Consultants lay out zoning code rewrite to implement Forward Dallas, simplify districts and add housing tools

Camaros, the consultant team hired to draft Dallas's new development code, presented a code diagnostic to the Dallas City Planning Commission on June 12, reviewing how a rewritten code could implement Forward Dallas and simplify decades of piecemeal amendments to Chapter 51A.

The diagnostic, delivered by Arista Strungis, a principal at Camaros, lays out a multi-step approach: reorganize the code into a user-friendly development code (the consultants recommend a new Chapter 63), produce a global use matrix that lists all uses and districts in one place, consolidate many similar residential and multifamily districts, introduce gentle-density tools for duplexes through small multiplexes, and embed objective design standards where state law allows. "We're very happy to be here," Strungis said at the start of the presentation, adding the diagnostic is a "30,000-foot view" meant to spur public and Commission feedback.

Why it matters: Dallas planners and the consultant said the overhaul is intended to make the rules easier for residents and developers to use, reduce dependence on special approvals such as plan developments and frequent specific-use permits, and create clearer pathways for diverse housing including ADUs, townhouses and small-lot single-family. Camaros recommended consolidating some single-family tiers (for example combining several near‑10,000‑square‑foot categories into an R-10), adding an R-3 small-lot district, and establishing a series of gentle-density districts to support missing-middle housing.

Key recommendations and details - Organization and clarity: Camaros proposed a single use matrix, consistent measurement methods (for example measuring building height in feet rather than stories), unified definitions and graphic orientation to make the code accessible. "We want everybody to be able to find what they're looking for in this code and understand," Strungis said. - District structure: The diagnostic recommends consolidating near-duplicate townhouse and multifamily districts, refining mixed-use and transit-oriented districts, creating a central business district subdistrict schema, and cleaning up industrial and flex-commercial districts to reflect current industrial, research and logistics uses. - Housing tools: Proposed gentle-density districts would allow duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes by right in targeted locations; a new R-3 (3,000 sq ft minimum) was proposed to recognize small-lot urban character in parts of the city. - Nonconformities and PDs: Consultants urged reducing the number of plan developments (PDs) and converting recurring PD standards into base-district rules. They proposed treating PD approvals as an approval procedure layered on a base district and tightening rules around nonconforming uses and structures. - Development standards: Proposals include graphic front-yard/setback rules, separate interior/side/rear setback standards, new impervious surface limits to support stormwater control, clearer rules for accessory structures and architectural encroachments, and sign standards aligned with U.S. Supreme Court content-neutrality rulings.

Questions from Commissioners focused on implementation, how to shift the city away from frequent PDs and specific-use renewals, and protecting vulnerable neighborhoods. Commissioner Kingston pressed consultants to ensure environmental and equity policies from Forward Dallas are operationalized in the code. Camaros said the diagnostic is an early step and that the public-draft code and a red-line draft will be released for review before formal adoption hearings.

Process and next steps: Camaros said the diagnostic draws on internal code review, more than 30 stakeholder meetings (December 2023 and later), and staff interviews. The team plans an intensive drafting period, followed by a public draft later this year, neighborhood roadshows and a red-line public draft before moving toward adoption hearings. Commissioners were told the public draft should be available by late 2025 and a formal adoption path would follow after public review.

What commissioners requested: Commissioners asked for more detail on how code changes will protect existing residents from displacement, how environmental and equity policies will be tied to regulatory language, and how the team will address vested-rights concerns. Camaros said attorneys on the team will review language during drafting, and that mapping and district application will be a major part of the next phase.

Ending note: The diagnostic is explicitly a policy-to-regulatory translation step. Camaros described it as a conversation starter: the document will be refined in drafting and public comment phases. Commissioners indicated broad interest in moving from a diagnostic to a public draft that shows specific regulatory language and mapping changes.

Sources: Camaros presentation to Dallas City Planning Commission, staff briefing and public Q&A, June 12, 2025.