Many Dallas residents have been fighting for years for the right to clean water and air, more green spaces, less pollution and the removal of industrial warehouses near residential neighborhoods.

Residents and environmental advocates hope to find allies to tackle the issues among the new Dallas City Council that will be elected in the May 3 election.

Historically, the neighborhoods in the southern sector of the city have been affected the most.

In 2020, the Dallas City Council unanimously approved a 30-year plan to address environmental issues and develop strategies to mitigate the challenges associated with climate change. The council has rezoned property to prohibit industrial activities near residential areas. Air monitors have been installed and the city has been shifting its gasoline-powered fleet to electric vehicles.

Despite the progress, climate change and environmental issues continue to affect residents’ quality of life and have sparked fierce debates citywide.

As the May election approaches, The Dallas Morning News reached out to the candidates to ask how they view these issues and what actions they plan to take. To the disappointment of environmental activists, just 10 of the more than 40 candidates on the May ballot responded.

Caleb Roberts, executive director of Downwinders At Risk, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, said the candidates’ lack of response shows they are unwilling to be held accountable in the future if they make an environmental decision.

‘Where you live matters’

Zoning is a key component of environmental justice because it directly impacts the locations of polluting industries and hazardous waste facilities, which can disproportionately affect communities, according to the American Planning Association.

After a six-year fight to change city policies that allowed a District 8 neighborhood in southern Dallas to become the dumping ground for roofing debris — infamously known as “Shingle Mountain” the city approved rezoning the Floral Farms neighborhood to limit heavy industrial uses.

Kathryn Guerra, chair of the Dallas Environmental Commission, said candidates need to know the impact zoning has on residents’ lives.

“Where you live matters,” Guerra said. “We have data to connect the health impacts that the environment can have on people.”

Neighbors in the Kleberg-Rylie community in southeast Dallas continue to advocate for limiting heavy and light industrial uses and maintaining their semi-rural and agricultural characteristics.

Across the street from the Arden Terrace neighborhood, the former Lane Plating Works property, which produced highly toxic chemical waste, was designated a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2018. Residents are concerned about their health and want to be screened.

Last year, the city approved ForwardDallas 2.0, a vision for land-use visioning that provides guidance on zoning and the types of buildings and businesses compatible with the neighborhood characteristics. Environmental community organizers called the adoption a first step toward environmental justice.

The News asked the six candidates running to replace District 8 Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins if they would support zoning reforms to better separate residential and industrial uses and protect public health. Three of them responded. Subrina Lynn Brenham, Eugene Ralph and Ruth Steward did not respond.

Erik Wilson, who served one term on the City Council representing District 8 from 2015 to 2017, said the city should focus on strengthening protections for communities historically left behind.

“Yes, I strongly support zoning reforms to better separate industrial sites from residential areas, schools, and parks,” said Wilson. “Communities in Southern Dallas, many of which are predominantly Black and Latino, have suffered from the placement of industrial sites close to homes, resulting in poor air quality and health problems like asthma.”

Wilson, who is part of the board of Southern Sector Rising, the environmental group that led the fight against Shingle Mountain, said he will advocate for funding for environmental health risk assessments.

Lorie Blair, a former city plan commissioner for District 8, said she worked with the Kleberg-Rylie community to get code enforcement to clean up the neighborhood. She supports development in the neighborhood but wants trees and green areas preserved.

“Instead of just coming in and bulldozing, trees that are 50 years old that we cannot replace in our lifetime. There needs to be a better way to protect those trees.”

She said that during ForwardDallas 2.0, she worked on the recommendation that any industrial zoning not be next to residential.

Davante Peters, a community activist, said the southern sector needs to stop being seen as a “dumping ground.” He wants to push for more transparency on environmental issues so residents can decide what’s at stake when a new development comes to their neighborhood.

“I will be very vocal about these issues and allow residents to have a seat at the table in these issues,” Peters said.

Peters, who served as secretary of the Lane Plating Community Advisory Group, said he supports the need for health screenings for residents who lived near the toxic site.

Shutting down polluters

In District 6, eight West Dallas candidates are vying for the seat being vacated by council member Omar Narvaez. Residents’ efforts to shut down GAF, a shingle factory in the neighborhood, have been one of the top environmental concerns.

