A public info session about the proposed development is slated for the evening of March 2. Photo by Sincerely Media.

Dallas leaders have been struggling since at least 2020 to reduce an affordable housing deficiency of some 87,000 units. Often when we talk about housing and proposed projects, we are discussing efforts by the City of Dallas. But Dallas County has been doing its share. Its work could mean a promising project, and 40 affordable homes, in the Lake Highlands area.

Sign up for our newsletter!

* indicates required

Dallas County has purchased property to build affordable homes.

As many as 1,321 affordable housing units could be available in the coming year or two thanks to federal COVID-19 dollars and efforts by Dallas County, throughout the pandemic, to purchase land and plan residential projects.

Dallas county commissioners say they want to add 2,000 affordable units to Dallas’ housing supply by 2026.

Assistant County Administrator Jonathon Bazan told the Dallas Morning News the county aims to have the planning portion of master plan completed by this coming April.

The county has already allocated more than $173 million for eight housing projects, as reported in November 2022.

This includes a 40-unit site at 8350 Forest Lane (Greater Cornerstone Baptist) in City Council District 10, which likely will offer homes affordable to buyers earning between 60% to 120% area median income. (For an explanation of AMI and the state of, and need for, affordable housing in Dallas, see our 2022 Housing feature story).

This proposed project in Lake Highlands is not another apartment building but rather single-family housing.

The county has spent $6.5 million to acquire the land, and county commissioner Andy Sommerman, District 2, will host an informational meeting March 2 at 6:30 p.m.

The Thursday night meeting will take place at the North Dallas Government Center at 6820 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway aka Interstate 635 in the Live Oak Room.

Organizers ask that you RSVP if you plan to go, so they can plan accordingly. District2office@dallascounty.org.

Dallas County is expected to receive some half a billion dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act, which allocated billions of dollars to local governments to address impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.