A long, empty stretch of dirt on West Davis Street may finally be headed for something taller than a warehouse sign. A vacant lot at 715 W. Davis St., a short walk from the Bishop Arts District, is closer to redevelopment after the Dallas City Plan Commission voted to recommend lifting a decades-old deed restriction that has kept the site largely idle, even as proposals for apartments and ground-floor shops have stirred nearby neighbors.
The city’s zoning case file for Z 25 000202 shows the deed restriction, labeled Z778 181, dates to 1978 and limits the northern half of the property to warehouse, office and parking uses, including a 14-foot height cap for warehouses. City staff has recommended terminating that restriction so the site can be developed in accordance with the design standards for PD 830, according to a City of Dallas case report.
What the developer proposes
Architect and longtime owner Rick Garza, who has held the property since 2008, has floated plans for a five-story mixed-use project on the lot. During the March 5 commission meeting, zoning consultant Robert Baldwin outlined a stepped layout that would keep four-story buildings closest to the single-family homes, with taller sections up to six stories on the south side. Ground-level space would be reserved for retail or office, with open space running along the east edge, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Neighbors’ concerns and past fights
People living in nearby Kidd Springs and Oak Cliff neighborhoods have not exactly rolled out the welcome mat for taller construction on this block. Residents warn that multistory buildings could loom over their backyards and crank up parking headaches on already tight streets. This is not the first skirmish over the parcel, either: the commission rejected a similar request to lift the restriction in 2019, and reporting shows neighbors originally hammered out the one-story protections with the Sewell family decades ago, according to Oak Cliff Advocate.
How state law changed the calculus
A newer wrinkle in the debate is state legislation known as SB 840, which took effect Sept. 1, 2025. The law allows apartments and mixed-use residential projects in districts that already permit office, commercial, retail or warehouse uses, and it does that without requiring a separate city rezoning. That shift in state rules has changed the leverage in many North Texas redevelopment fights, as planners weigh when deed restrictions and planned development standards still control what actually gets built. The bill’s text and legislative history are detailed on the Texas Legislature site.
The commission’s 12 2 vote to recommend ending the deed restriction now moves to the Dallas City Council, which could take it up as soon as the April 8 meeting. Even if the council signs off, any project on the site would still have to comply with PD 830 design standards and the Dallas Development Code…