scott griggsScott Griggs beat Delia Jasso in the race for City Council District 1, which now represents most of our neighborhood. We caught him during the Wednesday City Council meeting to ask about his next term.

Congratulations on winning the election. What are you working on now?

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We just put together a plan and agenda fro the next two years that builds on what we’ve done the last two years. That’s economic development, the streetcar, Jefferson Boulevard, looking for more opportunities to put in owner-occupied housing…

Owner-occupied housing?

More inventory of single-family homes. You need a strategy that adds both multifamily and single family to the market. We need to make a concerted effort to build single family so that while the real estate market bounces back, you’re not only getting multifamily projects.

Where would these single-family homes be?

The market will decide where they go. But within that market, we need to encourage single family, create possibilities for single family developers to come in.

How do you do that?

Primarily through zoning and reaching out and contacting developers and telling them you’re looking for them.

What else?

Continuing the network of trails throughout the district all the way through to the Trinity. Deed restrictions throughout southern Dallas and looking at that aspect of housing. Making sure that the deed restrictions equal the economic value of the project. So if a project is economically viable for 20 years, you shouldn’t have a 40-year deed restriction. Gateway Zoning is another big effort.

What’s going on with the Gateway Zoning?

We’re getting it going here. We’re meeting with staff and getting it fast-tracked. Its’ been on that slow track. We need to get it on the fast track.

Our Jeff Siegel suggested you should run for mayor. Would you consider that?

Right now, I’m putting together the agenda for the next two years, and I’m excited to serve Oak Cliff.