Supporters of the Far East Dallas Public Improvement District take a photo together at the Dallas City Council meeting on May 28. From left is Gary Hasty (Karrington Realty), Zitziki Sanluiseno (FRI), Marcy Phillips (Lone Star Credit Union), Maria Valenzuela (FRI), Council member Adam Bazaldua, Vikki Martin (FRI), Ann Bagley (FRI resident), Jackson Lane (Sunbelt), Natalie Nieves-Guerrero (District 7 chief of staff) and Nick Sieg (Casa Pacifica Apartments). Courtesy photo.
Dallas City Council approved the creation of the Far East Dallas Public Improvement District last week.
“A Public Improvement District (PID) is a special district created by the City of Dallas Office of Economic Development at the request of property owners in a specified area,” according to an explainer issued by the Ferguson Road Initiative, which spearheaded the push for this district. “Property owners petition the City to levy a supplemental assessment on real property that is paid with the property owners’ annual tax bill. These funds are returned to the community to fund public improvements and special supplemental services that are above and beyond existing City services.”
The district will be active from 2026 to 2032, at which point it will have the chance to be renewed. The PID will cover areas surrounding the White Rock Hills and White Rock East neighborhoods, around Ferguson Road and North Buckner Boulevard. The boundaries are mostly in Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Adam Bazaldua’s City Council District 7, but they also extend into Council member Jesse Moreno’s District 2.
The supplemental assessment will cost 12 cents per $100 valuation for properties included in its boundaries (mostly commercial and multi-family). That money will be used to bolster public safety and pay for improvements to the area. Having that revenue stream may also be used to draw in other investors who can bring in additional housing, retail and amenities.
“A PID will not only build upon efforts to reduce crime, but it will also allow us opportunities to improve the community through beautification, capital improvements, public art and strengthening law enforcement through extended neighborhood patrolling, crime watch, meetings and workshops,” Ferguson Road Initiative Executive Director Vikki Martin said during the council meeting.
A screenshot of the Far East Dallas Public Improvement District’s boundaries.
The process to create the PID started about a year ago, and Martin described it as a “Herculean task.” Property owners, some of whom lease out their land and don’t live close by, had to be tracked down and asked to sign the petition.
“I had the gambit,” Martin said to the Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate Magazine. “I had people who would not return a call, an email or a letter, and then I had people signed up like, ‘How can I help?'”
Bazaldua said during the meeting that the district was born out of the question, “Why do our response times suck so bad?” He also recalled a conversation with the former police chief about the inequities of the expanded neighborhood patrol program.
“The Far East Dallas PID will prioritize public safety and allocate 41% of its revenue to hiring dedicated police officers through the ENP program,” Bazaldua said during the meeting. “Now that inequitable program is no longer inequitable for our neighborhood in Far East Dallas. … We will have direct contact with our ENP officers. We will have better response times.”
Another chunk of the PID’s money will go toward public area improvements, like landscaping medians, lighting, repairing sidewalks, installing public art in right-of-ways and maintaining Ferguson Road Initiative’s other projects that are underway, Bazaldua said.
People who took the stand at the council meeting — including Lone Star Credit Union CEO Marcy Phillips, Casa Pacifica Apartments manager Nick Sieg, former District 7 City Plan Commissioner and resident Ann Bagley, Sunbelt Waterproofing & Restoration CFO Jackson Lane and Heroes House founder Gary Hasty — all spoke in support of the district. Collectively, they said the district can help to reduce crime, bring in housing and business development and beautify the neighborhoods.
“It wasn’t just FRI staff that was there. We had property owners that had sat there since 12 o’clock to speak in support of this,” Martin said. “I don’t think there are very many organizations who could get a business to do that. And by four o’clock, I was texting everybody, ‘If you have to go, go. I’m getting paid. I’ll stay here.’ Nobody would leave.”
Dallas City Council unanimously approved the PID. Clapping could be heard after the council members voted. Martin said it was after 6 p.m. when the City Council voted, and she described feeling “jubilation” at that moment.
“I’m just really proud of the work we did on this,” Martin said to the Advocate. “It was really hard, and it was great to hear the Council recognize our hard work.”
Council members who spoke during the meeting thanked the people who made the PID a reality. Martin told the Advocate that credit needed to be given to Bazaldua for his support.
Next, a legal firm needs to be hired to help establish the bylaws. Martin said a PID manager is expected to be hired by March. A PID board also needs to be established.
