JOURNAL OF DALLAS
Sector Report

Development & Zoning

Navigating the political and economic friction of building in the fastest-growing metro in the country. From ForwardDallas to specific use permits (SUPs).

ForwardDallas 2.0

The City of Dallas has adopted its first comprehensive land-use update since 2006. ForwardDallas 2.0 aims to address the severe housing shortage by encouraging missing middle housing (duplexes, triplexes, townhomes) in traditionally single-family neighborhoods.

However, the plan has faced fierce pushback from neighborhood associations concerned about density, parking, and neighborhood character. Crucially, ForwardDallas is a vision document, not a zoning change. The actual rezoning battles will happen parcel by parcel over the next decade.

What Developers Need to Know

  • Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) nodes will receive the easiest path to upzoning.
  • Parking minimum reductions are increasingly viable for projects demonstrating robust alternative transit access.
  • The city's permitting department backlog remains a significant drag on yield; factor in an extra 3-6 months for plan review.

The Infrastructure Deficit

Development in the northern suburbs (Celina, Prosper, Anna) is increasingly constrained not by demand, but by water and sewer capacity. Municipalities are issuing building moratoriums or significantly hiking impact fees to fund necessary infrastructure expansion.

This infrastructure bottleneck is pushing some development focus back toward infill sites in mature suburbs like Richardson, Farmers Branch, and Carrollton, where infrastructure exists but sites require complex environmental remediation or rezoning.