANT, UM, AND THE AGENCY IS NOT ABLE TO REPAY THE FUNDS, WHAT HAPPENS? UH, THIS IS ALENA RUIZ WITH THIS NEW ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
UH, SO TYPICALLY WHEN THERE'S A DEFAULT IN THE ORGANIZATION, CANNOT PAY BACK THE FUNDS.
WE'RE ALWAYS GONNA LOOK TO THE AGREEMENT FIRST AND SEE WHAT KIND OF OTHER REMEDIES WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO WORK OUT WITH THEM.
UM, OTHER THAN THAT, IT'S GOING TO END UP GOING BACK KIND OF THROUGH THE CHAIN OF THE CITY AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO RECOUP THAT FINANCIAL LOSS.
UM, SO I WOULD BE HAVE TO GET BACK WITH YOU WANT A MORE DETAILED ANSWER ON THAT, BUT WE'RE, WE'LL FIRST SEE IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER REMEDIES, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO CHECK A RECAP ABOUT LOSS.
SINCE, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, UH, FEEDBACK ON ANY OF THE
YOU KNOW, A PORTION OF IT'S BEEN DISPERSED.
UH, THOSE FUNDS JUST GET REALLOCATED BACK INTO THE FUND, CORRECT? DOESN'T INCREASE, UH, THE AMOUNT AVAILABLE FOR THE NEXT CYCLE.
JUST WANNA BE CLEAR THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS THAT COR CORRECT.
THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT PURPOSEFUL YEAR IS $200,000.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, FEEDBACK, UH, ABOUT ITEM A? OKAY, I'M HEARING NONE.
SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO, UH, UPDATE B, UH, WHICH IS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS, UH, THAT ARE IN THE PIPELINE CURRENTLY.
SO WE'VE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF MOVEMENT AS IF YOU'VE BEEN FOLLOWING THESE CHARTS CLOSELY, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE'VE HAD SOME MOVEMENT.
UM, AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, WELL, I GUESS FOR AMY, AMY'S NOT ON, I WAS GONNA SAY FOR THE SAKE OF THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS, I CAN TALK THROUGH KIND OF WHAT EACH STAGE REPRESENTS AND MAYBE IT'LL BE HELPFUL TO REITERATE IT.
UH, BUT SO THE WAY WE HAVE THESE BROKEN UP IS INITIAL CONTACT SLASH DISCOVERY, WHICH IS FOLKS REACHING OUT.
MAYBE THEY DON'T HAVE A DEFINED PROJECT, MAYBE THEY DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE ENTIRELY ELIGIBLE.
PERHAPS THEY'RE EYEING A PROPERTY IN THE SERVICE AREA, BUT THEY'RE NOT SURE IF THAT'LL BE THE FINAL PROPERTY.
THEY'RE KIND OF IN THE DISCOVERY PHASE TRYING TO KIND OF FACT FIND.
AND SO THESE CONVERSATIONS, THERE'S USUALLY ABOUT THREE OR FOUR CONVERSATIONS AS THE PERSON WHO'S INQUIRING TRIES TO GET ALL THE INFORMATION THEY NEED.
AND SO THAT CATEGORY IS REALLY DEVOTED TO THOSE FOLKS WHO REACH OUT, WHO ARE IN THAT EXPLORATION PHASE OF WHETHER THIS IS THE RIGHT PROGRAM FOR THEM OR NOT.
ONCE WE'VE ESTABLISHED THAT THEY ARE ELIGIBLE, THAT THEY WOULD, YOU KNOW, ARE THEN THE SERVICE AREA, UH, THAT THEY HIT THE GOALS AND ALL THOSE OTHER DETAILS, THEY DEFINE THEIR PROJECT, THEN THEY MOVE INTO THE ONGOING DISCUSSION.
AND THAT IS A SPACE WHERE THEY KIND OF WORK ON TYING UP SOME OF THE LOOSE ENDS OF THEIR PROJECT.
AND SO, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, MAY, THEY MIGHT, YOU KNOW, FIND OUT THAT THEY NEED A SPECIAL USE PERMIT, UH, IF THEY WANT TO CONTINUE ON WITH THIS PROJECT, WHICH WILL TAKE TIME.
AND SO WE'LL KIND OF PUT THINGS ON A HOLD IN THIS ONGOING DISCUSSION PHASE WHERE THEY'LL GO AND CONNECT WITH STAKEHOLDERS.
THEY'LL GO OUT AND START THAT PROCESS.
AND SO ONGOING DISCUSSION FOLKS CAN GET KIND OF HANG OUT THERE FOR A WHILE ONCE WE ANSWER ALL THOSE QUESTIONS.
AND IT'S JUST A MATTER OF THOSE FOLKS SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION.
THEY MOVE TO THE PENDING COMPLETE APPLICATION.
AND AS WE TALKED ABOUT HERE, UH, THERE'S USUALLY A FEW DIFFERENT ITERATIONS.
THEY'LL KIND OF SUBMIT A FIRST APPLICATION AND THEY'LL ASK US FOR OUR FEEDBACK, AND THEN WE'LL PROVIDE THAT TO THEM AND THEY'LL SUBMIT A SECOND PART.
MOST FOLKS DON'T SUBMIT A FULL APPLICATION TO START.
AND SO THIS TENDS TO BE A SPACE WHERE WE GO BACK AND FORTH UNTIL THEY GET THEIR APPLICATION TO WHERE THEY WANT IT TO BE ESSENTIALLY.
UM, AND THEN THE LAST ONE, OF COURSE IS DEVOTED TO FOLKS WHO FIND OUT THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, DECIDE NOT TO TAKE ON, THEY DON'T WANT TO TAKE ON DEBT, OR MAYBE THEIR BUSINESS FOLDED OR THEY DECIDED TO GO A DIFFERENT ROUTE FOR FINANCING.
AND SO THOSE, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT OUR CONVERSATIONS, WE'LL MOVE THEM OVER TO THE NOT VIABLE DECLINE.
AND SO COMPARED TO THE, WE GAVE YOU THIS UPDATE, I THINK IN AUGUST, WE GAVE YOU A SIMILAR UPDATE AND ALL THE FOLKS WHO WERE LISTED IN THE INITIAL CONTACT AND DISCOVERY SECTION, WE'VE SPOKEN THROUGH ALL OF THOSE
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PROJECTS.A LOT OF THEM DID END UP IN THE NOT VIABLE CATEGORY, BUT WE DID HAVE ONE APPLICATION, APPLICA K UM, WHO SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION.
AND SO WE JUST NEED TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF REVIEWING THAT APPLICATION.
IT'S THEIR FIRST ITERATION, BUT THAT'S KIND OF SOME NICE MOVEMENT.
UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE STARTED THE INFO SESSIONS, UH, EARLY IN OCTOBER, WE'VE GENERATED A LITTLE BIT OF BUZZ.
AND SO AS YOU'LL SEE BY THE DATES INDICATED IN THE INITIAL CONTACT DISCOVERY SECTION IN OCTOBER, MY EMAIL WAS BLOWING UP A LITTLE BIT.
UH, WE HAD A LOT OF INTEREST FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE PROJECTS.
NOT ALL OF THEM ARE A FIT, BUT THEY WANT TO KIND OF BEGIN DISCUSSIONS.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN WAITING INTO SOME OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS NOW, UH, WHICH HAS BEEN PRETTY EXCITING.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE THE SAME FOLKS KIND OF HANGING OUT IN THE ONGOING AND PENDING SECTION.
JUST KNOW THAT I'M IN CONTACT WITH ALL OF THOSE FOLKS.
UH, AND WE'RE JUST KIND OF WAITING FOR THEM TO GIVE US THE GO AHEAD FOR THE NEXT PHASE.
BUT WE'RE IN COMMUNICATION WITH THOSE PEOPLE.
WE'RE WAITING FOR THEM TO GET THEIR QUESTIONS ANSWERED ABOUT THEIR PROJECTS SO THEY CAN COME BACK TO US AND WE CAN KIND OF MOVE THEM FORWARD.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A REALLY DECENT PIPELINE.
IT'S MY IMPRESSION TOO, THAT WE'RE GETTING HIGHER QUALITY PROJECTS THAT WE'VE BEEN GETTING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
UM, I THINK THEY'RE DEFINITELY, THERE'S DEFINITELY GOOD, GOOD PROJECTS IN THIS NEXT ROUND.
SO I'M HOPING, UH, SOME OF THESE ARE A REALLY GOOD FIT, BUT THAT KIND OF GIVES YOU A SENSE OF WHERE WE ARE IN OUR PIPELINE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, NICHOLAS, FOR THAT UPDATE.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK ABOUT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS? OKAY.
UM, JUST REAL QUICK, UH, NICK, UM, FIRST OF ALL, IT'S GREAT TO SEE SOME TRACTION COMING FROM THE INFO SESSION THAT WE'VE HAD.
UM, AND ANTICIPATED ITEMS D THROUGH G WERE PROBABLY A FITTING INTO THAT BUCKET.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE LEVEL OF, AND I KNOW YOU KIND OF TOUCHED ON THIS A LITTLE BIT, BUT CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE LEVEL OF PREPAREDNESS THAT YOU'RE SEEING FROM, LET'S CALL IT APPLICANTS FROM THE NEW APPLICANTS D, E, F AND G? UH, AND, AND FROM THERE, ARE THEY AT A POINT TO WHERE OUR SUPPORT PARTNERS, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, VISTA BANK CAN STEP IN AND HELP THEM BRIDGE THE GAP TO GET THEM TO THE NEXT STEP? UH, CAN CAN, CAN YOU KIND OF SPEAK TO WHERE THAT'S AT? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
SO I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THAT BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN, UH, WE'VE, WE'VE MADE, UH, AN EFFORT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE CONNECTED WITH THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE RESOURCES, UM, THAT, THAT WE'VE SHARED WITH YOU ALL HERE.
AND SO THEY ALL HAVE THIS INFORMATION AND WE'VE MADE RECOMMENDATIONS TO A FEW FOLKS TO KIND OF CALL AROUND FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
WE'VE GIVEN THEM A LIST OF FOLKS THEY CAN REACH OUT TO.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, IT'S JUST MY IMPRESSION THAT THE FOLKS WHO NEEDED A LOT OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ARE, ARE ACCESSING THAT NOW, WHICH HAS KIND OF CLEARED THE PATH FOR THE FOLKS WHO ARE JUST A BIT MORE READY.
UM, AND SO SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO ARE REACHING OUT SEEM LIKE THEY HAVE THEIR PROJECT A BIT MORE DEFINED THAN SOME OF THE LAST FOLKS WHO HAD REACHED OUT IN KIND OF PREVIOUS COHORTS.
UM, AND SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT THESE WILL ARE A GOOD FIT AND THAT WE HAVE, WE'LL GET SOME TRACTION FROM THIS GROUP, UM, BUT WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE.
SO WE'RE SCHEDULING MEETINGS WITH ALL OF THESE FOLKS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS.
UH, SOME OF THEM ARE GONNA REACH OUT TO ME IN JANUARY, BUT SOME OF THEM, WE'VE ALREADY BEGAN SCHEDULING SOME OF THESE CONVERSATIONS AND WE'RE ALREADY BEGINNING TO WORK THROUGH SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THEY HAVE.
AND AS A QUICK FOLLOW UP QUESTION, I KNOW WE'RE IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THIS, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THIS COULD PERHAPS, POTENTIALLY BE SCALABLE.
AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS IN TERMS OF, UH, OUR SUPPORT PARTNERS LIKE VISTA BANK, CAN YOU REMIND US OF WHO ELSE WE'RE REACHING OUT TO, TO, UH, BE IN OUR ROTATION, IF YOU WILL, OF SUPPORT PARTNERS? AND IF IT MAKES SENSE FOR US TO, UH, RAMP UP, UH, THE NUMBER OF, UH, INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS THAT WE'VE HAD CONSIDERING THE RESPONSE THAT WE'VE GOTTEN AND SOME OF THE MOMENTUM THAT WE HAVE, UH, FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN, JUST FROM THE, I THINK WE'VE ONLY HAD TWO, UH, AND WE'VE SEEN A TREMENDOUS RESPONSE, UH, FROM THAT IN THE QUALITY APPLICATION.
SO CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT A LITTLE BIT? YEAH.
UM, SO WE HAVE, THERE'S A NUMBER, THERE'S PROBABLY LIKE 15 OR SO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PARTNERS THAT EXIST OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, COMERICA HQ IS ONE OF THEM.
VISTA BANK AND THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK INNOVATION CENTER, DALLAS COLLEGE HAS THE VENTURE CLUB.
UM, THOSE ARE JUST THE ONES I CAN REMEMBER OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
BUT WE HAVE A, A FULL LIST THAT WE'VE SHARED IN SUBCOMMITTEES.
AND SO IF YOU GUYS WANT THAT INFORMATION, I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SEND IT OUT.
