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

politics

Big to-do

H-E-B to replace Ennis store with supermarket more than twice as big

newsroom.heb.com

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H-E-B is planning a major upgrade for Ennis grocery shoppers, with a new location that will be more than twice the size of the existing store, which has served residents of Ennis for more than five decades.

A forthcoming 112,000-square-foot Ennis H-E-B is planned for the corner of N. Sonoma Trail and E. Ennis Ave. The current store will remain open until the new location is up and running in late 2028, according to a news release. H-E-B adds that no plans have been made for the property that houses the existing store once it closes.

“We are proud to have served our neighbors in Ennis for more than 50 years," Mabrie Jackson, H‑E‑B’s managing director of public affairs, says in the release. "We hope our new store will continue to be an important part of this community.”

At Ennis' new H-E-B, shoppers can look forward to similar services, quality products, and low prices found in other H‑E‑B locations, the company says. The new store will include a full-service pharmacy with drive-thru and offer both curbside and home delivery services. H-E-B’s much-loved South Flo Pizza will be available at the new store, too.

Jackson adds that the personality and character of Ennis will be reflected in the store's design, a show of the "deep gratitude" they have for their loyal customers in the neighborhood.

The forthcoming Ennis H-E-B, now in the early stages will include:

Bakery featuring handmade artisan breads, cakes, and warm tortillas made in-store daily
Meat and Seafood markets with prime, natural, and organic meats, fully cooked options, and fresh seafood delivered daily
Extensive craft beer and wine selections
Healthy Living department with bulk food items, sports nutrition products, and supplements
Beauty department with a wide selection of cosmetics and other beauty essentials
Pet department featuring H‑E‑B brand Heritage Ranch pet food plus toys and treats
H‑E‑B Blooms department with custom arrangements and décor items
H‑E‑B Texas Backyard for live plants, pottery, soil, and outdoor gardening needs
H‑E‑B Meal Simple section with fresh chef-inspired meals made in store
Sushiya sushi made in-store daily and Asian grill items such as rice and noodle bowls
H-E-B South Flo Pizza, freshly made and handcrafted in-house daily

H-E-B, a chain consistently rated among America's best grocers by industry and consumer reports, has been in rapid expansion mode across DFW in recent years; many stores, including Dallas, Denton, and Carrollton, are in the works.

With $49.6 billion in annual revenue, the H-E-B grocery chain appears at No. 11 on Forbes' inaugural list of America’s 100 largest family businesses.

Founded in 1905, H-E-B operates more than 460 grocery stores in the U.S. and Mexico. The company says its annual sales exceed $50 billion. The company employs over 175,000 Partners in Texas and Mexico, and serves millions of customers in more than 300 communities.

h-e-b supermarkets grocery stores