Small, incremental changes would encourage new development and attract new businesses now.
HALTOM CITY, TX, April 17, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ — A recent article by the nonprofit group Strong Towns points out that while major ordinance rewrites take years to achieve, cities across the country should be taking steps “now” in order to get affordable housing built and attract new businesses. “Without urgent intervention, cities risk further economic stagnation and social instability.”
Entitled Big Zoning Code Rewrites Take Years — Here’s What Cities Can Do Today, the article suggests that cities should “focus on simple, high-impact reforms that allow for incremental growth.” Strong Towns already offers a wealth of resources on this issue, including a recent podcast called Bottom Up Shorts: How To Incrementally Improve Your City’s Zoning Laws and a soon-to-be released Toolkit with “6 easy code reforms that city officials can adopt in order to encourage the development of more housing.”
In the article, the city of Dubuque, Iowa, is highlighted due to its effective response to the issue. A local developer who wanted to convert the basement of his historic rowhouse into additional units was denied due to “minimum parking” mandates. He and others successfully encouraged city leaders to reform the applicable code in key neighborhoods rather than mandating the same parking everywhere which, in his opinion, would result in “a city full of parking ramps and no one to live there.”
In Haltom City, a local business alliance has also been trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to get city leaders to act. Since 2020, the Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) has submitted simple suggestions that are no or low cost, attended meetings, and spread the word about the need for change. According to HUBA, eliminating the city’s unnecessary parking mandates would remove a substantial barrier to housing development and investment by businesses owners. Many cities don’t even do away with their ordinances and choose instead to insert the word “may” by the requirements, especially for non-residential uses. Time and again, investors have gone elsewhere after learning that a property of interest requires additional parking just to comply with decades-old code. The fact that the property doesn’t have the room (and/or the business doesn’t actually need more parking) does not seem to matter. Meanwhile, homelessness in Haltom City is on the rise and a growing number of commercial buildings sit vacant and unused year after year. Also, recent business censuses show declining occupancy for the last few years in the main corridors.
With the tremendous changes we’ve seen over the past decade when it comes to retail and commercial enterprises, Haltom City would be wise to encourage small local businesses to choose our city over others. As pointed out in the article, “smaller, incremental adjustments — such as eliminating parking mandates — can have an immediate impact without triggering costly legal battles or community resistance.” Bottom line, our city leaders should act now.
To learn more about this issue or about the work HUBA does, feel free to contact HUBA Communications Director Joe Palmer by phone at (682) 310-0591 or email at HUBAgrp@gmail.com.
About Haltom United Business Alliance
Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) wants to give members of Haltom City’s business community an advocate and to keep those businesses informed about issues that affect them. They want to make sure Haltom City is business friendly and nurtures small business growth, including automotive businesses in the industrial districts, and bring more restaurants including breweries and eventually a major grocery store to the city. New businesses and growth in existing businesses will create a stronger tax base which will allow the city to pay its first responders wages that are competitive with surrounding cities while improving Haltom City’s facilities and infrastructure. HUBA believes that the southern and central parts of the city need a revitalization plan, to prevent further degradation in those areas, and wants that to happen before the inner-city experiences increased crime and more blight. As retail and office uses are in decline, it’s more critical than ever to attract new businesses. They believe that such a plan requires a strong relationship and support of the business community. Anyone who owns a business in Haltom City is eligible to join HUBA. Dues are $20 annually or $50 for a lifetime membership, and membership is 100% confidential. To join, contact Joe Palmer at (682) 310-0591 or by email at HUBAgrp@gmail.com. Visit the group’s Facebook at Haltom United Business Alliance.
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