To address the future growth and development of Dallas, the City of Dallas hosted a public hearing on May 9 as part of the ForwardDallas initiative, aimed at shaping the metropolis for the upcoming decades. With an impending population increase in the hundreds of thousands, city officials are pushing for a comprehensive plan, rooted in equity, to steward Dallas's expansion and preservation efforts. The City Plan Commission (CPC) is currently reviewing the latest draft plan, which, after a series of briefings and public hearings spanning May and June, will be forwarded to the City Council for final approval.
ForwardDallas is not only a guiding land use document but also a blueprint that considers recently adopted citywide policies. These include environmental, mobility, and economic strategies. As posted in the City of Dallas, "ForwardDallas does not recommend eliminating single-family zoning." Instead, it encourages "more housing types throughout the City," while paying particular attention to areas around key intersections and transit stations.
One key aspect of the plan is the introduction of 'Placetypes', which describe various city zones like neighborhoods and commercial areas, offering recommendations for their use, design, and scale. The public, who still have the opportunity to weigh in, can review the draft and map released earlier this year, and attend future public meetings scheduled in May and June.
The upcoming meetings are a crucial platform for residents' voices, allowing in-person and virtual sign-ups to speak. The CPC's public hearings are set as benchmarks on the journey toward a planned urban future. For those concerned about the potential rezoning of their property, the city makes it clear that "ForwardDallas is a land use guide and does not result in rezoning any part of the city." Any such changes would require additional processes and community input, as clarified in the City of Dallas bulletin.
The strategy embodied by ForwardDallas 2.0 intersects with a host of other policy documents aimed at fostering an inclusive and sustainable urban environment. The city's plan, as the bulletin indicates, aligns with critical initiatives such as the 2020 Comprehensive Environmental & Climate Action Plan and the 2021 Racial Equity Plan. Amplifying its strategic mosaic, ForwardDallas 2.0 has been crafted with an eye toward extant area plans and visions, setting a course for the city poised on the cusp of significant transformation.
