Building concerns force closure of Dallas city building permit office

In Dallas, the city's new office building for the department that handles building permits is closed, due to building issues.

City employees were ordered out of the building at 7800 N. Stemmons Freeway this week because of what a city spokesperson described in an email to NBC 5 as a need for, "additional facility improvements.”

The spokesperson told NBC 5 Investigates the remaining improvements include work on the building's fire suppression system along with elevator work and, “other key tenant improvements”.

The city would not answer more detailed questions Thursday about exactly what is wrong with the fire suppression system.

NBC 5 also asked Dallas Fire Rescue for the most recent fire inspection records for the building, but the department referred questions back to city hall staff. Jennifer Brown, the city’s assistant director of communications said in an email late Thursday that the city did not have a response to questions about the fire records yet.

In an email reviewed by NBC 5 Investigates, assistant city manager Majed Al-Ghafry notified city council members last week that he directed about 50 city staff to move out of the Stemmons building and back to the Oak Creek Municipal Center so that building improvements could be made without interruption. The email said that there has never been any “life or safety issue with the building.”

NBC 5 contacted Al-Ghafry Thursday, but he referred questions about the building back to Brown.

In a message late Thursday, Brown told NBC 5 that the city is still working on a response to additional questions about the fire suppression system.

According to city records, the city authorized the purchase of the office building on Stemmons in 2022 with plans to move employees who handle building permits into the new office tower, from the old municipal building in Oak Cliff.

On Friday the city provided NBC 5 with an updated statement saying, “When inspected in February, the fire alarms and the sprinkler systems were operational. Upon re-inspection in April, the fire alarm was determined to be deficient in notification (audible and visual) coverage..”

The statement went on to say that the city then initiated a fire watch on the building. That’s where fire monitors staff the facility in order to keep compliance with fire codes until alarm issues can be addressed.