New City Ordinance designed to increase park land
A new city ordinance promises to increase park land for future Dallas residents without costing current residents money. Called the Park Land Ordinance, it places a fee on certain types of new construction consisting of houses, apartments or condos. The development of the ordinance took nearly two years of careful research and study.
The construction types affected by the new ordinance are single family/duplex, multifamily (one bedroom), multifamily (two or more bedrooms), college dormitory, fraternity, or sorority house, hotels and motels, and granny flats. Essentially, it applies to developments that result in a net increase in density.
There are several different ways to fulfill the requirements of the Park Land Dedication Ordinance which include:
- Pay a comprehensive fee
- Dedicate land in an amount prescribed by the ordinance and pay a park development fee; or
- Execute a combination of the two options if other ordinance requirements are met
- Apply for Ordinance Credits
The fee schedule and land dedication system were developed by studying the best practices of other cities as well as receiving feedback from real estate industry leaders. Both of those schedules are posted below.
| Comprehensive Fee Schedule | |||
| Type of Development | Fee-In-Lieu | Park Development Fee | Total |
| Single family or duplex | $762 | $403 | $1,165 |
| Multifamily (one bedroom) | $299 | $158 | $457 |
| Multifamily (two or more bedroom) | $600 | $317 | $917 |
| College dormitory, fraternity, or sorority house | $299 | $158 | $457 |
| Hotel and Motel | $327 | $173 | $500 |
| Calculation for Land Dedication | |
| Type of Development | Unit of Measurement |
| Single family or duplex | $762 |
| Multifamily (one bedroom) | $299 |
| Multifamily (two or more bedroom) | $600 |
| College dormitory, fraternity, or sorority house | $299 |
Dallas isn’t the only city in North Texas with a park land ordinance. The surrounding DFW suburbs of Frisco, McKinney, and Lancaster are among others who have existing park dedication ordinances. The first city in Texas to have a park land ordinance was Corpus Christi back in the 1950s.
Learn more about the Park Land Dedication Ordinance by clicking here.