UM, AND THEN WHAT WAS THE SECOND PART OF YOUR QUESTION? SECOND PART IS, IS DO YOU THINK IT MAKES SENSE FOR US TO, UH, PERHAPS
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HAVE A FEW MORE INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS WITH DIFFERENT PARTNERS, DIFFERENT SUPPORT PARTNERS COMING IN, SORT OF LIKE THE SETUP THAT WE HAD WITH YEAH.WITH VISTA BANK, JUST TO TELL PEOPLE WHAT'S OUT THERE, WHAT'S AVAILABLE, WHAT SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE, AND HOW THEY CAN BE SUPPORTED SO THEY'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT MORE, YOU KNOW, BACKBONE AND, AND BEEF.
YEAH, IN TERMS OF WHAT, KNOWING WHAT'S AVAILABLE AS OPPOSED TO JUST, HEY, COMERICA HAS A PROGRAM, WELL THAT'S GREAT, BUT YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IS IT THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY HELP ME DO? UH, AND SO IT HELPS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, IN THEIR MIND, YOU KNOW, SOLIDIFY THE HELP THAT'S AVAILABLE AND, AND FRAME IT UP, UH, BASED ON THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATION, I GUESS.
YEAH, THAT'S THE, THAT, YEAH, THAT'S WHAT WE INTEND ON DOING IS, UH, FOR THE NEXT TWO INFO SESSIONS, WE ARE GONNA HAVE A, A PARTNER, A COMMUNITY PARTNER, A TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PARTNER TO JOIN SO THEY CAN TALK ABOUT, UH, WHAT THEY OFFER.
UH, I THINK OUR FIRST RUN WITH THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK INNOVATION CENTER WAS REALLY HELPFUL FOR ME TO SEE, UH, IN PARTICULAR THE FEEDBACK I GOT FROM FOLKS WAS THAT, UH, DISSA GAVE A REALLY ACCESSIBLE PRESENTATION THAT DIDN'T MAKE THEM FEEL LIKE THIS WAS SOMETHING THEY COULD NOT ACHIEVE, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS IMPORTANT.
UM, AND SO I WANT TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT IN FUTURE INFO SESSIONS, AND THAT'S OUR PLAN.
UH, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK, UH, ON ITEM B? REALLY? UH, I HAVE, I HAVE A QUESTION OR MAYBE A, A STATEMENT AND YOU GUYS PROBABLY ARE ALREADY FAMILIAR.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? UH, YES, GO AHEAD.
SO I KNOW COMERICA IS GOING THROUGH AN ACQUISITION, SO I, I'VE GOT A, A PRETTY GOOD CONTACT THERE.
I COULD REACH BACK OUT TO HIM AND SEE HOW THAT WOULD CHANGE OUR RELATIONSHIP.
THEY'RE BEING ACQUIRED BY FIFTH THIRD BANK.
UM, BUT, BUT HE WAS PRETTY INVOLVED OR SAID THAT THEY COULD BE PRETTY INVOLVED IN PARTNERING WITH US.
I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WOULD CHANGE WITH THIS ACQUISITION THEY'RE GOING THROUGH CURRENTLY.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY WONDERFUL IF YOU HAD A, A CONNECTION AND YOU COULD FIND OUT THAT INFORMATION, THAT WOULD BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL.
UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, UH, FEEDBACK ON THIS ITEM? OKAY, I'M HEARING NONE.
SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SIX, WHICH IS A BRIEFING ON THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK AREA PLAN.
SO WE HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST, UH, WITH US THIS EVENING.
UH, MR. PATRICK BLADES, WHO IS THE CHIEF PLANNER, UH, UH, AND CHIEF ARCHITECT IF, IF YOU WILL, UH, OF THIS INITIATIVE, UH, WITHIN THE CITY'S PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
HE'S THE, THE HEAD OF, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES.
AND SO, UM, VERY EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT, UH, THE, THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK AREA PLAN, WHICH I'M SURE MOST OF YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT, UH, IN SOME FORM OR FASHION.
BUT TONIGHT WE'RE GONNA GET A DEEP DIVE, UH, INTO WHAT THAT PLAN ENTAILS, WHAT ALL WENT INTO IT, WHO'S INVOLVED, UH, WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE.
YOU PROBABLY READ, YOU KNOW, QUITE A BIT IN THE NEWS ABOUT, UH, THAT, YOU KNOW, INITIATIVE MOVING FORWARD.
SO, UH, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO, UH, PATRICK TO GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THAT.
AND WE'LL HOLD QUESTIONS, UH, UH, TILL THE END OF THE PRESENTATION THERE.
UH, AND THEN WE'LL GET ANYTHING ADDRESSED, UH, THAT, THAT WE NEED, UH, TO HAVE ANSWERED.
ALRIGHT, UH, AS WE GET THE POWERPOINT, UM, UP ON THE SCREEN, UM, I'LL INTRODUCE MYSELF.
MY NAME IS PATRICK BLADES, UM, AS CHAIR MENTIONED.
UM, I'M CHIEF PLANNER WITH THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, UH, DEPARTMENT.
UM, I HAVE BEEN IN THAT ROLE FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS.
I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY ABOUT SIX YEARS.
I'VE BEEN WORKING IN URBAN PLANNING ABOUT 15 YEARS, ALL OF THAT HERE IN, UH, THE DALLAS FORT WORTH AREA, MAINLY IN DALLAS.
UH, BEFORE I WAS WITH THE CITY, I WAS WITH THE, UH, A, A OR TWO DIFFERENT URBAN DESIGN FIRMS. FIRST BETTER BLOCK AND THEN BC WORKSHOP.
UM, I GREW UP HERE, UM, FROM DISTRICT NINE.
UM, WENT TO BISHOP LYNCH HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, AND, UM, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH SOUTH DALLAS, UH, MY GRANDFATHER WAS BORN IN A BACK ROOM, UM, ON A HOUSE OFF OF PINE STREET OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
UM, SO I'M VERY EXCITED TO TALK TO Y'ALL ABOUT, UM, THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK AREA PLAN.
UM, WE STARTED THIS PROCESS BACK IN 2021, UM, REALLY RIGHT AS WE CAME OUT OF COVID.
SO THIS HAS BEEN FOUR YEARS IN THE MAKING.
THIS IS STAFF HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE SOUTH DALLAS AREA, UM, AND HAS INVOLVED A NUMBER OF STAKEHOLDERS, UM, BEING VERY ACTIVE AND VERY INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS.
UM, IT'S FOUR YEARS OF THEIR WORK.
I'M, I'M HAPPY TO UPLIFT THOSE VOICES.
UM, IT WAS APPROVED HERE ON, UH, JUNE 25TH, 2025 BY CITY COUNCIL.
SO THIS IS, THIS IS THE ADOPTED PLAN.
UM, IF WE WANNA GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
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THIS IS THE STUDY AREA.IT WILL LOOK VERY FAMILIAR FOR, FOR YOUR ALL FOLKS.
'CAUSE IT, IT PRETTY MUCH ENCAPSULATES MOST OF YOUR, UM, AREA AS WELL.
UM, BUT AGAIN, IT'S THE AREA THAT, UM, HAS GENERALLY SO BEEN REGARDED AS SOUTH DALLAS FOR MORE THAN A HUNDRED YEARS.
UM, WE WANT TO GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE REAL QUICK.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION ON THIS SLIDE, AND I'M SURE ALL OF YOU HAVE CAN SEE ALL OF IT VERY CLEARLY UNDERSTAND ALL OF IT.
AND I DON'T NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS AT ALL.
BUT IN SHORT, UM, I'M GONNA DETAIL THE PLANNING PROCESS, THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES, THE FOCUS AREAS, AND THEN THE IMPLEMENTATION PART OF IT.
UM, AND THERE ARE GONNA BE SOME, UM, THAT ARE GONNA BE SPECIFIC TO, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY FUND.
UH, IF YOU WANNA GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO THE PLANNING PROCESS, AGAIN, I MENTIONED IT'S FOUR YEARS, RIGHT? THIS IS A LOT OF, UM, THIS IS MORE THAN A HUNDRED MEETINGS THAT WE HAD IN SOUTH DALLAS.
SOME OF THEM WERE WITH A HUNDRED PEOPLE IN OUR AUDITORIUM.
SOME OF THEM WERE ON, UH, FRONT PORCHES, UM, OR, YOU KNOW, UH, AT KITCHEN TABLES, UM, OR WITH DEVELOPERS, UM, WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
UM, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE WERE HAPPY TO, UM, HAVE CONVERSATIONS ANYWHERE AT ANY TIME WITH FOLKS IN SOUTH DALLAS.
UM, IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, BY THE WAY, SO THE NEXT SLIDE DETAILS SOME OF, UM, THE TASK FORCE MEMBERS.
THERE ARE, UM, MORE THAN THERE WAS ABOUT 20 TASK FORCE MEMBERS.
A LOT OF THOSE NAMES ARE GONNA BE FAMILIAR TO Y'ALL.
UM, SOME OF THOSE, UM, HAVE BEEN ACTIVE IN SOUTH DALLAS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
SOME OF THOSE NAMES ARE A LITTLE BIT NEW, BUT MOST OF 'EM ARE, UM, THEY'RE IN SOUTH DALLAS.
SOME OF THEM ARE ALSO RECIPIENTS OF FUNDS FROM THE OPPORTUNITY FUND I WOULD POINT OUT AS WELL.
UM, BUT AS, UH, WE GO THROUGH THE PRESENTATION, UM, THERE IS NOTHING IN THIS PRESENTATION THAT DIDN'T COME FROM TASK FORCE MEMBERS OR THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
THIS IS US LISTENING TO THOSE PEOPLE AND WHEN THEY SAID, THIS IS WHAT WE WANT TO SEE HAPPEN IN SOUTH DALLAS, WE WOULD THEN FIGURE OUT A WAY TO PUT THAT IN THE PLAN TO SAY, OKAY, THIS IS WHAT THEY SUGGESTED.
THIS IS NOT CITY STAFF, BECAUSE FOR FAR TOO LONG, UM, PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE SOUTH DALLAS HAVE GONE INTO SOUTH DALLAS AND TOLD THEM THIS IS WHAT'S GONNA SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS. BUT SOUTH DALLAS KNOWS WHAT THEY NEED BETTER THAN ANYBODY ELSE.
UM, IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES, THERE ARE SEVERAL GUIDING PRINCIPLES, UM, THAT THE TASK FORCE WANTED TO, UM, UH, TO HAVE FOR THE PLAN.
UH, THE FIRST IS LAND USE AND ZONING.
UH, THAT'S THE ONE THAT THE PLAN IS GONNA BE HEAVILY INVESTED IN BECAUSE WE ARE THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
UM, THEN THERE IS HISTORY AND CULTURE.
THERE'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS WHERE WE'RE GONNA GET SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR Y'ALL.
UH, THERE IS INFRASTRUCTURE, THERE'S COMMUNITY WELLBEING, AND, AND THEN THERE'S HOUSING AND DESIGN.
UH, IF WE WANT TO GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO SOUTH DALLAS, THIS AREA IS ABOUT 10 SQUARE MILES.
IT'S A PRETTY BIG AREA AND IT'S HARD TO CREATE A PLAN FOR AN ENTIRE AREA.
SO WE DID DO, UM, A DEEPER DIVE INTO A COUPLE AREAS.
SECOND AVENUE, AS YOU SAY, HIGGINS, THE AREA AROUND THE MLK STATION, UM, MALCOLM X AND THEN THE QUEEN CITY NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE, IF YOU READ THE PLAN, THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAILED, UM, IN THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, BUT THERE CAN ALSO BE APPLICABLE THROUGHOUT THE OTHER AREAS, UH, OF SOUTH DALLAS.
SO THE IMPLEMENTATION SECTION.
UM, SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE JUST DIDN'T WRITE ANOTHER PLAN THAT SAT ON THE SHELF, UM, AND THAT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING.
AND SO THIS PLAN HAS A LOT OF RECOMMENDATIONS, ACTION ITEMS ABOUT THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, BIG STEPS TO TAKE, SMALL STEPS TO TAKE THOSE DIFFERENT TYPES OF THINGS.
UM, WANNA MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE? OKAY.
SO THE, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE, SO THERE'S A NUMBER OF ACTION STEPS, UM, THAT THEY TALK ABOUT, ABOUT, UM, INVESTING, UM, EQUITABLY IN, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE IN SOUTH DALLAS.
UM, THE, UH, UM, AMOUNT OF SIDEWALKS, STREETS, WATER LINES, ALL THAT TYPE OF STUFF, UM, THAT NEEDS TO BE HEAVILY INVESTED IN, IN SOUTH DALLAS.
UM, THE AREA PLAN ACTUALLY MAKES SOME RECOMMENDATIONS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT AREAS TO PRIORITIZE.
