Tall & Urban News

Near the Turtle Creek area of Dallas, a 30-story building has received crucial approval from the Dallas Plan and Zoning Commission. The proposed project will add 104 units to the area.

On 1 February, the commission approved the developer's request for changes to development standards to increase the allowable floor area while limiting the number to 104 units, as a response to neighborhood concerns about density and traffic. The size of units is commendable as the average unit size would be 2,229 square feet, according to documents submitted to the Oak Lawn Committee. The design also focuses on the pedestrian experience and has multiple sustainability features. 

To get the increase in floor area, the developer is taking advantage of a city incentive program in which it agrees to create about five housing units or 5 percent of the apartments, that would be affordable to households making 81 percent of the area's median family income level. The developer's attorney said it is still on the table that in lieu of providing the affordable units on-site, the owners would pay a fee to the city to create housing elsewhere. This is still undecided and has received criticism from those on the commission, as affordable housing is needed in the area. 

Recommendations from the commission will be voted on by the Dallas City Council, although it wasn't immediately clear when that would happen.

Learn more about this story at WFAA.