Planning commission backs updating demolition‑delay triggers to accept past, present and future surveys

The Dallas City Planning Commission voted to approve changes to the city’s Demolition Delay Overlay (DDO) that will allow the code to reference past, present and future historic surveys when determining whether a 45‑day demolition delay applies.

Staff said the current ordinance references two specific surveys (a 1994 Hardy Hecker survey and a 2003 downtown Dallas survey) as the triggers that place a property in the DDO review process. Planning staff asked to broaden the code language so newly completed, city‑commissioned survey reports can be used without a future text amendment.

Planner Sarah May told commissioners the change is administrative: “Currently, the 2 sets of surveys that we have on file…are the only triggers we have as far as historical significant documentation that would trigger this 45 day delay. So the amendment is to allow the use of past, present, and future survey documents.” The amendment also changes an antiquities designation phrase at the Texas Historical Commission’s suggestion, updating “state archaeological landmark” to “state antiquities landmark.”

Commissioners questioned the quality control for future surveys and whether anyone could submit a survey to trigger a demolition delay. Staff clarified that the surveys used for the overlay are city‑commissioned consultant surveys (for example, work recently completed by Hardy Hecker), not ad‑hoc submissions. May said consultants conduct large, methodical inventories — often hundreds of pages of property‑level reports — and the department currently relies on a consultant because in‑house staff capacity is limited.

Landmark Commission reviewed and approved the proposed text amendment prior to the CPC hearing, and staff said Landmark’s favorable recommendation enabled skipping the usual Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee step. The commission approved the amendment and will forward the ordinance change to the council docket.