A LOT OF THAT IS AROUND THE MLK STATION BECAUSE THERE'S SOME MOVEMENT OVER THERE AND SAY, THESE ARE AREAS IN WHICH IF YOU'RE GOING TO PRIORITIZE SOME DEVELOPMENT, BIG AREA, PRIORITIZE SOME INVESTMENT INFRASTRUCTURE IN THOSE AREAS.
SO THIS IS ABOUT, SO SOUTH DALLAS, UM, I AM NOT FROM THERE, SO I CANNOT, UH, I CAN ONLY ARTICULATE WHAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED TO ME ABOUT THE RICH HISTORY AND CULTURE IN SOUTH DALLAS.
AND THE AREA PLAN WANTED TO UPLIFT THAT HISTORY AND CULTURE AND MAKE SURE THAT IT IS CAPITALIZED UPON, UM, SO BY THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE AS OPPOSED TO OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO TALKS ABOUT INVESTING IN THOSE AREAS, ABOUT HISTORIC PRESERVATION OF CERTAIN THINGS, ABOUT THE PROMOTION OF, UM, UH, THE UNIQUE CULTURAL ASSETS THAT ARE THERE IN SOUTH DALLAS.
YOU WANT TO GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE? THE LAND USE AND ZONING.
SO AGAIN, THAT'S THE, THE, IF YOU READ THE PLAN, WE GET REALLY HEAVY INTO THIS BECAUSE WE CAN CONTROL ZONING.
AND SO, UM, THE BIG STEPS FOR LAND USE AND ZONING.
SO IN SOUTH DALLAS, MOST OF THE COMMERCIAL AREAS ARE ZONED FOR ONLY COMMERCIAL.
SO YOU CAN ONLY BUILD RETAIL RESTAURANTS OFFICE, UM, AS IT HAS STRUGGLED, UH, FOR
[00:30:01]
A NUMBER OF REASONS, UM, TO BUILD THAT RETAIL, THAT, THAT OFFICE THAT WAS RESTAURANTS.UM, BUT IN ADDITION NOW A LOT OF DALLAS, WE HAVE A LOT OF COMMERCIAL AND OFFICE PROPERTY THAT IT, IT JUST, IT'S JUST NOT WHAT IT WAS.
UM, LITTLE, YOU KNOW, FIVE YEARS AGO, LET ALONE WHAT IT WAS WHEN THE PD WAS CREATED OR THE ZONING WAS CREATED, UH, 20 YEARS AGO.
SO THE BIG, UH, SUGGESTION THAT THE ZONING, UH, THAT THE PLAN MAKES FOR ZONING IS THAT YOU TAKE ALL OF THOSE COMMERCIAL AREAS AND THEN YOU ALLOW HOUSING AND MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT THERE AS WELL.
UM, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE COMMUNITY SAID, WE DON'T NECESSARILY WANT TOWN HOMES WITHIN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT ON THE BIGGER STREETS, WE ABSOLUTELY BE OKAY WITH THOSE TIME HOMES BEING PUT IN THERE.
AND WHEN YOU TALK TO THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY IN PARTICULAR AROUND THE MLK STATION AND AROUND, UH, FAIR PARK, THAT'S WHERE THEY'RE ALL KICKING THE TIRES, BEING LIKE, I DON'T WANT TO BUILD AN EIGHT STORY OFFICE TOWER, BUT I WOULD 100% BUILD EIGHT STORIES OF RESIDENTIAL AND MAYBE SOME GROUND FLOOR RETAIL.
AND THAT'S WHERE, SO THE PLAN RECOMMENDS CHANGING THE ZONING ROOM, THOSE AREAS TO ALLOW THAT.
SO DEVELOPMENT'S KIND OF JUMPING THE HIGHWAY FROM, FROM DEEP DEVELOP AS WELL.
AND SO THE PLAN RECOMMENDS CHANGING THE ZONING, UM, TO ALLOW FOR MIXED USE AND HOUSING IN THOSE AREAS THAT RIGHT NOW ONLY ALLOW COMMERCIAL, UH, FOR THE RECORD THAT YOU WOULD STILL ALLOW COMMERCIAL AND OFFICE.
SO IT'S NOT TAKING AWAY FROM THE ABILITY, BUT IT'S JUST ALLOWING THE MARKET TO SAY THESE ARE A DIFFERENT TYPES OF THINGS THAT WE CAN BUILD THERE.
UM, IF YOU HAVE GONE THROUGH SOUTH DALLAS, AND PARTICULARLY SOME AREAS, YOU HAVE NOTICED A LOT OF NEW HOUSING IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, REALLY SINCE 2022.
UM, WE DID AN, AN AREA WHERE I SHOWED NEAR BONTON WHERE, UH, IT'S THREE STREETS AND THERE'S 28 NEW HOUSES ON JUST THOSE THREE STREETS ALONE IN THE PAST TWO OR THREE YEARS.
SOME OF THOSE NEW HOUSES ARE GREAT, SOME OF THEM, UM, AS, UM, THE HONORABLE MISS RAGSDALE WILL PUT IT ARE GROSSLY INCOMPATIBLE.
UM, THEY JUST DON'T LOOK LIKE THE OTHER HOUSES THAT ARE OUT THERE IN SOUTH DALLAS.
AND SO THE, UH, THE TASK FORCE RECOMMENDED A COUPLE OF DESIGN STANDARDS FOR THE NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, REALLY EASILY TO PUT, IT'S, UM, THE NEW HOUSE SHOULD HAVE A, A PORCH IN THE FRONT, A GARAGE IN THE BACK OF THE PROPERTY.
UM, NO MORE THAN TWO STORIES HAVE A ROOF THAT HAS SOME TYPE OF A PITCH, SO NOT A FLAT ROOF.
UM, MAKE SURE THE DRIVEWAY OR THE, THE FRONT YARD ISN'T ALL PAVED AND ISN'T ALL THE DRIVEWAY.
UM, AND THEN MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE FRONT FACADE THAT FACES THE STREET HAS WINDOWS ON IT.
AND SO THOSE ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEW HOUSING, UH, FOR SOUTH DALLAS.
UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY, UH, SO AGAIN, THIS WAS APPROVED IN JUNE OF 2025.
WE, UM, ARE DOING THE AUTHORIZED HEARING, WHICH IS A DNC WORD FOR CHANGE IN THE ZONING.
UH, WE'VE JUST DONE OUR SECOND COMMUNITY MEETING FOR THAT, UM, LAST THURSDAY.
UM, AND WE'LL DO OUR THIRD HERE IN DECEMBER.
UM, WE'RE HOPEFUL TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THOSE ZONING CHANGES, AGAIN, MAKING MIXED USE AREAS AND HAVING DESIGN STANDARDS FOR THE HOMES, UM, HERE IN THE SPRING AND THE SUMMER OF 2026.
UM, WHAT I WILL SAY IS, ALTHOUGH THE AREA PLAN WAS A FOUR YEAR PROCESS, UM, IN, IN SOME CASES, BECAUSE IT HAD TO BE, TO BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, YOU KNOW, GOING FROM A PLAN TO A ZONING WITHIN A YEAR IS FOUR TIMES QUICKER THAN WE'VE DONE IT IN THE PAST, UM, LIKE AS OUR AVERAGE.
UM, AND SO NOW I'M GONNA GO, IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I'M SORRY, THERE'S A, THERE'S A MORE DETAIL ON, ON THE DESIGN STANDARD, BUT IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I BELIEVE.
SO YEAH, SO BASICALLY IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE DESIGN STANDARDS OF A PITCHED ROOF, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, A DRIVEWAY THAT'S MORE OFFSET, HAVING A FRONT PORCH, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF HOUSING THAT YOU CAN BUILD OUT THERE, BUT THERE'S ONE KIND ONE TYPE OF HOUSING THAT THEY SAID THEY DON'T LIKE, AND THAT'S THE BIG GARAGE WITH THE HOUSE ON TOP OF IT, ON THE FLAT ROOF.
SO THAT'S THE TYPE OF HOUSING THAT SOUTH DALLAS HAS SAID.
WE'D LIKE TO GET AWAY FROM THAT WHILE STILL ALLOWING OPPORTUNITIES.
YEAH, SO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
UH, SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ACTION ITEMS, UM, ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
UH, UM, MANY OF THEM, UM, HAVE BEEN ARTICULATED BY SOUTH DALLAS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
IT'S INVESTING IN SMALL BUSINESSES, IT'S INVESTING, UM, IN THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE THERE, IN THE PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE, UM, DOING SOME OF THE VERY THINGS THE OPPORTUNITY FUND DOES.
UH, THERE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE TIP, THE RECOMMENDATIONS JUST IN GENERAL, BUT EQUITY DEVELOPMENT.
AND THEN THERE ARE SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, FOR, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY FUND THAT THE TASK FORCE CAME UP WITH.
AND IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I BELIEVE THAT SHOULD BE, SO IT'S THERE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE, ON, ON THE LEFT.
UM, SO THE FIRST ONE IS ABOUT RECRUITING MEMBERS CITYWIDE WITH AFFILIATIONS AND INTERESTS AND COMMITMENT TO THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK AREA.
'CAUSE WE HEARD THAT THEY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE ON THE BOARD, UM, ARE RESPECTFUL OF THE WISHES OF SOUTH DALLAS AND THAT THEY'RE THERE IN THE CAPACITY TO, YOU KNOW, UH, EMPOWER AND HELP FOLKS IN SOUTH DALLAS THAT HAVE THAT GENERAL INTEREST.
UH, THE SECOND ONE, UM, IS TO CREATE AND IMPLEMENT BETTER MARKETING STRATEGIES.
UM, 'CAUSE AGAIN, IF YOU'VE BEEN ON THIS BOARD A WHILE, SOMETIMES YOU KNOW, IT KIND OF SOMETIMES HARD TO GIVE AWAY SOME OF THIS, THESE, THESE GRANTS OR THESE LOADS.
AND I THINK, UM, AS YOU TALKED ABOUT NICHOLAS A. LITTLE BIT EARLIER, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK ALREADY DOING THOSE INFORMATION SESSIONS KIND OF SPEAKS A LITTLE BIT TO, TO THAT STIPEND POINT.
AND THE LAST ONE IS, THEY TALKED ABOUT IS THERE A POSSIBILITY TO ALLOCATE SOME OF THE FUNDING FOR MICRO LENDING PROGRAMS WITH BRIDGE
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FINANCING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I BELIEVE CAME, UM, FROM A COUPLE OF TASK FORCE MEMBERS.
BUT SEEING, ARE THERE WAYS IN WHICH YOU CAN START TO, UH, MAYBE HAVE COUNCIL DICTATE OR, OR, OR, OR TAKE A LOOK AT EXACTLY HOW THAT TYPE OF FUNDING CAN BE PROVIDED FOR.
AND IF THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROCESS THAT WE'RE DOING HERE, OR ALTERNATIVE TYPES OF GRANTS THEY CAN GIVE OUT ARE THOSE POSSIBILITIES.
UH, THEY DIDN'T DETAIL EXACTLY HOW TO DO IT OR WHAT THEY EXACTLY WANTED, BUT THEY SAID YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING INTO LOOKING AT THOSE THINGS.
UM, AND WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK, UH, FOR PATRICK? MR. SUN, UH, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE EFFECTS, IF ANY, OF SENATE BILL EIGHT 40? YES, SIR.
SO SENATE BILL EIGHT 40 IS A BILL THAT WAS PASSED, UM, BY THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE HERE RECENTLY.
UM, THAT SAYS THAT IN CERTAIN CITIES, BASICALLY LARGE CITIES AND LARGE COUNTIES, UH, IF YOU ALLOW RETAIL, RESTAURANT OR OFFICE LAND USES YOU, YOU CAN'T PREVENT IN THOSE ZONING DISTRICTS, UM, HOUSING FROM GOING INTO IT, UM, BASICALLY APARTMENTS.
UM, AND THAT IS APPLICABLE IN, IT'S APPLICABLE AT A BASE LEVEL FOR A LOT OF SOUTH DALLAS.
HOWEVER, THERE'S CALL OUTS, UM, IN THAT BILL THAT TALK ABOUT HEAVY INDUSTRIAL LAND USES.
AND IF YOU'RE WITHIN A THOUSAND FEET OF HEAVY INDUSTRIAL LAND USES EIGHT 40 ESSENTIALLY DOESN'T, YOU CAN'T USE EIGHT 40 TO BUILD HOUSING.
SO PART OF THE AUTHORIZED HEARING IN THE ZONING IS, IS, IS CODIFYING THE INTENT OF EIGHT 40 TO SAY THESE COMMERCIAL AREAS SHOULD ALLOW HOUSING BY RIGHT.
UM, IT ALSO INCREASES SOME OF THE HEIGHTS.
SO AGAIN, SOME OF THE HEIGHTS NEAR FAIR PARK SAYING YOU CAN GO A LITTLE BIT HIGHER BECAUSE EIGHT 40 WILL ONLY LET YOU GO 45 FEET.
