By Hexel Colorado on March 28, 2023

My name is Hexel Colorado. I was born in Dallas, and I’ve lived in DFW all my life. I am a resident of the City of Dallas.

In 2018, I lived in an apartment just 1 mile from the site in District 10. I currently live seven miles south. I attend church a half-mile away at Hamilton Park UMC, and I’ve patronized the food market at the nearby Buddhist Temple on several occasions.

Who does this project affect?

I begin my comments by describing my relationship with this area because I understand the need to know who is and is not affected by this project. In other words: who counts as being “in the neighborhood?”

Is it exclusively those whose property values would be negatively impacted? Multiple studies show that new affordable housing projects do not significantly impact surrounding property values.

What about people living with the crime that the proposed project may bring? Studies show that new affordable housing projects lower crime rates in the surrounding area.

What about people who would see the project from where they live? There is no vantage point where the project can be seen from the new housing.

This is the current empty lot where the housing project is proposed to be.

Directly behind the housing project is a warehouse for electric vehicles.

This is the view from the nearest house in the Hamilton Park neighborhood. I am very familiar with this route because I walk here whenever I attend church and Hamilton Park United Methodist.

This is the view from Vanguard Way, with the closest homes in proximity to the project site. The project site is completely hidden from view. I’m familiar with this spot because I’ve bicycled here on my way to the Buddhist Temple nearby.

This view is directly across the highway from the project site. The only people who might be able to see the project are those living in the upper floors of multi-story apartment buildings.

What about those who live near the foot traffic between the new housing and public transit? No houses are on the walking path between the project site and the DART rail station.

Housing Shortage

So, who is genuinely affected by this project? It’s everyone living in this city, which is 20,000 housing units short. The impact of this project goes beyond a select few. It’s not limited to the 190 individuals and families who move into the new housing. It impacts all of us.

It impacted me when I tried to find an affordable place to live in the city I love. It affects me every year when it’s time to renew my lease. It impacts the hundreds of thousands of renters in the City of Dallas. It impacts the business owners employing local workers. It affects schoolteachers, firefighters, and police officers who want to live in the neighborhood they serve. It’s about all of Dallas.

What is our will?

I understand that there is a deed restriction on the property in question. It’s also my understanding that over half of the properties originally under the deed restriction have had the deed restriction lifted from them at various times.

Contractual agreements are important. But they are not holy scripture. The history of deed restriction coming and going in this area demonstrates that where there is a will, there is a way. So, the question to ask ourselves is: what legacy do we choose to live up to?

Legacy

In my walks through the neighborhood, I see this sign posted by the City of Dallas forbidding homeless encampments. This city actively pushed people out of sight, but that didn’t make them vanish into thin air. I won’t opine on whether that in itself is right or wrong. But what does it say about our humanity if we actively fight against housing for the people pushed away?

There is more at stake than housing; the soul of our city is at stake.