Author: Jeffrey Ruiz
Back-to-school events with school supply giveaways near you
Here is a list of Back to School events happening in your community that will have backpack and school supplies giveaways, health and family resources and other services for students.
Rosa Lopez street toppers commemorate her affordable housing legacy in Los Altos
West Dallas residents from Los Altos and community leaders gathered to honor the life and legacy of the late Rosa Lopez — her work in the community to improve the quality of living and empower neighbors.
West Dallas strong: West Dallas 1 website breaks new ground and hopes to inspire new leadership
“We're setting the agenda on much of what's going on in West Dallas,” Raul Reyes Jr. says. However, his six-year term is coming to an end, and he and Jeffrey Howard don’t want to lose West Dallas 1’s momentum. As they prepare to pass the torch to the next generation, they are hoping the website will build support and awareness of West Dallas 1’s continuing impact.
Q&A with Tabitha Wheeler Reagan: District 7’s New Plan Commissioner
South Dallas District 7 has a new plan commissioner — Tabitha Wheeler-Reagan. She will join 14 plan commissioners to hear zoning cases and make recommendations to the City Council.
West Dallas homeowners couldn’t access City funds for home repairs, so the City eliminated the barrier
The Dallas City Council voted last week to forgo the home insurance requirement for homeowners applying to the West Dallas Targeted Rehab Program, a City of Dallas neighborhood revitalization effort designed to provide financial assistance for home repairs. The city had rejected nearly half of program applicants, most of whom lacked home insurance.
Fair Park First hopes partnering with Sunny South Dallas Food Park will create a welcoming space for Black neighbors
Desiree Powell hopes that the food park can be a living example of Black excellence and history in South Dallas. That’s one of the reasons she decided to partner with Fair Park First.
Watermark wants a zoning change for its South Dallas church in the historic Pearl C. Anderson School. Neighbors want to know: Why?
Watermark submitted a proposal to the City of Dallas for a new planned development district (PD) for the almost 10-acre space on July 12 — less than two weeks before it held its second community meeting.
The City created a home repair program for West Dallas residents, but they’re struggling to qualify
So far, the program has committed roughly $800,000 for about 90 eligible applicants, according to Thor Erickson, area redevelopment manager with the City’s department of housing and neighborhood revitalization. He says the goal was to complete 200 home repair projects and spend the $2 million within an 18-month period. The city didn’t meet its goal, Jackson says, because applicants are finding the city’s requirements to be too strenuous. In order to qualify for the program, West Dallas residents have to meet a laundry list of demands: make less than $77,900, live in the home as their primary residence, have home insurance, have a clear title and be current on their property taxes and mortgage payments.
‘Where do you go on Saturday morning?’ How a zoning plan could make way for new businesses in South Dallas
Tabitha Wheeler-Reagan, the co-chair of the South Dallas/Fair Park Area Plan Task Force, says the neighborhood’s PD 595 deters new businesses from coming into South Dallas. PD 595’s initial goals were to police alcohol sales and prevent gentrification, she explains, but she and the task force believe the zoning needs to be updated — still protecting the community, but encouraging local entrepreneurs, too.
Pool amenities in West Dallas: Fading ‘entusiasmo,’ but changes are coming
This summer, one of the hottest on record, West Dallas residents went weeks without a community pool to cool them off.