SO IT TAKES WHAT EIGHT 40 DOES.
UM, BUT THEN, UM, REFRESHES IT THROUGH THE LENS OF WHAT PEOPLE IN SOUTH DALLAS ARE ALSO ASKING FOR.
UM, PATRICK, QUESTION FOR YOU REGARDING THE HOUSING AND DESIGN PORTION.
UM, GIVEN THAT NOW THERE'S SOME PARAMETERS ON WHAT FUTURE DEVELOPMENT HOUSING SH IS IDEAL TO LOOK LIKE, UM, HOW WOULD THAT IMPACT HOMES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN DEVELOPED IN THAT AREA? SO ANY HOUSE THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN BUILT IN THAT AREA THAT WOULDN'T MEET THE NEW DESIGN STANDARDS, UM, WOULD JUST, WOULD JUST BE GRANDFATHERED IN, UM, WOULD BE CONSIDERED A LEGAL EXISTING NON-CONFORMING STRUCTURE.
THAT'S A FANCY WORD FOR IT, BUT IT'S JUST A, YOU CAN LIVE IN THAT HOUSE, YOU CAN SELL THAT HOUSE, YOU CAN BUY THAT HOUSE, YOU CAN EVEN ADD ONTO THAT HOUSE.
YOU CAN DO A NUMBER OF THINGS TO THAT HOUSE.
YOU JUST CAN'T, IF IF IT, UH, IF IT HAS A FRONT PORCH, YOU CAN'T MAKE IT A SMALLER FRONT PORCH.
IT IS A GOOD WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT.
SO YOU CAN'T DIMINISH WHAT'S ALREADY THERE.
SO IF YOU, IF YOU HAVE A ROOF THAT HAS A PEAK OR A PITCH, UM, YOU CAN, YOU CAN ALTER THAT PITCH, BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE IT GO PULL THE FLAT IF RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE A FLAT ROOF, YOU CAN KEEP A FLAT ROOF.
I GUESS YOU CAN'T MAKE IT MORE FLAT, BUT YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT MORE FLAT.
AND, UH, I THINK THIS QUESTION'S PROBABLY MORE FOR STAFF, UM, REGARDING THE, UH, COMPONENT IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, ASPECT WHEN, UH, TALKING ABOUT REALLOCATION OF A PORTION OF THE FUNDS FOR MICRO LENDING, UM, AND BRIDGE FINANCING IS THAT KIND OF SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'RE ALREADY WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING, UM, WITH, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO DRUM UP MORE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, UH, OPPORTUNITIES? SO I'M GONNA ANSWER THAT TWO WAYS.
UM, ONE IN THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT NOFA, WE SPECIFICALLY ALLOWED FOR SMALL BUSINESS AND A MICRO-GRANT PROGRAM AS A SPECIFIC USE THAT WAS IN THE REVISIONS WE MADE TO THE PROGRAM STATEMENT.
I DON'T KNOW, A YEAR, EIGHT MONTHS AGO IN THE, BEFORE WE DID THE LAST NOFA, UM, WE HAVE TRIED TO CREATIVELY THINK ABOUT HOW TO USE THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR LENDING.
UM, AND IT'S NOT PROHIBITED, BUT WE HAVEN'T SEEN A VIABLE PROJECT COME IN REQUESTING IT TO BE USED THAT WAY.
UM, BUT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND IS WRITTEN, YOU KNOW, BROADLY AS INCREASED TAX BASE AND CREATE JOBS BASICALLY.
SO IF IT CAN DO ONE OF THOSE TWO THINGS THROUGH A MICRO LENDING PROGRAM, WE COULD DEFINITELY THINK THROUGH THAT.
AND CERTAINLY BRIDGE FINANCING IS A WAY THAT WE CAN USE ANY OF OUR FUNDS.
AND I WOULD JUST ALSO POINT OUT, UM, AGAIN, IN A FOUR YEAR PROCESS, SOMETIMES WE MIGHT HAVE A SUGGESTION ABOUT AN IMPLEMENTATION ITEM AND THEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GOES FORWARD WITH THAT AS WE'RE WE'RE CONTINUING THE PLAN.
NO, I, I WAS JUST CURIOUS 'CAUSE I KNOW, UH, STAFF HAS BEEN MAKING A LOT OF EFFORTS TO INCREASE THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASPECT OF OUR FUND.
[00:40:01]
RECENT REVIEW EARLIER, UH, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE IN THE PIPELINE, I WAS JUST CURIOUS TO SEE IF THAT ALREADY MARRIED UP SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING NOW.I WILL SAY MICRO LENDING IS A SPECIALIZED, VERY SPECIALIZED THING, SO I DON'T THINK IT'S SOMETHING THE CITY WOULD BE GOOD AT TAKING THE LEAD ON, TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST.
UM, SO WE WOULD DEFINITELY WANNA PARTNER TO OPERATE THAT TYPE OF PROGRAM.
MR. DAWKINS, PATRICK SPECIFICALLY, WHAT PORTIONS OF THE PLAN OR, UH, THE IMPLEMENTATION OR THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES ADDRESS ATTRACTION OF INVESTMENT IN SOUTH DALLAS? SO, UM, IT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
UM, PART OF IT WOULD BE IN THE LAND USE AND ZONING SIDE, BECAUSE PART OF THAT ATTRACTION OF INVESTMENT IS YOU CAN'T, RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE OF THE CURRENT ZONING, THERE'S A LIMITATION ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF INVESTMENT YOU CAN ATTRACT, RIGHT? AND SO IF THERE ARE 13 HURDLES TO DEVELOPING A SITE, SOMETIMES ONE OF THEM MAY BE THE ZONING.
AND SO IN THE AREA PLAN, IT TALKS ABOUT HERE ARE THINGS TO CHANGE THE ZONING.
SO YOU REMOVE THAT HURDLE, MAKING THAT PROPERTY MORE MARKETABLE TO DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEVELOPERS.
UM, SO THAT'S THE, UM, THAT'S KIND OF THE, THE STICK, RIGHT? THE CARROT AND THE STICK, LIKE THAT'S THE STICK AS IN YOU'RE TAKING AWAY SOME OF THOSE HURDLES.
UM, AND THEN, UM, FOR SOME OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, IT DOES TALK ABOUT PRIORITIZING CERTAIN AREAS.
'CAUSE AGAIN, YOU KNOW, UH, AND, AND THEY CAN TALK MORE ABOUT THIS THAN, THAN I CAN, BUT SATTA IS A VERY BIG AREA AND, YOU KNOW, AND, AND YOU KNOW, TO INVEST AND, AND GET A CATALYTIC PROJECT AND ALL THESE TYPES OF THINGS, IT COULD, IT WOULD BE HARD TO GO ALL OVER.
AND SO, UM, THE AREA PLAN DOES TALK ABOUT, IN HERE ON THE SCREEN, IT HAS A COUPLE OF SECTIONS TO SAY THESE ARE PLACES IN WHICH THEY'VE DONE CONSOLIDATED.
THE PRIVATE, THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE DONE CONSOLIDATION OF SOME PROPERTIES, LIKE THEY'RE GETTING STUFF READY AND THEY'RE LIKE, THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE THINK COULD GO QUICKER THAN OTHER AREAS.
AND SO THAT'S THE, EVEN IF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS NOT, OR IF A PROJECT DOESN'T FIT THE PARAMETERS OF WHAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CAN FUND, THIS IS STILL A PROCESS IN WHICH YOU CAN GET THAT INFORMATION OUT THERE TO THE PRIVATE SIDE AND SAY, HEY, PRIVATE SIDE, WE'VE CHANGED THE ZONING.
WE'VE GOT PROPERTY CONSOLIDATION.
WE, WE'VE GOT SOME STUFF THAT'S MORE SHOVEL READY.
SO THAT'S KIND OF THE MARKETING SIDE OF IT.
UM, ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY A MARKET BROCHURE, I REALIZE IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA SOLVE THIS EVENING.
UH, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SOUTH DALLAS, PARTICULARLY THE CENSUS TRACKS EMBOLDENED BY THE LINE THAT YOU DREW AROUND IT HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET, IS A NEIGHBORHOOD GROCERY STORE THAT'S VIABLE.
AND, UH, I THINK, I THINK YOUR, YOUR PHRASEOLOGY IS GOOD WITH REGARD TO CARROT AND STICK, RIGHT? SO REMOVING SOME OF THOSE HURDLES MAKES IT MORE ATTRACTIVE FOR SOMEONE TO PUT SOMETHING IN THE DIRT, BUT THE CARROT THEN BECOMES THE MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME THAT WOULD SUPPORT THAT.
AND SO IS, IS YOUR OFFICE INVOLVED IN THOSE DISCUSSIONS? HAVE YOU REACHED SOME TYPE OF PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION AS TO HOW THAT CAN BE SOLVED? CERTAINLY THERE HAVE BEEN SOME EFFORTS IN THE PAST, UM, BUT WHEN I CONSIDER, AND I'M JUST USING A NAME HERE, UM, THIS PERSON IS BY NO MEANS RELATED TO CHAIR JOHNSON, BUT I'LL USE CHAIR JOHNSON.
I'LL SAY, MS. JOHNSON, WHEN I SEE MS. JOHNSON COME OUT OF HER HOUSE WITH, YOU KNOW, A GIANT OVERCOAT AND TWO BAGS OF OLD WALMART BAGS AND SHE HAS TO TAKE THE BUS TO 75 AND LEMON TO GO TO WALMART AND THEN TRUDGE BACK IN THE RAIN, HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU SOLVE THAT PROBLEM? YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU MAKE IT ECONOMICALLY VIABLE FOR A BIG BOX RETAILER TO PUT A SMALLER BOX DOWN THERE SO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN SOUTH DALLAS DON'T HAVE TO COME OUT OF SOUTH DALLAS TO BUY AFFORDABLE GROCERIES? UM, SO IT'S A, IT'S ANOTHER VERY GOOD QUESTION.
UM, IF I HAD A PERFECT ANSWER, I WOULD'VE WRITTEN A BOOK AND BEEN ON THE SPEAKING FLOOR, RIGHT? BUT I, I THINK BECAUSE THERE'S, I WILL MANAGE YOUR CONTRACT
BUT, YOU KNOW, PART OF IT FROM OUR SIDE IS UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE'S A LOT OF PROPERTY THAT COULD BE DEVELOPED IN SOUTH DALLAS.
AND IF YOU CAN START TO DEVELOP THAT PROPERTY IN SOUTH DALLAS, THEN YOU ARE GETTING MORE WALLETS AND PURSES.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU ARE DOING A, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE ADDING A 200 UNIT, FOUR STORY TALL BUILDING ON ROBERT B CULLEN, THAT'S 200 MORE HOUSEHOLDS WHO WANT TO GO TO A GROCERY STORE.
AND SO IF YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAN GET MORE PEOPLE IN SOUTH DALLAS, WHICH AGAIN WE HEARD FROM SOUTH DALLAS, THEY WANT THAT TOO.
THEY UNDERSTAND THOSE DYNAMICS, UM, BETTER THAN I DO AT, AT AT
[00:45:01]
ANY POINT.BUT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT MORE PEOPLE MEANS YOU GET MORE AMENITIES INCLUDING A GROCERY STORE.
SO PART OF WHAT THE AREA PLAN CALLS FOR IN CHANGING THAT ZONING TO SAY, OKAY, THERE'S PROBABLY A MARKET TO BUILD TOWN HOMES IN SOUTH DALLAS.
CAN WE MAKE MORE PROJECTS, MORE SHOVEL READY TO GET THOSE TOWN HOMES IN QUICKER? AND THEN YOU BUILD TOWN HOMES ON EPCA OR UM, MOFI HIGGINS, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THAT MAKES IT MORE ATTRACTED TO A, LIKE YOU SAID, A BIG BOX THAT WANTS TO PUT A SMALLER BOX OR A MEDIUM BOX IN THERE TO SAY, NOW THERE'S NOT 31,000 PEOPLE THERE NOW THERE'S 37.
OR, YOU KNOW, I, I DREW MY ONE MILE CIRCLE AND THERE'S MORE PEOPLE THERE, SO THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE THAT WANT GROCERIES.
THAT'S THE WAY OUR OFFICE DIDN'T INVOLVE IN IT.
SO, UM, SO WELL IF YOU, YOU PLAN TO BE HERE FOR A WHILE, THEN YES, 100%.
I THINK IT'S WITHIN YOUR LIFETIME.
WHAT I WILL SAY IS, WHEN WE STARTED THIS IN 2021, UM, PEOPLE WERE NOT BUILDING $300,000 HOMES IN SOUTH DALLAS.
