Dallas Building Permits Delays Continue for Community

Dallas leaders are getting new promises about solutions in a new budget to severe building permit delays that have some builders claiming they are moving to the suburbs for better cooperation.

Currently, Dallas is in need of more housing, especially affordable housing, as home prices soar.

One builder of affordable homes said he has not seen the permit improvement that city officials claim they have made already. Kevin Hemphill with BIIG, LLC said ongoing delays make it very difficult to keep prices low.

Hemphill said he has built 70 affordable homes in South Dallas with the goal of building 100.

“I could have thrown up a couple of cheap rental houses and collected the rent and allowed the drug trade and the chaos to continue. I chose to go with bringing in homeowners and creating a new day, something better,” he said.

For example, Hemphill said his permit application for one lot on Eugene Street has been pending since January and another on Poplar Street since March.

An Aug. 1, 2022 briefing to the City Council said residential permits are being issued on average in 6 weeks with a goal of 15 days. That is far faster than Hemphill’s recent experience.

Hemphill said since the COVID 19 pandemic Dallas building permits have been much slower than before and much slower than in other cities.

“We go down and call them, we get the same thing over and over. ‘We’re trying.’ And then they mocked me. And that’s what bothers me. ‘What’d you think, I’ve got the permit in my hip pocket.’ You know, things like that. That’s not how we should play out,” Hemphill said.

Dallas City Council Members have complained about permit delays for the past two years. They made building permit issues a top priority for City Manager T.C. Broadnax.

At a Dallas City Council Budget Briefing Tuesday, additional funding and changes in building department procedures were discussed.

Councilman Chad West, who has been critical of building department issues in the past, said he is impressed with the new plans. Still, he wanted more attention to affordable housing.

“Why aren't we prioritizing affordable housing, putting them at the front of the line, to try to push those mixed-income projects out faster,” West said.

Andrew Espinoza, the new building department director, said affordable housing will receive higher priority.

The department staff is getting 39 additional employees and outside contractors are helping with plan review.

“The culture that we’re trying to implement in development services is one of responsive customer service, one that is facilitative, a can-do attitude. And one that really understands why we exist and why we’re here, to serve the community and make a difference in our economic vibrancy and sustainability,” Espinoza said.

Councilman West pushed further for a layman’s translation on how will change for simply permit applications.

“We’re going to deliver a lot faster and you’re going to receive an experience that is positive and one that is really engaged with the applicant,” Espinoza said.

Hemphill said he hopes to see those changes. 

He said the city benefits in many ways when neighborhoods like South Dallas get new homes.

“We’ve created a tax base. The City of Dallas is able to collect taxes on a yearly basis and we bring solidity to the neighborhood because once I build this house, all the houses in the neighborhood begin to clean up,” Hemphill said.

About Hemphill’s Eugene Street lot, the City of Dallas on Thursday said in an email for information that there are issues with utilities and platting that have been discussed with the builder.

A building permit for his Poplar Street lot should be issued within days, the city said.

That would be approximately five months since his application, not the average of six weeks the city claims and much longer than the goal of 15 days.