The West Oak Cliff Area Plan task force will meet for the third time this year on Tuesday, Feb. 8, to discuss parks and open spaces for the 5-square-mile chunk that’s within their scope.
The committee’s two January meetings touched on community inclusiveness, sidewalks, bike lanes, traffic calming and land use.
Here are some highlights from the presentation on community inclusiveness.
Data show that the area’s average income is $52,700, below the citywide median of $60,340 for a single person. That means the average household in West Oak Cliff should spend no more than $1,300 per month for rent or house payments to not be considered “housing burdened.” That’s based on the federal standard that households shouldn’t spend more than a third of their income on housing.
And the news is in: Property values are going to continue to increase, while incomes remain flat.
Land values and building costs are so high that a new home on an empty lot in this area likely would be priced around $450,000, with a house payment of about $2,500. That’s only affordable to people currently earning about $101,205, or 130% of the area median income for a family of three.
All of the above data is from this presentation, compiled by Daniel Church of City Design Studio.
There is a misconception that the area already has a lot of dedicated affordable housing, Church says. Dallas housing department data show that there currently are only 46 affordable housing units in this area, at the Oak Ridge apartments. That makes up a fraction of 1% of the total citywide.
One hundred units at the Vernazza Apartments expired at the end of 2021 and are no longer among Dallas’ stock of dedicated affordable housing.
“There are very few affordable units in West Oak Cliff,” Church says.
The City of Dallas has several ways to address those problems, which are outlined below. Several of these tactics likely will be necessary to protect existing homeowners from out-of-control valuations while adding a supply of dense new housing, Church says.
These are the places that the city has identified for possible apartment or condo developments.
The city drafted these recommendations regarding affordable housing and future development in the West Oak Cliff Area Plan.
The city also wants the task force to consider ways to encourage local small businesses, particularly those that are minority- and women-owned, as well as ways to add cultural enhancements and safety.
Tune into the next meeting via Cisco Webex at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