UM, AND IF THEY'RE DOING THAT TODAY, AND IF THEY'RE LOOKING AT, WE JUST HAD A CONVERSATION WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND A DEVELOPER TWO WEEKS AGO ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BUILDING A BUNCH OF TWO UNIT, YOU KNOW, TWO BEDROOM UNITS, UM, ON, YOU KNOW, IN SOUTH DALLAS.
AND THOSE CONVERSATIONS, I WILL BE HONEST, WERE NOT HAPPENING IN 2021.
SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING, YOU KNOW, JUST DRIVING THROUGH THAT AREA, BEING IN THAT AREA, UM, I THINK THERE'S MORE PEOPLE THAT ARE MOVING TO THAT AREA.
AND I THINK EVENTUALLY IT, IT GETS TO THAT TIPPING POINT WHERE IT, IT WILL MAKE SOMEBODY A, A DEVELOPER WILL MAKE MONEY PUTTING A GROCERY STORE THERE, AND AT THAT POINT YOU'RE NOT HAVING TO USE MAYBE A CARROT BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY THERE.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK CE JUST, JUST TO REALLY QUICK ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, CE UH, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR PRESENCE, UH, BEFORE WE, UH, GET TO YOUR QUESTIONS.
SO YOU JUST ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR ATTENDANCE.
CC INION, UM, CC INION D SEVEN PRESENT.
I WAS, UM, I HAD ACTUALLY BEEN HERE SINCE 6 0 5, BUT FOR SOME REASON IT WOULDN'T LET ME JOIN AS A, UM, AS A PANELIST.
BUT, UM, THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT AND SHARING ABOUT THE AREA PLAN.
I WAS AT THE ZONING AND LAND USE MEETING LAST WEEK, SO I GOT TO, THIS IS KIND OF MY SECOND TIME, UM, HEARING AN OVERVIEW.
UM, I WANTED TO ASK THOUGH, BECAUSE IN, IN THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAVE ABOUT, UH, REVITALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT SPECIFICALLY WITH SOUTH DALLAS, I, I'VE NOTICED THAT WHAT'S MISSING FROM THE CONVERSATION MOST OF THE TIME IS THE FACT THAT IN SOUTH DALLAS, SPECIFICALLY ON QUARTERS LIKE SECOND AVENUE AND MLK, A LOT OF THOSE PROPERTIES ARE OWNED BY SOMEBODY, BUT THAT PROPERTY OWNER HAS INTENTIONALLY NOT DONE ANYTHING WITH THEIR PROPERTY FOR THE LAST 20, 30 YEARS AND IT'S JUST BEEN SITTING VACANT FOR DECADES.
UM, IS IT CORRECT TO SAY THAT UM, EXECUTING ON AN AREA PLAN LIKE THIS DOESN'T FORCE THE PROPERTY OWNERS TO ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING WITH THE PROPERTY? UM, IS THAT CORRECT TO SAY THAT LIKE IF WE DO, IF WE EXECUTE OR WHEN WE EXECUTE ON THE, ON THIS AREA PLAN AND START IMPLEMENTING THOSE CHANGES, WILL WILL PROPERTY OWNERS THAT WANNA JUST SIT ON THEIR PROPERTY BUT DON'T NECESSARILY WANNA DO SOMETHING WITH IT, WOULD THAT BE A BARRIER TO SEEING OUR FINALIZED OR ACTUALIZING OUR VISION? UH, YES.
SO A PROPERTY OWNER WHO IS, IS, HAS LOW CARRYING COSTS AND IS JUST HOLDING ONTO THEIR PROPERTY FOR WHATEVER REASONS.
UM, I, AN ATTORNEY CAN TELL ME I'M TOTALLY WRONG, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THE STATE OF TEXAS SAYS THAT WE HAVE TO, WE CAN FORCE THEM TO DO THINGS OTHER THAN JUST MAINTAIN THEIR PROPERTY.
UM, WHAT I WILL SAY IS WHEN, SO LET'S SAY YOU'RE ON SECOND AVENUE AND THERE'S A LOT OF PROPERTY THAT, UM, DOESN'T HAVE AN ACTIVE LAND USE ON IT.
UM, BUT IF YOU DO ALLOW ADDITIONAL LAND USES TO GO IN THEIR HOUSING AND MIXED USE AND OTHER PROPERTY OWNERS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT AND THEY'RE BUILDING HOUSING, THEN THE VACANT
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PROPERTY OWNERS BE, THEIR PROPERTY BECOMES, UH, MORE VALUABLE.UM, AND THEIR CARRYING COSTS CAN GO UP.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S USUALLY A WAY IN WHICH CITIES AND TEXAS TRY TO, TO GENTLY PUSH AND NUDGE THOSE PROPERTY OWNERS TO SAY, OKAY, AT SOME POINT IT BECOMES MORE ECONOMICALLY VIABLE FOR THEM TO EITHER BUILD OR IT JUST BECOMES MORE COSTLY FOR THEM TO MAINTAIN A VACANT PROPERTY.
UM, AND SO ALLOWING FOR MORE DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH DALLAS, I THINK IS WHAT GETS AT SOME OF THOSE, UH, ABSENTEE OR OR VACANT PROPERTY OWNERS.
UM, THAT DEFINITELY MAKES SENSE 'CAUSE KIND OF WHAT THAT BRINGS UP IN MY MIND IS LIKE ON SECOND AVENUE, THE, THE BILAL BUILDING, THE BIG, THE BIG OLD ABANDONED BUILDING, UM, I KNOW THAT, UM, A NUMBER OF PEOPLE OR ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TRIED TO ACQUIRE THAT BUILDING AND DO SOMETHING WITH IT.
UM, BUT NOTHING'S BEEN DONE WITH IT, BUT IT JUST, IT JUST SWALLOWS THE BLOCK THAT IT'S ON AND IT'S JUST SO EMPTY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, FEEDBACK FROM PATRICK? YES, I HAD A QUESTION.
UM, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT DESIGN STANDARDS.
I KNOW YOU MENTIONED MS. RAGSDALE, UM, NOT BEING A HUGE FAN OF SOME OF THE HOMES THAT HAVE BEEN BUILT, UM, ASSUME THAT I KNOW NOTHING.
WHAT, HOW EASY IS IT TO IMPLEMENT DESIGN STANDARDS? 'CAUSE I KNOW HER AND I HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT IT JUST WITHIN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
SO INITIALLY WHEN WE STARTED THE PROCESS OF TALKING TO THE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, UM, ABOUT DESIGN STANDARDS, UM, WE BROUGHT IN OUR CONSERVATION AND HISTORIC DISTRICT STAFF.
UM, AND THAT QUICKLY DEVOLVED INTO THE, WELL, COLONIAL HILLS ISN'T LIKE QUEEN CITY AND BOTH CITY ISN'T LIKE MILL CITY AND IT'S NOT LIKE THE OTHER STEP OVER, THEY WERE ON ROW MINE.
AND SO IT WAS CLEAR THAT WE COULDN'T DO ONE CONSERVATION DISTRICT, BUT ONE HISTORICAL DISTRICT.
UM, BUT IT ALSO WOULD BE VERY UNMANAGEABLE TO DO 37 DIFFERENT CONSERVATION DISTRICTS AND HISTORICAL DISTRICTS AND THEN FIGURE OUT WHICH ONES TO PRIORITIZE TO DO FIRST.
AND SO WHAT WE ARRIVED AT, UM, WITH MS. RAGSDALE AND OTHERS WAS WE COULD PRETTY MUCH THROUGH THOSE SIX DESIGN STANDARDS GET 80% OF THE WAY THERE, GET A HOUSE THAT YOU'RE OKAY WITH OR THAT YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU THINK IS, IS, IS GOOD, BUT GET AWAY FROM THE ONES THAT ARE, ARE, ARE, ARE THE ONES THAT THE COMMUNITY WILL SAY, WELL THAT'S AN EYESORE.
AND SO THOSE, UH, THE DESIGN STANDARDS THAT ARE IN THE AREA PLAN, UM, AND THAT ARE BEING PUT FORWARD IN THE AUTHORIZED HEARING, UM, YOU KNOW, ONCE THOSE ARE, ONCE THAT AUTHORIZED HEARING GOES THROUGH, THEN THOSE WILL BE THE DESIGN STANDARDS FOR MOST OF SOUTH DALLAS.
HONESTLY, THERE'S PROBABLY GONNA BE A COUPLE OF BLOCKS THAT ALL THE HOUSES ALREADY HAVE FLAT ROOFS, AND SO YOU MIGHT TAKE THOSE BLOCKS OUT OF THERE.
BUT FOR A LOT OF, UH, SOUTH DALLAS, UM, WE WOULD HAVE THOSE DESIGN STANDARDS THAT AGAIN, ARE KIND OF 80% OF WHAT, BECAUSE IT'S A VENN DIAGRAM WHERE YOU CAN'T GET A HUNDRED PERCENT FOR ALL OF SOUTH DALLAS 'CAUSE THEY ALL HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS.
BUT YOU CAN GET 80% OF ALL OF THOSE COMMUNITIES PRETTY MUCH IN THE SAME SPOT OF BEING LIKE, OH YEAH, THE FRONT PORCH IS, THOSE ARE GOOD, THE GARAGE IS IN THE BACK YET THAT, THAT, OKAY, I, I MIGHT HAVE OPINIONS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER I LIKE THIS TYPE OF FRONT PORCH OR THE OTHER TYPE OF FRONT PORCH, BUT HAVING A FRONT PORCH THAT GETS ME 80% OF THE WAY THERE.
DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YES, IT DOES.
AND THEN DOES THIS HAVE ANY IMPLICATION ON CURRENT PERMIT APPLICATIONS? SO UNTIL THE AREA PLAN, SORRY, UNTIL THE AUTHORIZED HEARING IS VOTED ON BY CITY COUNCIL, ANYTHING THAT'S SUBMITTED BEFORE THEN WOULD BE VESTED WITHIN WHATEVER THE CURRENT ZONING WOULD BE.
UM, WHICH FOR MOST OF THE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS IN SOUTH DALLAS ARE EITHER AN R FIVE OR AN R SEVEN FIVE, JUST A BASE SINGLE FAMILY ZONING DISTRICT THAT'S, UM, THROUGHOUT MOST OF, UM, MOST OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS IN DALLAS HAVE A, HAVE THOSE ZONING STANDARDS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK? UH, CHAIRWOMAN SIMS, I SEE YOUR HAND RAISED.
I THINK THIS, THIS IS A, A GREAT PLAN.
UM, THE HOUSING AND DESIGN STANDARDS ARE NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART 'CAUSE I LIVE IN ELM THICK AS WELL IF I LIVE IN ELM THICKETT.
AND WE'VE GONE THROUGH, UM, YOU KNOW, THE BIG, UH, GARAGE APARTMENT HOMES AND, AND THE BIG MCMANSIONS THAT DON'T REALLY FIT IN WITH OUR, WITH OUR LITTLE COTTAGE HOMES.
AND SO, BUT WE SEE THIS ALL OVER THE CITY AND I THINK WHAT'S BEING BUILT TODAY, IT JUST ERASES THE CHARACTER OF EACH INDIVIDUAL NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO WHAT IS THE CITY LOOKING AT DOING CITYWIDE, UM, SUCH, I JUST FEEL LIKE WE'RE STARTING TO LOOK
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LIKE FRISCO IN SOME AREAS VERSUS, YOU KNOW, THE BEAUTIFUL COMMUNITIES THAT WE HAVE IN DALLAS THAT HAVE OUR OWN UNIQUE PERSONALITIES.UH, SO THANK YOU FOR THE, THE QUESTION.
UM, I WILL TRY TO STICK IN MY LANE, UH, WITH SOUTH DALLAS, BUT I WILL ALSO SAY THAT OUR CITY, UM, WE HAVE A CONSULTANT THAT IS REWRITING OUR DEVELOPMENT CODE.
AND AS FAR AS THE RESIDENTIAL AREAS OF DALLAS, UM, MOST OF THE HOMES THAT WERE BUILT IN DALLAS BEFORE 19 70, 19 80, SO THE STUFF, YOU KNOW, IN EL THICKET, UM, YOU KNOW, THE STUFF IN WEST LOVE, UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THOSE HOMES, UM, IN ALL, MOST OF THE HOMES IN SOUTH DALLAS, THE BUILDING ENVELOPE THAT OUR CURRENT STANDARDS ARE IS WAY BIGGER THAN WHAT MOST OF THOSE HOMES WERE.
AND WHEN I MEAN A BUILDING ENVELOPE, I MEAN YOU CAN COVER ALMOST HALF OF THE LOT WITH A HOUSE.
YOU COULD BUILD IT TO 36 FEET TALL.
UM, YOU CAN PUT IT, UM, EITHER 20 OR 25 FEET FROM THE FRONT.
LIKE YOU CAN GO FIVE FEET FROM THE SIDES IN THE REAR.
