Consider a Move to Inner City Dallas--We'll Make It Easier for You!

Inner city neighborhoods face so many challenges in part because of their economic demographics.

Racial segregation, still a big problem in our nation, is now joined by economic or class segregation as a big contributor to decline in urban communities.

Paul Jargowski, Professor at University of Texas at Dallas, maintains in his important book, Poverty and Place, that when 40% or more of a neighborhood's population is poor by federal standards, that neighborhood will not work for its residents.

Thus, one of our primary challenges in depressed neighborhoods is to see that the "poverty percentage" stays well below this deadly marker. Communities that enjoy mixed use, mixed incomes and mixed housing stock tend to work in a way that promotes healing and hope.

For several years now--about five to be exact--we have been working hard to create such a community of hope in inner city East Dallas. Later this month we will break ground on our long-awaited development. "Eastside Commons" will include 237 units of high-quality rental housing built in attractive new urban dimensions. Fifty-five of the units will be set aside as public housing and the remainder will be market rate, but below comparable rents in the downtown area. The public and market units will be indistinguishable from one another. Only the residents will determine which is which.

In addition, the new community will include 45,000 plus square feet of retail space along the historic Hall Street corridor on the east side of Central Expressway in walking distance of downtown.

Across the street sits the Roseland Towne Homes community, a completely rebuilt public housing development where we have been very active since 1996. CDM recently assumed responsibility for managing the new community life center located in the middle of the development.

Here's what we need: urban pioneers who will move to our new development because they care about people, poor people who are reaching for a better life. We need men and women, young and older who will move our way intentionally to assist us in building a strong, well-connected urban community where low-income families can live next door to middle class families.

Mixed developments like we are about to build have worked in other cities. We feel that our efforts will pay off here in Dallas.

I've attached images above of what we will build.

I can provide you many more details, if you are interested.

Let me hear from you!