Malcolm X Boulevard is a South Dallas Fair Park Area Plan focus area

Dallas is one of the only cities in the country where Malcolm X Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard intersect. The focus on this area is a natural extension of its vibrant history and culture. The corridor is lined with numerous businesses, schools, churches, and community organizations, playing a key role in the communities’ daily life, economic development, and revitalization efforts. This street also passes through the historic Queen City neighborhood. South Malcolm is divided into three segments.

Segment one is the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and S. Malcolm X to the intersection of S. Malcolm X to Warren Avenue. In this segment there are vacant retail storefronts with sidewalks ripe for small business development all the way to Birmingham Avenue. There are bus shelters along the way with sidewalks. Commercial properties end at Warren Avenue.

Segment two is the intersection of the S. Malcolm X and Warren Avenue to Pine Street. At the intersection of Twyman Street the properties transition back to residential. Metropolitan Avenue at Malcolm X abuts Wheatley Place, another historic African-American community within South Dallas. There are numerous vacant lots along the way that are ideal for new residential housing that will be compatible with the existing housing. 

Romine Avenue at Malcolm X Avenue is the residential neighborhood of Queen City with additional pockets of retail space opportunities; across the street is the historic Oakland cemetery. This segment would be the most appropriate for single-family housing opportunities or small multifamily. Existing small multifamily housing is located on Eugene Street. Opportunity Park is across the street. 

Segment three is the intersection of S. Malcolm X and Pine Street to Elsie Faye Heggins Street. Currently there are small local existing businesses being a mix of personal services. Numerous places of worship are along the corridor throughout all segments.

Future Vision

During engagement of ForwardDallas 2.0, residents selected the neighborhood mixed-use place type along S. Malcolm X Boulevard. This placetype incorporates a mix of commercial, retail, office and residential building types. Low rise buildings, ideally two stories, is appropriate along this corridor.

Recommendations

A recommended zoning change to mixed-use subdistrict within Planned Development 595 to allow for retail, personal service uses, office, restaurant and residential, in particular if part of a mixed-use building. That subdistrict should also include development standards that encourage the buildings to be located close to the street, be limited to low-rise in height, and have no parking minimums.

The plan recommends:

1. Changing segments one and three to a mixed-use subdistrict to allow for retail, personal service uses, office, restaurant, residential in particular in mixed use buildings. That subdistrict should also include development standards that encourage the building to be close to the street, be limited to low-rise in height and be integrated into design of the community.
2. The second segment remain a residential zoning district with any new non-single family housing on the corridor appropriately incorporated into the existing residential neighborhoods in both form and massing.

Malcolm X Boulevard Corridor is one of five focus areas in the South Dallas/Fair Park Area Plan. These serve as key areas where efforts and resources should be concentrated to address specific challenges, unlock potential, and stimulate development. These areas were chosen based on their ability to drive meaningful change, such as boosting economic activity, improving community infrastructure, and enhancing quality of life. 

Read about the task force’s vision and recommendations for the other four focus areas:

• 2nd Avenue
• Elsie Faye Heggins Street
• Martin Luther King Jr. DART Station
• Queen City

This content was pulled directly from the City of Dallas draft of the South Dallas Fair Park Area Plan, pages 39 and 46. Only minor spelling, grammar and punctuation changes were made.