City News Roundup

Major Dallas parks are talkers in this city news roundup

Pretty angle of Dallas' Fair Park.

Photo courtesy of Dallas CVB

The West Dallas housing crisis is over for the time being, and the future of two major parks in Dallas is on the table. Here's what happened in city news last week:

HMK deal
The City of Dallas issued a memo announcing it has reached an agreement with West Dallas landlord HMK that will allow tenants to stay in their homes until June 3, 2017, or the end of the 2016-17 school year, whichever is later. This includes any individuals who have filed lawsuits against HMK. Tenants must pay their November rent in full by November 11, and then monthly thereafter.

Last month HMK issued more than 300 eviction notices, claiming the city had driven them out of business through fines and lawsuits. Recordings of a meeting between Mayor Mike Rawlings and HMK revealed the mayor pushing the owners to sell their property.

HUD dud
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has questioned city officials for months about its handling of projects that receive federal housing funds. According to the Dallas Observer, Dallas city auditor Craig Kinton is accusing City Hall of lying to federal officials about millions in unaccounted federal housing funds.

Kinton audited the city in March and found that the city lacks formal policies and procedures for selecting and monitoring projects that receive federal money. The audit says that documentation for 54 city projects was absent, or in some way unacceptable. Those projects received nearly $30 million in federal funds.

Big park donation
Mayor Mike Rawlings held a press conference on October 31 to announce a $50 million gift from the widow of Dallas businessman Harold Simmons towards the Trinity River Park. He and Deedie Rose, chair of the Trinity Trust, the private organization that's been wrestling for control of the park, were even calling it "the Harold Simmons Park."

Unfortunately, the donation stipulates that the park be managed by a private entity. City council member Philip Kingston says Dallas needs to engage in more discussion about the cost and management first.

Trinity River Park was approved in 1998 as part of a bond referendum, but the project has been waylaid ever since. Estimates for completing the park are $250 million.

If a park is built between the downtown levees it will have to be able to withstand flooding and will have to be approved by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

Fair Park bids
Dallas has now opened the bidding process to anyone who want to reimagine Fair Park. The city was previously favoring Walt Humann as its Fair Park change agent, but was forced to expand the field after new city attorney Larry Casto enforced the city's responsibility to put out an official request for proposal (RFP). Other suitors interested include developer Monte Anderson, who has put together a team that includes Michael Jenkins, former president of Dallas Summer Musicals.

No dog arrest
The Dallas Police Department announced that it has closed the case of Antoinette Brown, the woman who died in early May following an attack by dogs. DNA from dogs in the neighborhood was sent to labs for analysis, but they did not make a match.

city-news-roundup

population explosion

7 booming Dallas neighbors see biggest population growth in U.S.

City of Denton, TX - City Hall/Facebook

Denton had the biggest population growth rate in Dallas-Fort Worth from 2022 to 2023.

Denton, Mansfield, McKinney, and more North Texas cities are among the fastest-growing places in the country, according to a new population growth study by SmartAsset.

The report, "These Cities Saw the Largest Growth in Population – 2024 Study," examined U.S. Census population estimates for 2023, 2022, and 2018 to determine one-year and five-year population changes for 610 U.S. cities with populations of at least 65,000 residents in 2023 (where the most recent data was available).

Silver Spring, Maryland had the No. 1 biggest population boom nationwide from 2022 to 2023, SmartAsset found. The Washington, D.C. suburb grew 12.86 percent year-over-year, bringing the city's total population from 75,313 to 84,996 residents in 2023.

Denton took the lead over all other Dallas-Fort Worth cities with the 16th-largest one-year population growth rate in the U.S., at 5.32 percent. Denton gained over 8,000 residents from 2022 to 2023, bringing the city's total population to 158,361 in 2023.

This should come as no surprise to those who already live in Denton, who may know their hometown was ranked one of the safest suburbs in America.

Mansfield trailed close behind with a 4.16 percent increase in population during that same period, which landed it the No. 26 spot in the one-year population change analysis. The city gained 3,189 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 79,775 residents in 2023.

McKinney appeared farther down the list as No. 49 with just a 2.89 percent one-year growth rate from 2022 to 2023, and a total population of 213,504 residents.

Only four other Dallas-Fort Worth cities appeared in the top 100 fastest growing cities in the U.S. from 2022 to 2023:

No. 61 – Frisco (2.48 percent increase)
No. 72 – Rowlett (2.48 percent)
No. 73 – Lewisville (2.17 percent)
No. 99 – Flower Mound (1.73 percent)

The report suggested major population shifts in communities like Denton or Mansfield can result in "a variety of interwoven economic and social impacts."

"The magnitude of the population change can affect demand for businesses and services, which in turn may impact costs – or even the availability of such amenities," the report's author wrote. "Similarly, the relative age of the population can determine the strength or weakness of the local job market, as well as have an impact on local culture, economic trajectory, tax base and more."

Fast-growing cities elsewhere in Texas
Texas cities dominated the top 10 list of cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023.

New Braunfels, a San Antonio suburb, ranked No. 2 nationally with an 12.49 percent one-year population boom, and a 29.68 percent growth rate from 2018 to 2023. The city gained 12,318 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 110,961 residents in 2023.

Just two spots behind New Braunfels is the North Austin suburb of Georgetown (No. 4), which grew 11.34 percent to 96,317 residents in 2023. According to the report's five-year population change analysis, Georgetown ranked seventh with a 29.85 percent growth rate.

The Houston suburbs of Atascocita and Conroe ranked No. 5 and No. 9, respectively. Atascocita's total population grew to 119,502 residents in 2023, which represented a 11.03 percent growth rate from 2022, and a whopping 38.56 percent population increase since 2018. Conroe's 6.73 percent one-year population increase paled in comparison, but the city grew 23.49 percent during the five-year period from 2018 to 2023.

The top 10 U.S. cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023 are:

No. 1 – Silver Spring, Maryland
No. 2 – New Braunfels, Texas
No. 3 – Glen Burnie, Maryland
No. 4 – Georgetown, Texas
No. 5 – Atascocita, Texas
No. 6 – Pine Hills, Florida
No. 7 – Elgin, Illinois
No. 8 – Lehi, Utah
No. 9 – Conroe, Texas
No. 10 – Dale City, Virginia

population growth reports smartasset dallas fort worth denton suburbs mansfield