Page 5 - Legal Aid CRP EJ Toolkit

Methodology

Step One: Identify Industrial Properties, their Zoning and Presence in Floodplain

The industrial properties were gathered during site visits in target communities and identified
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using Google maps, the City of Dallas zoning website , and our own zoning overlay on GIS
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using City of Dallas shapefiles . On Google maps, we sifted through the target neighborhoods,
documenting the address of industrial sites. On the zoning website, we looked at areas zoned
Light Industrial (LI), Industrial Research (IR), and Industrial Manufacturing (IM) and identified
the properties within their boundaries. Similarly, this website was used to identify the underlying
zoning on the property and whether the properties are in the floodplain. We also hosted “Industry
Investigator Workshops” in partnership with neighborhood associations within the target areas to
collaborate with residents. We conducted a survey onsite, and they helped us identify industrial
properties we missed.

Step Two: Pull the Certificate of Occupancy, SUPs, and other Permits from Develop Dallas
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The permits for each industrial property identified were pulled from the Develop Dallas website
and in-person at the Oak Cliff Municipal Center for those not available on that website. We also
used the documented “use” of the industrial activity as displayed on Develop Dallas and
confirmed the underlying zoning.

Step Three: Identify Areas with Residential Use without Residential Zoning

A residentially zoned area is a home or neighborhood that has residential zoning, which protects
homeowners from certain industrial uses being too close. A residentially zoned home has rights
that trigger further oversight when making zoning or permitting decisions. When a home or
neighborhood does not have residential zoning but exists in a non-residential area, it is at risk for
events like “Shingle Mountain” because there are fewer oversight checks to involve the
community in the zoning and permitting process, and allows certain detrimental uses by right to
operate near homes. We identified homes that exist in non-residentially zoned areas by looking
at the city zoning map and industrial sites that operate outside of industrially zoned areas.
Although Agricultural zoning (A(A)) is considered a residential district, it is not afforded RAR.

Step Four: Assess Whether RAR is Needed for Specific Industry
The Residential Adjacency Review (RAR) process is an internal city assessment of the impact
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that a new development will have on the adjacent residential properties . Residential adjacency is
defined as a lot that is across a 64-foot-wide (or less) street or alley from a residentially zoned
area or, if a structure exists on a residentially zoned lot, less than 330 feet from the proposed

5 “City of Dallas Zoning Website.” Dallas Enterprise GIS, https://gis.dallascityhall.com/zoningweb/
6 City of Dallas GIS Shapefile Download. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2019 from
https://gis.dallascityhall.com/shapefileDownload.aspx
7 “Dallas Contractor Utility- Home.” Dallas Contractor Utility – Home, https://developdallas.dallascityhall.com/
8 “Dallas Development Guide.” Sustainable development & Construction Department City of Dallas, Page 33. April
2016.
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