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Dallas officials outline Fair Housing Assessment guidance for developers seeking tax credits
Summary
City of Dallas fair housing staff laid out how the Fair Housing Assessment is applied to housing tax credit applications, explaining a 30-point scoring framework, site-selection priorities, accessibility expectations, and documentation requirements for developers.
City of Dallas fair housing officials presented guidance for developers on how the city applies its Fair Housing Assessment to housing tax credit applications, emphasizing scoring criteria and practical steps to improve application outcomes.
Micah Benson, Fair Housing Coordinator, said the assessment is required for projects seeking housing tax credits and is evaluated against six core goals from the North Texas Regional Housing Assessment. “Each application is reviewed and scored against 6 core goals…each goal is worth up to 5 points for a total of 30 possible points,” Benson said. The review is intended to ensure compliance with the Fair Housing Act and related regulations and to confirm that developments serve their intended communities equitably.
Why it matters: Local, state and federal housing tax credit programs are important incentives for creating affordable housing. The city’s assessment can affect a project’s competitive score and therefore its chances of receiving tax-credit financing. City staff framed the presentation as guidance, not a guarantee: “These tips are to serve as a guide and not a guarantee for receiving an approved plan,” Fair Housing Administrator Corey Levinson said.
What officials recommended: Benson urged developers to make site-selection choices that reduce segregation and increase access to opportunity, including selecting census tracts with lower poverty and lower crime, avoiding areas with a high concentration of other LIHTC properties, and considering locations in targeted equity strategy zones. He also recommended that surrounding schools be rated C or better.
On design and services, Benson recommended a clear reasonable accommodation policy (including assistance animals), universal-design elements to improve accessibility (features requiring low physical effort and equitable use), and on- or off-site programs such as job training, after-school learning or transportation services targeted to vulnerable populations including people experiencing homelessness, older adults and people with disabilities.
Documentation and partnerships: Officials advised including all supporting documents listed on the city’s formal checklist when submitting a fair housing assessment, saying missing components can lower a project’s score. Benson encouraged collaboration with nonprofits and public agencies and offering resident workshops to demonstrate community engagement.
Scoring specifics and other details: The city evaluates applications against six goals from the North Texas Regional Housing Assessment, each worth up to five points for a total of 30 points. Benson stated that a high positive rating indicates strong alignment with fair housing goals, a neutral rating indicates minimal impact, and any negative rating — even a small one — suggests a proposal could unintentionally reinforce barriers to fair housing. The presentation included specific suggestions mentioned on the recording: consider including units targeted to lower AMI bands (the transcript read “3050% AMI,” which staff clarified as intended to mean a range of incomes targeting deeper affordability within the application), and dedicating at least 10% of units to market-rate households as part of a mixed-income approach.
Next steps: Levinson closed by inviting developers with questions to contact city staff for assistance with submissions. No formal actions or votes were taken during the recorded presentation.
