THE HOME BUILDER
June 2025
Page Two
The HomeFront Government Affairs News and Info
David Lehde Director of Government Affairs
Regulatory Victories Continue for Association
Local ordinances, recently ad- opted in multiple Dallas BA jurisdic- tions, come with the intent of balance and flexibility. As Dallas BA members, and the service area, work towards housing attainability in the face of rising costs and regulatory burdens, every regulatory improvement helps. The Dallas City Council on May 14 approved Dallas BA supported amendments that address the issue of over parking through a reduction in parking minimums in the city’s off-street parking and loading code. Aimed at finding a more tailored bal - ance in parking ratios, the city hopes the ordinance will provide more housing. For multifamily development, there is a tiered parking ratio. Projects with 200 dwelling units or more will be required to provide one parking space per unit, whereas developments of 21 to 199 dwelling units require ½ space per dwelling unit. Tiered guest parking will be 10% for developments with 150 units or more, and 15% for those with 21 to 149 units. Developments with 20 dwelling units and less do not face a required minimum. For buildings that are within ½ mile of light rail or streetcar stations, there is no parking minimum for any use. Dallas faces the challenge of supplying attainable housing. The ordinance passed on May 14 offers the potential to lower development and construction costs, by allowing residential development, in particular, multifamily, the ability to design the product with parking ratios based more on what is needed for the project. Which in turn could increase housing supply and address overall affordabil - ity in housing.
While the ordinance comes with alternative method options such as bicycle racks and rideshare spots, they are mostly items that are already used in the market. During the public hearing before Council, Dallas BA pointed out that this ordinance does not mean there will not be parking spaces, the ordinance just avoids excessive ratios in design. To be desirable to tenants and, consequently, remain economically viable, multifamily housing will still look to provide available parking spaces. The process that resulted in the new ordinance began in October of 2019. While many feel the ordinance does not go far enough to free up parking requirements, it has been pointed out, even by members of the City Council, that the ordinance can be seen as a living document that can be adjusted as needed for the best of the city. The amendments to the parking code come on the tail end of the recent ordinance that adds a consolidated dwelling that allows between three to eight residential units to be built under the Dallas’ version of the International Residential Code. The Dallas BA-supported or- dinance is designed to provide more options to address the city’s housing needs. Consolidated dwellings are lim- ited to buildings dedicated to resi- dential use only and contain three to eight dwelling units. The building is limited to 7,500 square feet or less in non-sprinklered areas and four dwell- ing units or less per story served by a single exit. The construction must contain certain fire rated assemblies for walls and floor assemblies, and there are re -
Dallas BA Director of Government Affairs David Lehde testified May 14 before the Dallas City Council, voicing support for amendments that ad- dress the issue of over parking.
strictions on common travel of egress and a requirement for distance between buildings. Dallas BA continues its advocacy in the codes arena. The Association’s Director of Government Affairs serves as an appointed member on the North Central Texas Council of Govern- ment’s Regional Codes Coordinating Committee (RCCC), as do two of our members in their professional capacity. The RCCC, and its five advisory boards comprised of local public and private code professionals, continually reviews the latest editions of the model construction codes from the Interna- tional Codes Council and recommends uniform amendments for the North Central Texas Region. This process provides uniformity across jurisdictions, reducing training costs for municipal personnel and making it easier for contractors, build- ers and developers to do work across the region. The result is a package of code amendments tailored to better fit the region’s needs, as well as a reduction in construction costs that can be thou- sands of dollars per home. The 2024 I-codes have mostly been reviewed, and amendment rec- ommendations have been presented. Area municipalities are already presenting those recommendations to their city’s leaders. Dallas BA mem- bers are encouraged to look into what codes have been adopted in the cities where they provide homes. If you are concerned whether a municipality has
adopted the COG amendments, please contact the Dallas BA. A special note: With the RCCC process in mind, it is important to recognize the work that was done on that committee by a Dallas BA member for decades. Members may have heard of the recent passing of Tommy Ford. Tommy was not only an award- winning builder member, but also a servant leader. In addition to the many other areas where he dedicated time to the Association and industry, including the Texas Builders Foundation and the TAB Water Task Force, Tommy served as an appointed member of the RCCC from 2001 to 2021. There, he worked for codes that made sense, and helped train up a couple of Dallas BA government af- fairs directors in the process. We appreciate the service Tom- my, and his family, have provided to the industry, and he will be missed.
The Home Builder is published monthly by the Dallas Builders Association at 5816 W. Plano Pkwy., Plano, Texas 75093. Telephone 972-931-4840. BARCIE VILCHES, Editor
Tommy Ford
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