LIKE YOU CAN BUILD A VERY LARGE HOME WITH OUR CURRENT STANDARDS AND OUR UH, CO REFORM TEAM, UM, THE CONSULTANTS ARE LOOKING AT THAT AND SAYING, IS THERE A BETTER WAY, ESPECIALLY IN, IN THOSE SITUATIONS IN WHICH WE CAN HAVE HOMES THAT, YOU KNOW, ISN'T A, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE A 1100 SQUARE FOOT 1942 HOME NEXT TO A 2026 HOUSE THAT IS 7,500 SQUARE FEET DATA OR 7,499 SQUARE FEET STATE.
SO OUR NARROW CODE TEAM IS WORKING ON THAT.
UM, AND I KNOW THEY WOULD LOVE TO GET YOUR INPUT ON WHAT THEY'RE DOING AS WELL.
THEY'RE DOING, THEY HAVE SOME ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS THAT THEY'RE DOING, SO I CAN 100% FOLLOW UP WITH, UM, OUR STAFF, UM, AND, AND GET THAT INFORMATION TO YOU 'CAUSE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOUR FEEDBACK TOO.
DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? CHAIRWOMAN SENSES? CHAIRWOMAN SENSES.
DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? OKAY.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FOR FEEDBACK? OKAY.
JUST A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS.
UH, PATRICK, UH, FIRST OF ALL, IT SOUNDS LIKE A FANTASTIC PLAN YOU GUYS HAVE PUT TOGETHER OVER A COURSE OF A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
AS I SEE THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT COMPONENTS TO THIS.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT HOUSING AFFORDABILITY, UH, ZONING REFORM, CULTURAL PRESERVATION, UH, BY WAY OF DESIGN STANDARDS, UH, ONE THING THAT I DON'T KNOW IF WE TALKED ABOUT, WHICH IS A PART OF THE PLAN IS, UH, LEGAL SECURITY.
WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T HAVE PROPER CHAIN OF, YOU KNOW, TITLE FOR, FOR THEIR PROPERTIES.
UH, WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT FINANCING, BUT LET ME CIRCLE BACK AROUND TO, UH, THIS ISSUE OF AFFORDABILITY.
WELL, COUPLE COUPLE PARTS TO THIS.
CAN YOU SPEAK OF A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE AFFORDABILITY COMPONENT? I KNOW A PART OF THIS IS, FOR EXAMPLE, UTILIZING, UH, COMMUNITY LAND TRUST.
CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT IS? UH, JUST SO THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW THIS WORKS AND HOW THIS WILL CONTRIBUTE OR HOW THE IDEA OF IT CONTRIBUTING TO AFFORDABILITY COULD, COULD IMPACT PERHAPS.
AND, AND DO YOU SEE ANY PROJECTS, UH, COMING ONLINE NOW, UH, THAT COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS, BUT GOING FORWARD? CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? YEAH, SO, UM, IT, IT'S A, IT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
UM, IT'S A QUESTION THAT, UM, IS IN THE MINDS AND THE HEARTS OF A LOT OF FOLKS IN SOUTH DALLAS.
'CAUSE THEY ARE SEEING AN INCREASE IN THE PROPERTY VALUES AND THEIR HOUSING COSTS OVER THERE.
UM, SO THERE ARE A COUPLE OF COMPONENTS THAT THE PLAN CALLS OUT FOR.
UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THEM IS, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE MENTIONED AIRSHIP.
IT, IT'S, IT'S HELPING PEOPLE CLEAR THEIR TITLE SO THAT THEY ACTUALLY OWN THE HOUSE AS OPPOSED TO BEING THE ONE COUSIN THAT OWNS THE HOUSE THAT TECHNICALLY 17 COUSINS ACTUALLY ALL OWN JOINTLY BECAUSE IT WAS, YOU KNOW, GREAT UNCLE SO-AND-SO'S HOUSE.
UM, HE TALKS ABOUT, 'CAUSE THE HOUSING PRO, THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT, UM, UM, HAS WORKED WITH, UM, FOLKS IN DOING THAT.
UM, WE TALK ABOUT, UM, INVESTING IN HOME REPAIR PROGRAMS IN SOUTH DALLAS SO THAT YOU CAN KEEP THOSE RESIDENTS THERE.
THE PLAN CALLS FOR THE, HASN'T CALLED 'EM TO DO THAT.
THE PLAN CALLS FOR, UM, INVESTMENTS IN, UM, MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE.
UM, SO THAT, AGAIN, THROUGH THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT, SO YOU CAN GET, UM, FOLKS WHO ARE KIND OF ON THAT CUSP OF QUALIFYING.
UM, IT TALKS ABOUT, UM, THE LAND TRUST.
UM, AND, UM, FOR, FOR THOSE, UH, WHO ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE TERM OR THE, THE CONCEPT, UM, A LAND TRUST OR COMMUNITY LAND TRUST IS BASICALLY A NONPROFIT ENTITY THAT, UM, IN TEXAS, GENERALLY SPEAKING, WHAT THEY WOULD DO IS THEY WOULD OWN THE LAND.
IT WOULD BE A SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE.
UM, AND THEY THEN IN A 99 YEAR LAND LEASE, GIVE IT, NOT GIVE IT, BUT SELL IT TO A PROPERTY OWNER, SOMEBODY WHO WOULD'VE BEEN A PROPERTY OWNER.
SO THAT INDIVIDUAL THEN OWNS THE HOUSE AND THE STRUCTURE, AND THEY'RE ABLE TO BUILD WEALTH IN THAT
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STRUCTURE.AND IN THAT HOUSE, UM, THE, THE LAND TRUST OWNS THE LAND.
UM, SO YOU DON'T HAVE THAT TAX BURDEN, OR YOUR TAX BURDEN IS LESS ON THAT HOUSEHOLD, UM, WHERE THEY'RE STILL ABLE TO BUILD WEALTH, BUT ALSO THAT LAND TRUST IS THEN ABLE TO SELL THAT HOUSE FOR LESSER COST BECAUSE YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT FACTORING THE COST OF THE LAND AND THE PROPERTY.
SO IF THE, IF THE LAND WAS $50,000, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS A VERY LOW END IN SOUTH DALLAS, SO THAT COST DOESN'T GET PUT INTO THE, THE PRICE THAT THE HOUSEHOLD WOULD PAY FOR THAT HOUSE BECAUSE THE LAND TRUST IS ABLE TO HOLD THAT LAND, UM, PAY THE TAXES ON THAT, PAY THE TAXES ON THAT.
UM, AND THEN THAT IS A WAY TO KEEP HOUSING AFFORDABILITY, ONE COMPONENT THAT HELPS KEEP HOUSING MORE AFFORDABLE.
UM, THERE ARE SOME OTHER THINGS THAT OUR DEPARTMENT CAN DO, UM, IN REGARD TO DUPLEXES.
UM, 'CAUSE RIGHT NOW, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WALK BY A DUPLEXES, THERE'S ONE STRUCTURE, BUT IT'S TWO UNITS INSIDE THAT STRUCTURE.
UM, AND IT SITS ON ONE PROPERTY.
AND SO EVEN IF I LIVE IN ONE SIDE AND I LIVE IN ONE SIDE FOR 50 YEARS, I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO OWN THAT SIDE.
SO THE PLAN SAYS THAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO, TO SPLIT THE PROPERTY IN TWO, AND THEREFORE I COULD OWN THE LAND AND THE HOUSE AS OPPOSED TO JUST PERPETUALLY BEING A RENTER.
SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS WHERE IT'S TRYING TO LOOK AT THE TYPES OF HOUSING THAT WE HAVE AND GIVE ADDITIONAL HOUSING CHOICE TO AFFECT SOME OF THAT HOUSING AFFORDABILITY.
UM, IT, UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, MUCH TO THE, THE, THE QUESTION ABOUT GROCERY STORES, IT'S NOT A SIMPLE, IT'S, IT'S A PRETTY BIG ALGEBRAIC QUESTION EQUATION THAT GETS US INTO HOUSING AFFORDABILITY.
UM, BUT FOR ITS PART, WHETHER IT'S CREATING DIFFERENT TYPES OF HOUSING CHOICES OR DIFFERENT MECHANISMS TO HELP KEEP SOME OF THAT HOUSING COSTS DOWN, THE PLAN COSTS FOR EITHER OUR DEPARTMENT TO DO IT OR, UM, HOUSING TO BE INVOLVED IN THAT.
UH, AS IT RELATES TO ENFORCEMENT, UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT, UH, MANDATORY DESIGN STANDARDS, WHO'S ACTUALLY IN CHARGE OF THAT? UH, AND THEN THE SECOND HALF OF THAT QUESTION IS HOW DO YOU BALANCE THE NEED FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT? THERE'S A LOT THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN ORDER TO, TO CLEAR THE PATH, IF YOU WILL, FOR DEVELOPMENT FOR SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT, THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
UH, HOW DO WE BALANCE OR HOW IS THE CITY LOOKING AT BALANCING WHO'S ENFORCING THIS? AND ALSO BALANCING THE INVESTMENTS THAT NEED TO COME INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, RIGHT? BECAUSE, BECAUSE CENTRAL QUESTION IS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, WE HADN'T BROUGHT UP THE WORD, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT GENTRIFICATION OR POSSIBLE GENTRIFICATION, RIGHT? AND I KNOW THAT'S TOUGH, THAT'S TOUGH TO BALANCE, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU, IN ORDER TO HAVE SOME PROGRESS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S GONNA BE SOME GIVE AND TAKE.
SO TALK TO ME ABOUT HOW THIS PARTICULAR BOARD THOUGHT THOSE QUESTIONS SYNTHESIZE THAT INFORMATION AND HOW THEY'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS THOSE, UH, YOU KNOW, COMPETING NEEDS, INTERESTS, AND THE LIKE.
SO PART OF THAT, THAT QUESTION, UM, ABOUT, UM, AVOIDING, AND SO I DON'T LIKE TO USE THE THE G WORD BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE CAN CONVINCE YOU IT'S A GREAT THING.
SOME PEOPLE CONVINCE IT'S A HORRIBLE THING.
UH, REALLY WHAT WE TALK ABOUT IS UNWANTED DISPLACEMENT.
UM, BECAUSE AS YOU MENTIONED, IF YOU PUT IN NEW SIDEWALKS AND YOU MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO A PARK AND YOU PUT IN A GROCERY STORE, THOSE ARE ALL GREAT THINGS.
BUT IF YOU ARE, IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE AND THEY CAN'T BECAUSE THE COST OF IT DOESN'T GO AWAY, LIKE THEY, THEY GO THROUGH DISPLACEMENT.
AND SO WHEN THE TASK FORCE THOUGHT ABOUT DISPLACEMENT, THERE'S A, A LOT OF INFORMATION IN THE PLAN ABOUT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOUSING, ABOUT A HOME REPAIR, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS TO KEEP PEOPLE IN THOSE STRUCTURES A CLEAR AIRSHIP SO THEY CAN STAY THERE AND THEY CAN HAVE A, YOU KNOW, A, A GOOD STRUCTURE.
UM, THERE'S OTHER STUFF THAT OUR HOUSING DEPARTMENT IS WORKING WITH, WITH, UM, VOTERS OF HOPE, UM, ABOUT ANTI DISPLACEMENT TOOLKIT, UM, THAT ALSO SPEAKS TO USING SOME TYPES OF FUNDS, UM, WHETHER IT'S PHILANTHROPIC TO, UM, KEEP, UH, PROPERTY TAXES LOWER.
AND SO THEY'RE TESTING PROGRAMS IN SOUTH OR IN WEST DALLAS, I BELIEVE IN SOUTH DALLAS EVENTUALLY, UM, ABOUT, SO IF YOU'RE A HOMEOWNER THERE AND YOU'VE LIVED THERE FOR X AMOUNT OF YEARS, YOU CAN APPLY AND YOUR TAXES GO UP, YOU CAN APPLY TO HAVE THAT BASICALLY A REBATE, UM, FROM THEM.
UM, THAT'S ONE OF THE WAYS TO, TO, TO THINK THROUGH SOME WAYS TO RESOLVE SOME OF THOSE DISPLACEMENT ISSUES.
UM, IN REGARDS TO ENFORCEMENT.
SO INITIALLY WHEN, UH, WE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE HISTORIC AND THE CONSERVATION DISTRICTS AND, AND THAT PRETTY MUCH SAID NO.
UM, THEY TALKED ABOUT, UM, PRE-APPROVED PLANS WHERE IF YOU, YOU KNOW, IT'S A, IT'S PRE-APPROVED PLANS THAT HAVE ALL THOSE FEATURES, PORCHES IN THE GARAGE, IN THE WINDOWS, UM, AND THAT A BUILDER COULD TAKE THOSE PLANS AND BASICALLY GET A FAST STAMP OR, OR A THREE PERMIT FROM THE CITY TO GO AHEAD AND GO BUILD THAT.
