​On March 26, 2025 Dallas City Council held a public hearing and approved a zoning change for this area. The ordinance is currently pending.

BACKGROUND

• On Thursday, January 23, 2025, a public hearing and consideration of Z189-127 was heard by City Plan Commission (CPC) to determine the appropriate zoning for the area. CPC approved this case with amendments and advanced it to the City Council for public hearing . Summary of proposed changes can be found here.
  

In July 2018, the City Plan Commission (CPC) authorized a city-initiated zoning review for the area generally located along both sides of Pierce Street from Catherine Street on the south to the alley north of Gladstone Drive on the north and containing approximately 5.15 acres.

The North Cliff Neighborhood Center authorized hearing is part of the implementation of the West Oak Cliff Area Plan (WOCAP), an area plan that was unanimously adopted by the CPC on September 15, 2022. The plan provides the long-range vision for land use, urban design, transportation, mobility, infrastructure, open space, and community concerns around gentrification, displacement, and revitalization in the West Oak Cliff area. WOCAP identified several focus areas in the community that need rezoning including a portion of the North Cliff Neighborhood Center focusing on amending existing Subdistrict 2 of Conservation District 8 to allow for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and live-work units.

SCOPE & OBJECTIVE

An authorized hearing is a City-initiated rezoning. The purpose of an authorized hearing is usually to determine the most appropriate zoning for an area. It typically considers zoning, development standards, and other appropriate regulations to ensure land uses and development standards that are compatible with existing and future development in an area.

The North Cliff Neighborhood Center, occupying 5.2 acres along Pierce Street in the North Cliff neighborhood, comprises abandoned retail structures from the 1920s, El Buen Pastor Church, and 10 single-family homes. Historically a bustling retail node, it has been largely vacant since the late 1970s. The property owner aims to restore the structures but faces zoning challenges. An Authorized Hearing was filed in 2018 (Z189-127) to reassess the zoning. This area, designated Subdistrict 2 within Conservation District 8, differs from the rest of North Cliff, permitting convenience retail, services, and offices. However, it does not allow restaurant retail due to zoning restrictions. Parking codes and infrastructure repairs further complicate development prospects. The objective of this Authorized Hearing is to explore implementing the following WOCAP recommendations:

• Amend the existing Subdistrict 2 of Conservation District 8 in North Cliff to allow for accessory dwelling units and live-work units in addition to existing permitted uses, including single-family residential. Additionally, amend the zoning to allow for art galleries and studios, personal service offices, and restaurants (alcohol sales by special use permit), in addition to existing permitted uses. Maintain existing requirements for height and setbacks.

• Due to the neighborhood location, and in conjunction with proposed public realm and road improvements at Catherine/Pierce, allow for reduced parking ratios, shared-parking use agreements with surrounding properties, and the use of on-street parking to count towards requirements for commercial structures to enable easier redevelopment of legacy commercial buildings.
  

North Cliff Neighborhood Authorized Hearing Map

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