Residents want to stop what they say are harmful emissions being emitted into the neighborhood. GAF said it will close in July 2029, but neighbors want them out sooner.

Janie Cisneros, who has been leading this effort, sued Dallas last year after the city twice denied her amortization petition — a legal avenue to close businesses that have proven harmful to the community — against the plant.

But shutting down the plant is complicated. Earlier this year, the city adopted a new state law, Senate Bill 929, into its code. It allows owners or lessees to demand direct compensation from the city for the losses associated with closing.

Cisneros and other residents want to continue to pursue the factory shutdown through amortization. The city attorney’s office has said in public meetings that this can be too costly for taxpayers.

The News asked the eight candidates in District 6 if they would support the residents’ demand if elected. Three candidates responded. Candidates Linus Spiller, Machelle Wells, Gabriel Kissinger, Tony Carrillo and David Blewett did not respond.

Laura Cadena, former chief of staff for Narvaez, said she agrees GAF needs to leave the neighborhood but did not say if she supports the use of amortization. Cadena said she received a call from a resident about GAF while working with Narvaez a few years ago. She said she passed the information on to 311 to ensure the right department was notified.

“In the West Dallas area, I agree with residents and the company that it is time for GAF to leave West Dallas,” Cadena said.

Nicolas “Nico” Quintanilla, a first-time candidate, said he would support the residents’ petition and initiate an amortization process.

“Yes, 100%. I would support their demand to shut down GAF. There is so many wrong things with GAF,” Quintanilla said. “Recently, there was a car accident because of the big trucks that drive out from the plant, so yes and as a councilman, I will not be afraid of GAF.”

Monica Alonzo, who served three terms on the City Council representing District 6 from 2011 to 2017, said closing down the plant will protect residents’ health. She said amortization could be an option.

“We must protect our communities and its residents, families, elders, workers, and all involved. The health of our community is most important. Closing down the plant will protect the health of our community,” Alonzo said.

Alonzo said she would get all involved together and create a timeline to shut down the plant.

Roberts with Downwinders At Risk said that its goal is to increase voter awareness and hold candidates accountable for their environmental positions.

The group sent an environmental questionnaire to all Dallas City Council candidates to determine their priorities and how they plan to tackle these issues. They plan to share the responses on the organization’s social media accounts on April 22.

Extreme heat solutions

Some of the hottest neighborhoods in Dallas are located in downtown, Oak Cliff, northwest and West Dallas.

These areas can get about 12 degrees hotter than other parts of the city during the summer, according to Dallas’ latest urban heat island effect study. Areas where such structures are concentrated and green space is limited become “heat islands,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Several ongoing projects throughout the city, such as the Texas Trees Foundation South Dallas Greening Initiative and the Trust for Public Land Dallas Greening Initiative, address the lack of green space.

In District 1, where several neighborhoods have been designated as urban heat island areas, only incumbent candidate Chad West provided a response to The News’ environmental questionnaire. His opponent, Katrina Whatley did not.

West said he will continue to support funding and projects that address the urban heat island effect, tree canopy and access to parks. He pointed to his work increasing tree canopies, building the Kevin Sloan Park and creating a pocket park in the Sunset Hill neighborhood.

“In the next term, if reelected, I plan to find additional parkland acquisition opportunities in park desert areas,” West said.

Sukhbir Kaur, candidate for District 2, supports continued education on environmental issues and the creation of more green spaces for the community. Her opponent, Incumbent Jesse Moreno, did not respond.

Candidate for District 4, Maxie Johnson, a Dallas Independent School District board trustee, responded the city should examine existing infrastructure and equipment to identify new materials, like concrete and roofing, that are more climate resilient and what equipment can be made more energy efficient.

His opponents, Kebran Alexander and Avis Hardaman, didn’t respond.

District 14 was ranked the last priority district citywide for tree canopy, according to the Dallas Tree Equity Mapping Report published in 2022 by the Texas Trees Foundation.

Incumbent Paul Ridley is the only candidate. He said the proximity of polluting industry near residential development and the heat island effect are the city’s most pressing environmental issues.

He plans “to continue the city’s Branch Out Dallas program of providing free trees to residents to plant and the city’s cooperation with Texas Trees Foundation, which has surveyed the city for heat islands and plants trees in those areas,” Ridley said.