UM, AND REALLY WITH THE COMMUNITY IN SOUTH DALLAS, 'CAUSE UM, THEY ARE VERY CAUTIOUS
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OF, OF STUFF THAT'S UNENFORCEABLE SOMETIMES.AND SO THEY SAID, NO, WE, WE, CAN WE GO WITH SOMETHING THAT'S ENFORCEABLE? SO THE DESIGN STANDARDS HAVE ADOPTED IN THE ZONING PROCESS.
IF I SUBMIT FOR A PERMIT TO BUILD A HOUSE IN SOUTH DALLAS AFTER THE ZONING HAS CHANGED, THE PERSON WHO'S REVIEWING MY PERMIT FOR THE CITY SAYS, YOU DON'T HAVE A FRONT PORCH.
THE ZONING SAYS I CAN'T APPROVE THIS WITHOUT A FRONT PORCH.
HERE ARE THE REGULATIONS ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF FRONT PORCH TO BUILD.
SO IT WOULD BE, THE BUILDING PERMIT WOULD BE THAT ENFORMENT MECHANISM WHERE IT'S NOT A SOFT ONE.
IT'S A HARD, YOU CAN'T BUILD THIS TYPE OF HOUSE WITHOUT, UH, INCORPORATING THESE ELEMENTS.
AND, UM, WE HAVE, UH, AS A DEPARTMENT WORK WITH, UM, OUR PERMITTING STAFF BECAUSE IF THAT DOES CHANGE, OUR PERMITTING STAFF NEEDS TO GO THROUGH A, A INTENSIVE TRAINING PROCESS TO UNDERSTAND THAT IN SOUTH DALLAS, THIS AREA WILL HAVE THESE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS THAT THEY'VE GOTTA PAY ATTENTION TO AND TREAT THEM LIKE MORE LIKE A CONSERVATION DISTRICT OR HISTORIC DISTRICT.
UM, AND SO ON OUR END, THAT'S THE WAY THAT WE'RE PREPARING TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S AN ENFORCEFUL PROCESS.
WOULD YOU SAY THAT THAT'S A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF MAKING SURE THAT THIS PLAN WORKS? IS MAKING SURE THOSE TYPES OF THINGS CAN BE ENFORCED? 100%.
UM, AND I THINK, UM, UH, MS. SIMS CAN PROBABLY SPEAK TO, IT NEEDS TO BE ENFORCEABLE FROM PER COMMUNITY'S PERSPECTIVE.
UM, I, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAN HELP WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INVOLUNTARY DISPLACEMENT OR MAYBE PREVENTING THAT WOULD BE HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE TOOL UP, HOW DO WE GET FOLKS WHO LIVE IN THE COMMUNITY TOOLED UP AND TRAINED ON JOBS THAT PAY THEM A HIGHER INCOME AND THEN BRING THOSE JOBS, HAVE THOSE FOLKS OCCUPY JOBS THAT WE HOPE WILL COME INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHEN THIS TRANSFORMATION HAPPENS? HAS THERE BEEN ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT PIECE OF IT? I KNOW A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS LAND USE AND A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, DESIGN STANDARDS AND A BUNCH OF OTHER DIFFERENT TOOLS, BUT I THINK THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT TOOL, UH, OR A VERY IMPORTANT COMPONENT THAT GETS OVERLOOKED A LOT OF TIMES IS, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES, LOOK, THE PRICES OF THINGS ARE GOING UP, NO MATTER HOW YOU SLICE IT, OVER TIME, THE PRICES OF THINGS GO UP AND IF YOUR INCOME'S NOT GOING UP, IT'S GONNA BE VERY HARD NO MATTER WHAT TOOL YOU PUT IN PLACE TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM BEING DISPLACED.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF EMPHASIS HAS BEEN PUT ON THAT? AND ARE THERE ANY PARTNERS THAT YOU GUYS ARE WORKING WITH? I KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING, UH, ON WITHIN OUR BOARD, WITHIN OUR, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY COMMITTEE IS FIGURING OUT, RIGHT, HOW DO WE ATTRACT THOSE TYPES OF BUSINESSES TO COME INTO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD? AND THEN FURTHERMORE, HOW DO WE GET FOLKS TRAINED? THAT'S WHY WE'RE WORKING SO HARD WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS, FOR EXAMPLE.
UH, TRYING TO GET PEOPLE THE SKILLS THAT THEY NEED SO THAT THEY CAN OCCUPY SOME OF THOSE JOBS.
SO HAVE YOU GUYS THOUGHT ABOUT THAT AND HAVE YOU GUYS THOUGHT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CONSULTING WITH, WITH OUR BOARD AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING TO GET SOME OF OUR FEEDBACK AND INPUT, UH, ON SOME OF THOSE THINGS? I THINK WE GOT A LOT OF GREAT IDEAS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF THIS BOARD.
AND HA HA HAS THERE BEEN ANY INTERFACING WITH, WITH, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT YOU PROBABLY KNOW KIMBERLY, UH, AND MAYBE A FEW OF THE OTHER FOLKS.
UH, WHAT, WHAT CAN CAN YOU SPEAK TO TO THOSE YOU NEED? IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT.
UM, YOU KNOW, TO DO GOOD WORKFORCE TRAINING IN SOUTH DALLAS I THINK IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I WILL SAY IS, UH, JUST BECAUSE THE AREA PLAN HAS BEEN APPROVED DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE'RE NOT THERE.
I MEAN, I'M THERE THIS MORNING AT THE POINT SOUTH COMMUNITY MEETING.
UM, SO I THINK IT'S MORE OF AN ONGOING COLLABORATION WHERE THERE MAY BE SOME OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME UP BECAUSE OF SOME, MAYBE IT'S A RELATIONSHIP THAT THE AREA PLAN YOU, THAT THAT, THAT WE HAVE, THAT WE CAN LEVERAGE, THAT WE CAN THEN PULL IN AND SAY, OKAY, YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THE OPPORTUNITY FUND? OR EVEN IF IT'S NOT THE OPPORTUNITY FUND, MAYBE IT'S ONE OF YOUR PARTNERS OR, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT'S SOME CONNECTION THAT, THAT Y'ALL HAVE OR SOME INFORMATION THAT Y'ALL CAN FROM PROVIDE, OR THAT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S NOT OUR WHEELHOUSE, MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT Y'ALL CAN DO.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK CONTINUING THAT COLLABORATION, UM, AND I MEAN, I WOULD LOVE TO BE HERE NEXT YEAR TO TALK ABOUT WHEN WE ADOPT THE ZONING TO SAY, THESE ARE SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT ARE MADE AND MAYBE THERE'S SOME COLLABORATION THAT WE'VE DONE IN, IN, IN THAT YEAR.
CAN I JUMP, JUMP IN ON THAT A LITTLE BIT? SO I, I THINK THERE'S ALSO A FEW, UM, INITIATIVES THAT ARE KIND OF NEW OR GROWING OR HAVE REACHED MATURITY THAT ARE HELPING ON THAT WORKFORCE PIECE.
SO THE SOUTH DALLAS EMPLOYMENT PROJECT, UM, IS A MONTHLY MEETING THAT BRINGS TOGETHER A LOT OF STAKEHOLDERS, A LOT OF THOSE RESOURCES THAT REALLY IS FOCUSING ON JOB TRAINING AND PROVIDING OPPORTUNITY.
UM, WORKFORCE DALLAS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED A PARTNERSHIP WITH GOODWILL.
SO THEY'RE EXPANDING AND GOODWILL IS DOING
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MORE TRAINING.SO THEY'RE DOING THE OUTREACH.
I THINK THEY TRAINED 3000 PEOPLE LAST YEAR THAT EXCLUSIVE TO SOUTH DALLAS.
BUT OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE, THEY'RE STARTING TO OPERATE AT SCALE, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE FIVE YEARS AGO.
UM, JUST TODAY TO THE HOUSING COMMITTEE.
THEY HAD THE DRIVERS OF OPPORTUNITY, UM, BRIEFING.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS FROM THAT WAS REALLY THE NEED TO JUST, WHAT YOU TALKED ABOUT WAS THE NEED TO UPSKILL.
UM, AND SO THAT'S BECOMING ONE OF THE PRIORITIES UNDER THE CITY'S FRAMEWORK.
SO THAT, AND I CAN SEND THE BRIEFING IF PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT THAT BECAUSE IT DID SPECIFICALLY TALK ABOUT ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, RIGHT.
UM, AND THEN THE LAST THING I'LL MENTION IS WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS AT GREATER DALLAS HAS JUST NAMED A NEW CEO, UM, AND I KNOW GROUNDWORK GROUND FOR WORK, DALLAS IS WORKING WITH THEM TO FIGURE OUT WHY PEOPLE AREN'T NECESSARILY USING THEIR SERVICES IN THEIR SERVICE AREAS.
SO, YOU KNOW, WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS GREATER DALLAS HAS THEIR, ONE OF THEIR PRIMARY OFFICES IN THE MLK, NOT THE MLK, THE, UM, FORMER CITY SQUARE OPPORTUNITY CENTER THAT'S NOW OWNED BY THE STUPOT.
UM, AND SO THEY HAVE A SERVICE CENTER THAT'S NOT DIRECTLY IN SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK, BUT ON THE VICINITY, YOU KNOW, JUST ON THE OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE OF THEIR INSIDE, BUT ON THE EDGE, RIGHT? UM, AND SO THEY'RE DOING MORE DOOR TO, TO LITERAL DOOR-TO-DOOR WORK TO FIGURE OUT WHY PEOPLE AREN'T USING THE SERVICES.
SO THERE ARE SOME INITIATIVES THAT ARE ALL HAVE COME ALONG IN THE LAST, YOU KNOW, TWO YEARS OR SO ON THIS.
UM, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? UH, AND THANK YOU FOR, FOR THE, THE FEEDBACK ON THAT, UH, PATRICK, I APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK, UH, ON THE BRIEFING FOR THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK AREA PLAN, MR. DAWKINS, UH, MR. MR. HUGHES, UH, THEN WE'LL GO TO MR. DAWKINS.
MR. HUGHES? YEAH, I, I JUST, WOULD WE BE ABLE TO GET, OR DO WE ALREADY HAVE I HAVEN'T SEEN IT.
A COPY OF THIS PRESENTATION? YEAH, WE CAN SEND IT OUT AS WELL AS A COPY OF THE AREA PLAN.
MS. DUNCANS, I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON THE QUESTION THAT CHAIR JOHNSON HAD TO ASK ABOUT, UH, ENFORCEMENT AND, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS AN OUTSTANDING ANSWER WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT, UM, ENFORCING THAT THROUGH PERMITTING.
UM, BUT IN A NUMBER OF INSTANCES, CONTRACTORS, BUILDERS, EVEN SOME ARCHITECTS HAVE GONE BEYOND THAT SAID, I DREW IT, BUILD IT, AND SO IS IT CODE ENFORCEMENT THEN THAT IS THE EYES AND FEET ON THE GROUND THAT MAKES SURE THAT THIS STUFF GETS BUILT THE WAY THAT YOU WANT IT BUILT? SO, UH, MY FIRST POSITION WITH THE CITY A COUPLE YEARS AGO WAS OVER IN, UH, THE OAK CLIFF MUNICIPAL CENTER, MONT, UM, WHERE WE DO PERMITTING.
AND WHAT I WILL TELL YOU IS THAT MOST OF THOSE INSTANCES, YOU, YOU GET BUILT IT AND WE WENT OUT AND INSPECTED IT AND IT WAS WHAT YOU SAID YOU WERE GONNA BUILD, AND THEN WE GAVE YOU THE GREEN TAG, AND THEN TWO SUNDAYS FROM THEN YOU WENT OUT AND BUILT A BACK PORCH OR A SHED OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND YOU TOLD 'EM TO RIP IT DOWN.
WELL, IT, YEAH, LIKE IT, IT'S, IT'S THE, IT'S THE CODE COMPLIANCE PART OF IT WHERE IT'S NOT BUILDING INSPECTION, BUT IT'S CODE COMPLIANCE BEING LIKE THEY'RE DOING SOMETHING WITHOUT A PERMIT.
AND SO PART OF THAT, UM, IS HAVING CODE COMPLIANCE OFFICERS BUILD SOMETIMES THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE COMMUNITIES.
'CAUSE SOME COMMUNITIES THERE'S APPREHENSION ABOUT IT.
UM, SO IT'S A ENFORCEMENT ON THE FRONT END AS IN WE GAVE YOU A PERMIT TO BUILD X.
RIGHT? AND IT'S IN THE MIDDLE WHERE WE ISSUED YOU THAT PERMIT AND WE'VE INSPECTED IT AND SAID, YES, THAT'S RIGHT.
BUT THEN THE CONTINUAL PART OF IT, THE BACK END IS THE MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE NOT BUILDING SOMETHING WITHOUT A PERMIT THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE IN A PERMIT FOR.
