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Dallas council adopts La Creole master plan, amends comprehensive plan map
Summary
The Dallas City Council voted to adopt an expanded La Creole (Lock Real) node master plan and corresponding amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan map, and approved a text amendment restoring a commitment to extend urban services upon annexation.
The Dallas City Council on April 7 adopted an amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan and the La Creole (Lock Real) node master plan, expanding the node boundary and setting a multi-step implementation timeline for rezoning and annexation.
City Planner Chase Blue told the council the master-plan update began with public outreach in 2023 and responds to a city economic-opportunities analysis that identified a long-term shortage of commercial land. Blue said the amendment enlarges the node north and south of Ellendale, extends it east past Oak Villa Road and designates new areas for medium- and higher-density housing on the periphery to align with sewer investments. “Step 1 on our timeline here is to amend the comprehensive plan map to include the new boundary and to adopt this master plan into the comprehensive plan as the future zoning designation for the area. Step 2 will be rezoning of the properties that are inside the city,” Blue said.
During public testimony, Edward Neely, a long-time resident in the area outside city limits, said he lives in the area shown inside the proposed node but without sewer service and raised concerns about mandatory hookup costs, sidewalk requirements, and property tax increases if and when his property is annexed. A caller identifying herself as Ginger, who said she and a co-owner represent parcels in Bel Air Mobile Home Park, asked how sewer alignments would affect multiple septic systems across roughly 20 acres and said she had been told a county planner had indicated a road might be routed through their property.
Council members asked staff clarifying questions about urban growth boundary (UGB) limits, annexation and sewer rules. Blue said the entire La Creole node as shown is inside the urban growth boundary and that roughly one-third of the area is currently inside city limits. He noted many parcels outside the city lack sewer, historically deterring redevelopment. Blue explained that under state law—he described a statute but did not cite a code number—if a septic drain field fails and the property is within 300 feet of an existing sewer line and inside the UGB, the owner must connect if the sewer exists, though that law does not by itself require annexation.
Council discussion produced one textual amendment to the comprehensive plan. The language in Section 6.2.0.3.01 was changed from “may” to “will/shall” regarding extending urban services to urbanizable lands upon annexation; councilors debated whether the standard should be discretionary or mandatory. Councilors moved and approved an amendment to restore the stronger wording. The council then voted to adopt the comprehensive-plan and La Creole node amendments as presented, incorporating the approved textual change. The city attorney was directed to prepare an implementing ordinance for a future meeting.
Blue and other staff emphasized the action before the council was a comprehensive-plan adoption and map amendment only; rezoning, code amendments and property-level annexations would follow in subsequent steps and would generally be driven by development interest, ordinance action, and annexation requests.
An ordinance reflecting the council’s decisions will be prepared and brought back for formal adoption. The city will mail an order reflecting the council decisions to participants of record within five business days.
