City Hall News

City of Dallas ramps up for new streamlined permitting system

Waiting for a construction permit approval at the city of Dallas.

City of Dallas

The city of Dallas is ramping up its new system to help cut down on bureaucracy. Called DallasNow, it's a cloud-based system that integrates permitting, planning, platting, inspections and engineering into one platform.

It will provide online access for property owners, contractors, and developers to apply, review, and track applications electronically. Customers will also receive real-time notifications that include permits, inspection statuses, and itemized fee descriptions.

Construction permits are required by the city for everything from adding a new garage to your home all the way to building another ugly 5-story apartment complex on Ross Avenue.

Obtaining permit approvals from the city of Dallas has never been a cakewalk, but it nearly grinded to a halt during the pandemic, with wait times of nine months or more. In January, the city's planning and development department cut the median wait time for approval of new commercial construction permits from 300 days to 189 days.

Long wait times for basic projects does much to mar Dallas' reputation as a business-friendly place.

There are no predictions on what the wait times will be moving forward, but Planning & Development Deputy Director Vernon Young calls DallasNow a "game changer."

"Both city staff and customers will need time to adjust, but once fully implemented, this will be a game-changer for how Dallas handles permitting, zoning and inspections," Young says.

Young says that they are preparing their teams with ongoing virtual and in-person training. There will also be dedicated public workshops. However, they anticipate growing pains, and that includes moving the system offline from April 25 to May 4, as they migrate data from the old system to DallasNow.

The launch date will be May 5, but there is much activity leading up to that date:

April 14 – April 24: Oak Cliff Municipal Center extended hours from 8 am-6:30 pm
To help accommodate customers that may be impacted by this downtime, the Permit Service Center located inside the Oak Cliff Municipal Center will offer extended hours.

April 25 at 5 pm–May 4: Current systems not available online. Operations limited to Inspections, Emergency Releases·, and Consultations
Online services, including all permitting, engineering review processes, payment collection and certain online scheduling will be unavailable from Friday, April 25 at 5 pm to Sunday, May 4, due to the DallasNow system transition. Additionally, many Planning & Development in-person services will be limited. While online services are offline, essential operations — inspections, emergency releases, and consultations — will continue with limited availability.

May 5: DallasNow Launch Date

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Silo News

Carrollton is preparing to give its signature silos a makeover

dallas.culturemap.com

Downtown Carrollton silos

The city of Carrollton is giving one of its landmarks a big makeover: The historic Downtown Silos at 1003 4th Ave. are about to receive a new design — part of a plan to make Downtown Carrollton more vibrant.

The silos, which were originally built in 1950 for Blanton Grain Company, have come to serve as a key component of Carrollton's skyline.

The 110-foot-tall grain storage tower was constructed as part of the family-owned grain and feed business founded by L.F. Blanton in 1931 in Carrollton. It served as a landmark and storage facility for grain and feed products shipped worldwide via the adjacent railroad.

The tower was designated Historic by Carrollton City Council December 7, 2010, stating the Silos as a prominent City landmark and a historical reminder of Carrollton's agricultural heritage and significant role in the community's economic growth.

The City’s Capital Improvement Projects Division is preparing to repaint the Downtown Silos and provide a fresh design that will complement the ongoing Downtown Master Plan to further the City of Carrollton as a sustainable and vibrant community.

The new design has yet to be revealed. According to City of Carrollton marketing specialist Mary Hazuda, the design will be revealed each day as the artist progresses.

"We’re purposefully letting the reveal happen slowly for folks to enjoy the progress each day," Hazuda says.

The prep work has already begun, and the existing mural is currently being stripped. The structure will be prepped and primed for the artist to begin the art proper in mid to late April. They're hoping to have a completed project in early June.

The current design, consisting of a "Downtown Carrollton Station" sign on the side of the silos, as well as a Visit Historic Downtown Square sign on the square turret that sits atop the silos, have been in place since August 2007. Those who are attached to the current design would be wise to capture an image before they disappear.

In conjunction with Carrollton’s Downtown Mural Master Plan initiative, Carrollton's City Council formed a special arts committee to work with Articulation Art, LLC. Council and the committee are in the process of reviewing proposals and choosing the final mural design as we speak.

Funding for the project was initially proposed to City Council in March 2024, and the project was later approved in August.

The project will support City Council’s strategic objectives and vision of building a community that families and businesses want to call home by providing a refreshed visual and branding feature.

The equipment on the east side related to the former rock-climbing venture that previously occupied the Silos will be removed and the east side will then be bid separately to accommodate a different painting schedule.

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