Property Tax Fiasco

Dallas County tax assessor’s property taxes go down due to house fire

Dallas County Tax Assessor John Ames' home

Dallas County Tax Assessor John Ames saw his property taxes decrease in 2016.

Photo via Google Maps

UPDATE: Dallas County Tax Assessor John Ames had a low appraisal because his home burned down. The story and headline have been changed to reflect that information.

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Dallas County Tax Assessor John R. Ames, who lives at 1408 Armstrong Dr. in a 5,199-square-foot, mid-1980s house on a cul de sac, is one of the few people in Dallas whose property taxes apparently went down this year. Last year his house was appraised at $254,380. This year it's appraised at $177,270.

I spoke to John today, and he told me the reason why his home was appraised so low is that they had a house fire in February 2015. They lost everything. They’ve been re-building, and the home was only 40 percent complete on January 1.

Dallas-area homeowners are seeing an across-the-board increase in property values, estimated to be as high as 15 percent.

The value of Ames' land held steady from 2015 to 2016, but the improvement to his property dropped from $218,380 in 2015 to $141,270 in 2016. His home is the only one on his street to have seen such a drop; his neighbors all saw increases.

John was out of town on County business when the fire started in — horrifically — his son’s bedroom in a canned light! Fortunately the family escaped with no injury, but they lost almost everything.

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A version of this story originally was posted on Candy's Dirt.

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Shopping in the 'burbs

Retail boom in fast-growing Forney fueled by massive mixed-use development

Photo courtesy of The Village at Gateway

The Village at Gateway is a booming retail complex in Forney.

Frisco's not the only North Texas city experiencing a retail explosion right now. Forney's getting in on the action, too.

A Dick’s Sporting Goods store will join EVO Entertainment and other new tenants at The Village at Gateway mixed-use development in the booming Kaufman County city, according to a release.

Dick’s hasn’t announced an opening date for the 60,000-square-foot store. The retailer operates more than 10 locations in DFW.

The 82,000-square-foot EVO location will be an all-in-one entertainment venue. Think Dave & Buster’s meets Alamo Drafthouse. (Fun facts: Dave & Buster’s headquarters is in Coppell, while Alamo Drafthouse is based in Austin.)

The Forney venue will feature:

Nine movie theaters, including one IMAX auditorium and two EVX auditoriums
A full-service bar and restaurant
An upper-level lounge area
Event and conference spaces
22 bowling lanes
More than 125 arcade games
Rock-climbing walls
A multilevel ropes course
Bumper cars
Laser tag

An opening date for the EVO location hasn’t been set, although EVO previously said it would be ready this fall. It’ll be the first North Texas venue operated by Austin-based EVO after locations in Addison, Southlake, and Waxahachie rebranded as Hooky Entertainment under new ownership.

Construction of the EVO venue kicked off in January.

EVO Entertainment Group Kyle EVO construction is underway in Forney. EVO Entertainment Group Facebook

Developed by Dallas-based StreetLevel Investments, the Village at Gateway also will welcome other new tenants such as:

Luna Grill, a Mediterranean restaurant (October opening date).
Forney Nail Bar (October opening date).
Handel’s Ice Cream (future opening date).
Costa Vida, a Mexican restaurant (future opening date).

“The Village at Gateway is an exciting milestone for Forney, bringing new jobs, shopping, and dining opportunities while continuing to strengthen our local economy,” Forney Mayor Jason Roberson says in the release.

Tenants already open at the 152-acre development include:

Target
Home Depot
H-E-B
BJ’s Wholesale Club
Five Below
Burlington
Ross Dress for Less
James Avery
Bath & Body Works

“Forney is one of the fastest‑growing communities in the Dallas area, with exceptional schools, strong employment, and a rapidly expanding population — yet it has long been underserved when it comes to convenient, high‑quality retail and dining,” says Brian Murphy, managing principal at StreetLevel Investments.

From April 2020 to July 2025, Forney’s population soared by 79 percent to nearly 41,700, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in North Texas and the U.S.

A report released in January 2025 by OpenDoor revealed Forney’s 75126 ZIP code claimed the No. 6 ranking as the hottest U.S. housing market in 2024 for the second year in a row. It was the only North Texas ZIP code to make the top 10.

Forney failed to crack the top 10 in OpenDoor’s 2026 report, though. The only DFW ZIP code appearing in the latest top 10 is McKinney’s 75071, landing at No. 8.

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