The Dallas City Council is set to vote today on a controversial rezoning plan for West Oak Cliff's Hampton-Clarendon corridor that has divided the predominantly Latino community along lines of development and displacement. The proposal would allow residential development in a 35-acre commercial area that has housed Latino-owned auto shops, tire stores and other small businesses for decades.
More than 100 residents and business owners are expected to gather for a press conference today organized by La Alianza of Hampton-Clarendon before filling City Council chambers ahead of the 1 p.m. vote, according to Oak Cliff Advocate1. The opposition group, formed specifically to fight the rezoning, has collected over 1,000 signatures on a bilingual petition2.
Jerry Figueroa, owner of J&E Express Auto Service on Clarendon Drive, has been distributing flyers to neighboring businesses to express opposition3. "I think there is a lot of mistrust in the community," Figueroa told NBC DFW3. He and other business owners fear rising rents and displacement, pointing to the transformation of areas like Bishop Arts and the erasure of Little Mexico downtown4.
Jennifer Rangel, executive director of RAYO Planning, said community members have been block-walking and hosting cookouts to inform neighbors about the hearings2. "Overwhelmingly, the community is saying no," Rangel told KERA News4.
District 1 Councilman Chad West argues the rezoning will create more walkable development with wider sidewalks and safer crossings1. Three neighborhood associations bordering Hampton-Clarendon have submitted letters supporting the rezoning, West said in a statement to KERA2.
"My job as Councilmember is to listen to the neighbors who actually live by Hampton-Clarendon, and they have told me through WOCAP and neighborhood association letters that something needs to be done in this corridor," West said2.
The proposal would prohibit new drive-through businesses, encourage mixed-use development, and limit residential buildings to 12 units, compared to Bishop Arts' allowance of 100-plus unit complexes3.
The rezoning stems from the West Oak Cliff Area Plan, unanimously approved by the City Council in 2022 after a two-year community engagement process12. The plan covers five square miles with an estimated 44,000 residents, 86% of whom are Hispanic or Latino3.
The timing carries added urgency due to a new state law taking effect September 1 that will allow mixed-use residential development in any commercially zoned area statewide4. "No matter what happens, that change is coming," said Zeke Hochberg, a Hampton Hills resident4.
