January 2024
THE HOME BUILDER
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continued from page 1 Dallas BA 2023 Year in Review: Change
trips to Austin to offer testimony on the bill. This was in addition to Dallas BA members and staff making the in - dustry's voice heard during Rally Day meetings at the State Capitol. Dallas BA was also active in the effort to find relief for builders and developers as they face a shortage of distribution transformers. In April, the Association brought builder and development members, electric power providers, and NAHB together for a panel discussion and update in an ef- fort to address inventory and delivery concerns. Advocacy on the issue went further in June as Dallas BA staff and members spoke with the delegation of Congressional members in Washing- ton, D.C. during our National Legisla- tive Conference. The year wrapped up with the Oct. 12 Shootout presented by BGE at Elm Fork, raising valuable funds for the Association’s political action com- mittee, HOMEPAC of Greater Dallas. Because of the efforts of our Communications Department, run by Barcie Vilches and Holly Pemberton, the Dallas BA remains more visible than ever before. Now in its 64th year, The Dallas Morning News Home of the Week feature continued to promote Dallas BA’s builders, both single- and multifamily, and land developers by featuring their properties each Sun - day. The program was expanded to include The News’ print and online publications. The Association’s websites drew approximately 140,000 visitors in 2023, which was above the projected goal. Social media followers also saw an increase. This number climbed to more than 18,550. The Home Builder was reformatted in January to make it even more accessible to members. The Association’s official newspaper got more than 25,000 views last year. Members of the Dallas BA con - tinue to be recognized for being the best in their fields. Our members claimed three of the five NAHB Des - ignee of the Year awards presented at the International Builders’ Show in
Las Vegas. They were Tag Gilkeson, Builder Designee of the Year; Scott Roberts, Certified Aging-in-Place Spe - cialist (CAPS) Designee of the Year; and Matt Mitchell, Green Professional Designee of the Year. In February, Association mem- bers Humphreys & Partners Architects and JPI Construction were recognized at the 38th annual Best in American Living Awards hosted by NAHB. Several members celebrated notable milestone anniversaries as members of the Association. Our oldest member, Oncor Electric De- livery, commemorated an incredible 75 years of continuous membership. Also recognized for three-quarters of a decade of membership was A.A. Porter Lighting Fixture Company Inc. Harold Peek of Peek Properties, past president of both the Dallas BA and the Texas Association of Builders, has been a member for an impressive 60 years. Associated Truss & Lumber also celebrated 60 years as a member. Celebrating their half-century anni- versary last year were Fashion Glass
& Mirror, Capital Distributing, and Wolverton Co. The 44th Annual McSAM Awards, presented by StrucSure Home Warranty, drew more than 430 entries and almost 500 attendees to the April 22 gala at The Statler in Dallas. The Association’s ARC Awards recog- nizing outstanding custom building and remodeling projects was merged last year with the McSAM Awards. Congratulations to winners in 73 categories, including M/I Homes of DFW, Builder of the Year; Hillwood Communities, Developer of the Year, Homes by J. Anthony, Custom Builder of the Year; Traditional Classic Homes, Remodeler of the Year; and The Com- mons at Spring Creek by Centre Living Homes, Builder Neighborhood of the Year. David Weekley Homes won the prestigious People’s Choice Builder of the Year honors. Pecan Square by Hillwood Communities was named People’s Choice Community of the Year. Approximately 75 companies Continued on page 7
we will become bigger and stronger than ever before. This Association has definitely had to deal with some huge challenges over the last few years, but challenges such as ours create an unbreakable bond and we will forever be better for it. 2023 was another busy and suc- cessful year for Dallas BA advocacy. Our director of government affairs, David Lehde, successfully advocated for an amendment by the Dallas City Council that changed the city’s adop- tion of the 2021 IECC from mandating an “Electric Vehicle Ready Space” for one-to-two-family dwellings and townhouses. By adopting Dallas BA’s recom- mended amendment, the City Council not only avoided adding cost for a product not used by many but also avoided a waste in materials that are already in short supply. The Association was also suc- cessful in getting an amendment to the City of Fate’s updated Roadway Impact Fee, saving builders more than $2,000 in additional immediate in- creases in construction costs per home. On March 29, Dallas BA mem - bers chartered a bus and rode en masse to Austin for TAB’s Legislative Rally Day. They joined with other HBAs from across the state to deliver an im- portant message to legislators: Protect Texas Housing. The Dallas BA service area includes the districts of a quarter of the members of the Texas Senate and one-fifth of the Texas House. The show of economic strength our mem- bers provided was as important as ever. In June, Governor Abbott signed Dallas BA priority legislation into law. HB 3492, initiated by Dallas BA and coordinated with TAB, ensures that municipalities and counties base de- velopment review and inspection fees on the governmental entity’s cost of performing these services as opposed to the valuation of the plans, project, or components being assessed. The Association’s government relations team and members made multiple
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