Dallas Permitting Fully Operational Following Storm, Emergency Home Repair Program Established
The Dallas Builders Association continues to work closely with the City of Dallas to overcome crippling permitting delays that negatively impacted homeowners and businesses. Like many others, the City of Dallas was not spared the wrath of broken pipes and prolonged power outages.
The Oak Cliff Municipal Center was without power for much of last week and many plan reviewers working from home were without internet access. However, as of Monday, Feb. 22, the city is fully operational.
Additionally, the third party plan reviewers hired earlier this month as a result of the Association’s advocacy, continued to work uninterrupted through the winter storm. Many of these individuals work remotely outside of the DFW Metroplex.
Dallas BA members experiencing permitting delays either from the winter storm or otherwise are encouraged to contact the association at info@dallasbuilders.com. Please include background information on the project’s address and specific circumstances including the date the permit application was completed and recent correspondence with staff.
In recent weeks, the Association has been very pleased with the responsiveness and proactivity of city staff to our inquiries on behalf of our members. We are optimistic it will continue and commend Sustainable Development and Construction Director Kris Sweckhard for his leadership.
Additionally, the City of Dallas has created an Emergency Home Repair Program that will be voted on by City Council on Feb. 24. The program will provide $2,000,000 to allocate to organizations that will qualify low-to-moderate income homeowners to offer them a grant up to $10,000 to repair their home that was damaged due to the storm. The organization must be able to administer case management and procure contractors.
The Eligible Repairs are:
- Wall/Floor removal
- Sewer lines
- Gas lines
- Water lines and/or water damage
- Roof
- Electrical System
- HVAC units
- Plumbing fixtures – including sink pipes and toilets damaged by frozen condition
- Mold remediation
The Eligible Participants need to:
- Be homeowners within the City of Dallas
- Have household incomes at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI),
- Have Experienced damage(s) to their primary residence caused by the 2021 Texas Severe Winter Storm, which risks causing harm to the life, health, or safety of the occupants
The Request for Applications can be found here. Applications will be accepted starting on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021.