From
Chris Hartmann
Title
Public Hearing and Ordinance adopting a 90-day moratorium on the acceptance and processing of applications and permits for development and use of commercial property within the corporate limits of the City for industrial tilt-wall buildings designed to accommodate industrial uses, including the storage and movement of goods or freight by the utilization of heavy load vehicles. (On November 5, 2018, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of this request by a vote of 7-0).
Presenter
David P. Jones, AICP, Chief City Planner
Recommended Action
Approve
Analysis
This topic was presented to the City Council at the October 16, 2018 City Council meeting as a briefing item. This is the first reading of the ordinance and first public hearing.
Since 2013, over 100 million square feet of industrial space has been constructed in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex. Of this construction, 8.67 million square feet, or almost 10%, has occurred in Grand Prairie. Another 2.5 million square feet is approved or in process, accounting for about 10% of all industrial development in the Metroplex. With less than 3% of the area's population, Grand Prairie has seen an disproportionate impact from the construction of industrial warehouses, shipping and frieght facilities, fulfillment centers, and freight forwarders, otherwise known as transfer and storage terminals. Whereas residential or retail development is built for a specific tenant or end-user, 70% of industrial space currently under construction in the Metroplex is unleased or "speculative", making the impacts of these buildings hard to quantify until long after construction. With industrial vacancy rates low across the area, these trends can be expected to continue for the forseeable future.
Grand Prairie's appeal as a center for production and logistics is largely due to its central location within the Metroplex, available land, freeway network, and proximity to DFW Airport. The ...
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