CITY & COUNTY
COMPILED BY CECILIA LENZEN
News from Dallas
Dallas City Council will meet June 14 and 28 at 9 a.m. at 1500 Marilla St., Dallas. www.dallascityhall.com MEETINGS WE COVER materials on how to operate electric scooters when they register to use a vehicle through the vendor’s app. The city launched a new service request category for its 311 help line that will allow city o cials and community members to report any scooter-related issues. For now, the city has partnered with Bird, Lime and Superpedestrian. HIGHLIGHTS DALLAS After a nearly three-year ban on electric scooters, Dallas relaunched its electric scooter program May 31. This time around, the city will implement stricter rules and regulations to combat the backlash the previous scooter program faced. Under the new program, electric scooters will only be allowed to operate from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and riders must be age 16 or older. Riders will face a citywide speed limit of 20 mph. New users will be required to view training
A ordable housing project in Lake Highlands moves forward
Council greenlights I 345 hybrid plan DALLAS City Council voted to approve a recommendation from the Texas Department of Transportation to rebuild I-345 on May 24. TxDOT can now begin designing the plan, called the hybrid plan, which would tear down the freeway and rebuild it mostly in a trench. The conditions: Council’s approval included several conditions, includ- ing that TxDOT brief City Council on the progress every six months. In addition, council directed City Manager T.C. Broadnax to investigate securing federal funding to pay for an independent study to explore alternatives. Another condition was council may withdraw support if the potential study nds better options or other funding is procured. The next phase of the project is expected to cost about $20 million. Construction could start in 2028.
Dallas recognizes historically Black town Little Egypt DALLAS O cials and community members gathered May 20 to commemorate the history of Little Egypt, a freedmen’s town that was located in the heart of what is now Lake Highlands, with a new historical marker. What happened: The Texas Historical Commission recently designated Little Egypt as “vital and an educational part of local history,” according to a news release. City o cials unveiled a historical marker for the town at 8630 Thurgood Lane on May 20. The history: In 1883, Black people who were formerly enslaved built Little Egypt on a 30-acre tract of land. The settlement thrived for about 80 years before getting demolished and cleared for the
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DALLAS Cypress Creek at Forest Lane, a mixed-income housing proj- ect in Lake Highlands, is continuing to move forward despite opposition from various community members. Dallas City Council plans to acquire an approximately 2.85-acre tract of land and lease it to developer Syca- more Strategies. The backstory: The Cypress Creek project would include a four-story midrise apartment building with a wrapped parking structure that would include 189 residential units, a coworking space and a dog park. At least 100 of those units would be reserved for low-income households that earn between 30%-80% of the area’s median income of $58,231. • The project was rst proposed to City Council in 2021 and has faced various challenges and delays since. The property where the
project would be developed faces deed restrictions, which allow only o ce buildings, hotels, motels and restaurants to be built there. • City Council’s decision May 10 to acquire the land and lease it to Syca- more Strategies is the latest attempt to circumvent those restrictions. The city’s involvement would make the deed restrictions unenforceable, according to a memo from Assistant City Manager Majed Al-Ghafry. Those in favor: Those who support Cypress Creek at Forest Lane have said the project will provide much- needed a ordable housing in a high-opportunity area with access to employment opportunities and trans- portation. High-opportunity areas are regions within the city of Dallas where the census tract has poverty rates of 20% or below, according to the Dallas City Hall website.
A historical marker identi es Little Egypt, a freedmen’s town in Dallas.
CECILIA LENZEN COMMUNITY IMPACT
development of the neighborhood now known as Lake Highlands. The settlement remained largely forgotten until 2015, when Clive Siegle and Tim Sullivan, former professors at Dallas College’s Richland Campus, discovered its remnants with student help. Going forward: Siegle and Sullivan said that they hope to eventually display Little Egypt artifacts at the African American Museum at Fair Park. They urge anyone with information to email cgsiegle@earthlink.net.
The nearly 3-acre tract of land located at 11520 N. Central Expressway is empty as of May. CECILIA LENZEN COMMUNITY IMPACT
Those opposed: Nearby property owners to the land spoke in oppo- sition of the development, citing potential e ects on property values and threatening to sue the city if the project is successful. They said the city would violate deed restrictions by acquiring the land and thereby violate the property rights of private developers.
What’s next: During the May 10 meeting, City Council considered also approving a lease agreement with Sycamore Strategies but ultimately decided to delay the deal for further discussion. Council is scheduled to consider the proposal again during its June 14 meeting.
Dallas ISD board of trustees will meet June 22 at 6 p.m. at 5151 Samuell Blvd., Dallas. www.dallasisd.org
DALLAS 9500 N Central Expressway (214) 369-2800
PRESTON CENTER 8123 Preston Road (214) 361-6697
MARSH LANE 9972 Marsh Lane (214) 353-2701
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