Page 3 - Legal Aid CRP EJ Toolkit

Introduction

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (Legal Aid) has been serving the civil legal needs of low-income
residents in North and West Texas for nearly seven decades. Legal Aid’s Community
Revitalization Project (CRP) was created to represent low-income communities and
predominantly minority communities that are facing environmental justice, affordable housing,
and community development issues through education and legal advocacy. The southern sector
of Dallas has a long history of neglect when it comes to investment in city and public services,
economic development, and protecting citizens from environmental issues. Examples of this
1
neglect include the Deepwood Dump of Southeast Dallas , the lead smelters in West Dallas and
2
3
Oak Cliff , the concrete batch plants in Joppa , and, most recently, the so-called “Shingle
4
Mountain” in Oak Cliff . CRP launched this toolkit to understand the scope of the lack of
enforcement at industrial sites throughout the southern sector of Dallas. This information could
be used by neighborhood organizations to identify the next Shingle Mountain or other poorly
enforced code or zoning issues in their community.

The permitting process through the City of Dallas via the City Plan Commission and City
Council or Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) are the main vehicles for
public involvement in the creation or perpetuation of industrial sites in communities. However,
in cases like Shingle Mountain, the public was denied that right for the first year of operation
because no appropriate permits were sought. The company did not seek the appropriate permits
from the City of Dallas until the property was inspected by TCEQ and violations discovered.
Although citizens in the community made code calls and reached out to various city
representatives and staffers, there was no intervention to investigate the source of the issue until
several months later.

Specifically, the goals of the project are to use the factors that led to the creation of Shingle
Mountain as a case study to determine:
● Areas of residential use that are not residentially zoned but are near industry
● Which industries have certificate of occupancies that accurately represent their use
● Which industries are in the floodplain
● Other permit-related violations (e.g., TCEQ, SUPs)

The information above will be used to identify illegal-use hotspots for industries that are not
compliant and to educate citizens on land use issues in their community. The findings in the

1 Daniel, Mike, and Laura Beshara. “Deepwood Dump – Trinity Audubon Center.” Daniel Beshara Law Firm,
www.danielbesharalawfirm.com/deepwood-dump.
2 Houser’s, Texas. “Story Map Series.” Story Map Series, Texas Houser’s,
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=9c752171e6214593a3cb774606636481
3 “More Concrete Plants for Joppa? Dallas City Council Decides Today.” GreenSource DFW, 29 Mar. 2018,
https://www.greensourcedfw.org/articles/more-concrete-plants-joppa-dallas-city-council-decides-today
4 “’I Want It Gone’: Southern Dallas Residents Frustrated as ‘Shingle Mountain’ Cleanup Faces Delays.” WFAA, 19
June 2019, https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/southern-dallas/i-want-it-gone-southern-dallas-residents-
frustrated-as-shingle-mountain-cleanup-faces-delays/287-a28d7eb6-077b-4102-8c09-810ac09f36ae
2