UM, AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, YOU, I THINK THERE IS A IMPORTANT ROLE THAT CODE COMPLIANCE WOULD PLAY MOVING FORWARD, UM, AS YOU GET CODE COMPLIANCE LESS IN SOUTH DALLAS ISSUING TICKETS FOR HIGH WEEDS ON VACANT LOTS AND GOING OUT THERE BEING LIKE, WHY DID YOU PAY YOUR FRONT YARD? THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND I THINK THE LATTER IS NOW COMING UP MORE AND MORE, MORE SO IT'S A GOOD POINT.
AND UM, SOMETHING, UH, WE'VE TALKED WITH OUR, THE, THE CODE COMPLIANCE FOLKS IN SOUTH DALLAS ABOUT, AND SO, SO THE COROLLARY THEN IS YOU ESSENTIALLY ALLOW RESIDENTS TO, AND THIS IS A HORRIBLE TERM, I'M SORRY TO USE IT, BUT I'M GONNA DO, SO FOR CONVENIENCE, YOU ALLOW RESIDENTS TO WEAPONIZE CODE ENFORCEMENT, WHICH I THINK IS A GOOD THING.
I MEAN, IF, IF, AGAIN, MS. SMITH, IF SHE SEES SOMETHING GOING UP THAT SHE KNOWS FOR SURE IS NOT IN KEEPING WITH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE INTENT OF THE PERMITTING, THEN SHE SHOULD CALL CODE ENFORCEMENT AND HAVE THEM COME OUT AND TAKE A SECOND LOOK.
UM, I WOULD SAY, UM, MOST NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE A MS. SMITH.
SEVERAL WHO ARE SOMETIMES VERY INTENSIVE ABOUT CALLING CODE COMPLIANCE, EVEN IF YOUR CAR IS ONE INCH OFF OF THE, THE CURB OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
[01:15:01]
UM, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO GO BACK.UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S A USING CODE TO EMPOWER COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO BE VIGILANT OF THEIR COMMUNITY, TO MAKE SURE IT FULFILLS THE VISION THAT THE AREA PLAN IS ADOPTED FOR.
I THINK THAT'S THE WAY I WOULD PHRASE IT AS OPPOSED TO WEAPONIZING CODE.
UM, I THINK MY QUESTIONS SORT OF ALONG THOSE SAME LINES, MY CONCERN IS THAT THE PLAN GETS APPROVED.
YOU DO THIS BEAUTIFUL SORT OF IDEA OF WHAT WE WANT SOUTH DALLAS TO LOOK LIKE AND THEN CODIFY AND PEOPLE FIND ALL THE LOOPHOLES AND THEY SORT OF DO WHAT THEY WANT.
IS THERE, WHAT MECHANISMS IN PLACE TO SORT OF HAVE THIS PLAN IN FRONT OF PEOPLE IN THE FUTURE AS THEY'RE APPROVING THESE THINGS AND SAY, HEY, THIS IS THE VISION WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, SO THAT, SO THAT MAYBE SOME OF THE SOFTER THINGS CAN, THEY CAN PUSH BACK, YOU KNOW, AMENITIES AND APARTMENT COMPLEXES, MAYBE GETTING PEOPLE TO, TO SELL INSTEAD OF RENT SOME OF THESE PROPERTIES SO THAT THERE CAN BE MORE OWNERSHIP IN SOUTH DALLAS.
LIKE, ARE THERE WAYS TO SORT OF POKE AND PROD THESE DEVELOPERS AND KIND OF PUSH 'EM IN, IN THAT DIRECTION BY HAVING THIS VISION, YOU KNOW, IN FRONT OF THESE PEOPLE IN THE FUTURE? LIKE, ARE YOU GUYS STAYING ON BOARD? YEAH.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THIS? SO I MEAN, AGAIN, THIS WAS APPROVED NOW ALMOST FIVE MONTHS AGO AND YOU KNOW, I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M STILL HERE TALKING TO Y'ALL ABOUT THIS.
LIKE, THIS IS NOT A, WE, WE GOT THE PLAN APPROVED AND THEN WE WALKED AWAY.
UM, THIS IS US STILL BEING INVESTED IN THE SOUTH DALLAS COMMUNITY.
UM, AND SO IT'S CONTINUING TO PUT THAT PLAN IN FRONT OF PEOPLE.
AND SO IF SOMEBODY COMES IN SAYING, I WANT TO BUILD THESE APARTMENTS, YOU CAN SAY, WELL, OKAY, WELL ACTUALLY THAT'S NOT THE, THAT'S NOT THE CORNER THAT WE ALL WANT IN THE APARTMENTS ON.
IT'S THE CORNER ACROSS THE STREET AND MAYBE IT'S A, YOU KNOW, IT'S, HERE'S YOUR VISION, HERE'S THE PLAN, HERE'S WHAT I CAN GIVE YOU, YOU KNOW, HERE'S SOMETHING THAT I CAN PUT AND GIVE TO A DEVELOPER AS OPPOSED TO JUST SAYING, HERE'S SEVEN OF MY NEIGHBORS WHO ALL THINK THE SAME.
AND THEN THE DEVELOPER CAN EITHER TAKE THAT AND SAY, OH, GREAT, GREAT.
OR THEY CAN JUST SAY, I, IT DOESN'T MATTER, RIGHT? HAVE AN ADOPTED PLAN THAT SAYS THIS IS THE VISION FOR THE AREA.
AND THEN FOLLOWING THROUGH, WHETHER IT'S CHANGING THE ZONING OR WHETHER IT'S, AS YOU SAID, KIND OF SOMETIMES OF THOSE SOFT TOPICS WHERE WE'RE PRESENTING, YOU KNOW, AT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE HOUSING COMMITTEE ABOUT STUFF IN SOUTH DALLAS, OR WE'RE HERE AT THE SOUTH DALLAS OPPORTUNITY FUND TALKING ABOUT THE AREA PLAN.
OR, YOU KNOW, WE MAY VISIT, YOU KNOW, IN A YEAR FROM NOW AND SAY, HERE'S SOME THINGS.
AND WE MAY SAY, OH, WE, WE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE GOT AN APPLICATION AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE SAME, SAME STUFF THAT Y'ALL HAD TALKED ABOUT.
UM, SO I THINK IT'S JUST A COMMIT CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO THE IMPLEMENTATION SECTION OF OUR PLAN AS OPPOSED TO JUST SAYING, HERE'S A THANK YOU.
I'LL ALSO JUST NOTE ANYTHING THAT WE'RE GETTING AS AN APPLICATION TO THE FUND, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE PLAN, WE CHECK WITH PLANNING DEVELOPMENT, UM, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING THAT EVEN THOUGH IT HASN'T, THE ZONING OBVIOUSLY IS A SECOND ISSUE, BUT WE DO WANNA HONOR THE SPIRIT OF WHAT WAS APPROVED BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK? CHAIRMAN ENRIQUEZ.
UH, PATRICK, I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU REAL QUICK, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND BEING WILLING TO ANSWER ALL THESE QUESTIONS IN A VERY MEANINGFUL WAY THAT'S NOT JUST LIKE, HEY, LET ME FIGURE OUT HOW TO LIKE, QUICK ANSWER THIS AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT THING.
UM, I THINK EVERYBODY ON THIS BOARD IS VERY INVESTED IN THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE IN OUR, UM, OUR SERVICE AREA.
UH, SO YOUR WILLINGNESS TO COME SPEAK ON IT IN A VERY THOROUGH WAY AND THOUGHT FORWARD WAY, VERY APPRECIATED.
SO, ALTHOUGH I APPRECIATE THE COMMENT, UM, I'M BEING PAID, Y'ALL ARE NOT.
SO I APPRECIATE Y'ALL BEING HERE AND TAKING TIME OUT OF YOUR BUSY DAYS IN A DAY IN WHICH I THINK THE COWBOYS ARE ALMOST KICKING OFF.
SO I APPRECIATE Y'ALL BEING HERE.
UH, BUT THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENT, MR. BLAZER.
THINK YOU WERE HAVING MUCH MORE SUCCESS IN YOUR ROLE THAN THE COWBOYS ARE IN THEIRS.
ALRIGHT, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, FEEDBACK? JUST WANNA CHECK, UH, JUST ECHO CHAIRMAN ENRIQUEZ, UH, PATRICK, THANK YOU FOR COMING AND, UH, THERE'S BEEN A TON OF WORK PUT IN, UH, OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
UH, YOU MENTIONED OVER A HUNDRED MEETINGS, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY INFO SESSIONS YOU'VE PROBABLY RUN, COUNTLESS QUESTIONS YOU'VE ANSWERED.
UH, IT'S, YEAH, FOR OVER THE LENGTH OF FOUR YEARS.
SO, UM, VERY THOUGHTFUL AND, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, GETTING THIS THING ACROSS THE FINISH LINE AND, AND GETTING KICKED OFF AND ACTUALLY BEING ABLE TO DELIVER, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN PROMISED TO THE COMMUNITY FOR, FOR SUCH A LONG TIME.
SO I APPRECIATE YOU AND THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING IN YOUR DEPARTMENT AND, AND ALL THE THOUGHTFULNESS THAT I KNOW YOU'RE BEING PAID.
[01:20:01]
EVERYBODY DOESN'T PUT IN THE, THE SAME LEVEL OF THOUGHTFULNESS WITH, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE GETTING PAID.SO, SO, UH, PRE APPRECIATE THE, UH, THE, THE LEVEL OF INTENTION THAT YOU'VE HAD, UH, THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
UM, WHAT I WOULD ALSO OFFER UP IS IF THERE'S ANY OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO, IF, IF YOU WANT US TO COME TALK TO ANY GROUP OR, YOU KNOW, ANY STAKEHOLDER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, WE'RE MORE THAN WILLING, HAPPY TO SIT DOWN, BIG GROUP, SMALL, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.
UM, AND I WOULD JUST CLOSE BY, UM, SAYING, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR FRIENDS AT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAVE BEEN THERE WITH US.
THEY, YOU KNOW, ALL STEPS OF THE WAY.
UM, AND SO WHETHER WE'RE AT A MEETING, THEY'RE AT A MEETING, WE'VE INVITED THEM OR YOU KNOW, WE'VE RUN BY AND WE SAID, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT.
UM, THAT'S FROM THEIR DIRECTOR ON DOWN.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE MEETING I TALKED ABOUT THIS MORNING, WE LIKE MY DEVELOPMENT STAFF THERE.
SO, UM, THEY'VE BEEN A GREAT PARTNER TO WORK WITH, UM, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO BE WITH, WITH THEM AND YOU ALL IN THE FUTURE.
UH, IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE, UM, BEFORE, BEFORE WE ADJOURN, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA THANK EVERYBODY ON THE BOARD AGAIN FOR THEIR ATTENDANCE, UH, THEIR CONTINUED ATTENDANCE AND COMMITMENT.
UH, BUT BEFORE, UH, WE BREAK, UH, I, I JUST WANNA REITERATE REALLY QUICKLY, HEATHER OR NICK JUST TO KIND OF GO OVER, UH, THE, THE ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS.
UH, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU DO HAVE TO MISS, UH, FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF THE, OR OR REMINDED ANYWAY OF WHAT THE ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS ARE TO, TO REMAIN ACTIVE.
SO REALLY QUICK BEFORE WE ADJOURN, UH, DID YOU, DID YOU GUYS COVER THAT REAL QUICK? YEAH.
THE CURRENT REQUIREMENT RIGHT NOW FROM CSO IS THAT YOU CAN'T MISS MORE THAN 25% OF THE SCHEDULED MEETINGS WITHIN A GIVEN YEAR.
AND SO WHAT I CAN DO TOMORROW IS WHEN I SEND OUT, UM, PATRICK'S PRESENTATION TO THE REST OF THE BOARD, I'LL COPY AND PASTE THE, THE REQUIREMENTS SO YOU GUYS CAN SEE IT AGAIN AND THAT WAY.
AND OF COURSE I'LL BE MORE INVOLVED MOVING FORWARD JUST TO LET YOU KNOW WHEN AFTER YOU'VE MISSED YOUR FIRST MEETING THAT YOU'VE MISSED ONE, YOU ONLY GOT ONE MORE LEFT.
AND SO I THINK THAT'LL BE REALLY HELPFUL MOVING FORWARD TOO, SO NO ONE GETS CAUGHT BY SURPRISE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, NICHOLAS.
OKAY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, I'M HEARING NONE.
UH, IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SO MOVE.
SO MOVE BY CHAIRMAN ENRIQUE, IS THERE A SECOND? IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.
I HEARD MS. UH, MS. CHAIRWOMAN SIMS. UH, ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.
ANY OPPOSED? ALL RIGHT, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED.
IT IS 7:22 PM UH, WE WILL SEE YOU ALL.
FIRST OF ALL, IF, UH, HOPE EVERYBODY HAS A GREAT THANKSGIVING AND A, UH, MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON AND WE WILL SEE YOU ALL, UH, IN JANUARY.
SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH AGAIN, AND, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL TALK TO YOU SOON.