U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Community Planning and Development

CITIZEN'S SUMMARY

The City of Mesquite, in eastern Dallas County, Texas, is a community of 104,322. Primarily a residential community, Mesquite does have some light industry. Of the 40,452 residential units in the city 28,631 are single family dwellings and 10,839 are multi-family units. Mesquite's Consolidated Plan is the latest document in a long community development history focusing on maintaining the neighborhood flavor and quality of life in the city.

Action Plan

The City of Mesquite presents a plan to spend $1,116,000 for its Fiscal Year 1996 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. One-hundred percent of the Fiscal Year 1996 CDBG expenditures will benefit very low-income and low-income residents of Mesquite. The majority of these funds will be used to enhance neighborhood integrity through housing, code enforcement and infrastructure repair. The city anticipates no displacement of persons or families as it executes this plan.

Citizen Participation

The involvement of citizens is vital to the development of sound, stable communities. The City of Mesquite wishes to insure that citizens have an opportunity to participate in the planning, implementation, and assessment of the Consolidated Plan. This citizen participation plan, adopted by the Mesquite City Council, is designed to facilitate citizen involvement in the Consolidated Plan by outlining the procedures to be used to elicit citizen participation as well as the overall process of citizen participation. The city invited hundreds of churches, not-for-profit agencies and the public to participate in the process. Two public hearings sought community input. A summary of the draft plan was published requesting comments.

COMMUNITY PROFILE

Mesquite is a home-rule city of 104,322 people. Comprising over 26,000 acres, with only 59 percent of that developed, Mesquite is a pleasant, spacious city. Almost completely surrounded by other municipal jurisdictions, Mesquite is a city of neighborhoods and light industry. Single-family homes outnumber multi-family units by almost 2:1.

Mesquite has experienced dramatic growth in the last 10 years. Population increased by over 51 percent in the years between the 1980 and 1990 Censuses (1980:67,053, 1990:101,484). Mesquite added over 17,000 housing units in the same period. Of the current total of 40,452 housing units, 28,631 are single-family detached dwellings. Apartments comprise 27 percent of the total or 10,839 units. These increases are a continuation of a long growth period for Mesquite.

The profile of Mesquite's population changed as well. The city became more ethnically diverse. While the city saw an increase of 51 percent in total population, the black population grew by 1,435 percent. Other ethnic groups experienced growth rates higher than the overall population growth rate: Asian and Pacific Islanders, 419 percent; persons of Hispanic heritage, 141 percent; Native Americans, 54 percent.

HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT NEEDS

Conditions

Mesquite has emerged from the construction and development doldrums of the late 1980's and early 1990's. Residential construction is booming. Single-family construction comprises the majority of new construction. Unemployment is low. Median Family Income (MFI) has risen since the 1990 Census.

Housing Needs

The data contained in Mesquite's Consolidated Plan indicate that the need for affordable, decent, safe and sanitary housing is great for extremely low-income (0-30 percent of MFI) and very low-income (31-50 percent of MFI) households. Of the 2,159 such owners, 57 percent are spending over 30 percent of their income for housing, and 58 percent indicated that they have some housing problem.

The City of Mesquite, in order to encourage and preserve vital neighborhoods, has a long history of supporting single-family homeownership. As these neighborhoods age and as demographics in the city change, very-low and low-income homeowners are frequently faced with serious code or life-safety repairs.

Market Conditions

The 1990 Census reported that there were 39,251 housing units in Mesquite. Of that number, 91.3 percent were occupied units leaving 3,395 units or 8.7 percent vacant. Dallas County had a vacancy rate of 11.8 percent in the same year.

In 1990 there were 22,751 owner occupied housing units comprising 57.9 percent of the total units of housing. There were 13,105 occupied rental units representing 33.4 percent of the total. In the second quarter of 1993, there were 535 homes listed for sale in Mesquite. This figure is down 13 percent from the same period a year earlier. Sales closed on 187 homes in the period, down 10 percent from a year earlier. (Source: MP/F Research, Inc.)

Apartment occupancy has not changed appreciably in the last 3 years. Apartment occupancy was 93 percent in the fourth quarter of 1990. In the twelve quarters since then, occupancy peaked at 95 percent (3rd, 1991). Occupancy in the third quarter of 1993 was 94 percent. (Source: MP/F Research, Inc.)

Affordable Housing Needs

Adequate, uncrowded housing for larger households is always a problem. Finding larger units to accommodate larger families is difficult. Overcrowding in Mesquite is not a serious problem however. Relative to Dallas County, Mesquite's overcrowding is quite low.

Not surprisingly, renter and owner families with incomes below 30 percent of MFI show serious cost burdens in making mortgage and rent payments. Those in the most serious need among this group are small renter families. Data show that 79 percent of the households in this sub-group pay more than 30 percent of their income for rent. Without significant subsidies in the form of additional Section 8 vouchers or certificates or new construction of rental units there is no reason to expect this trend to change over the next five years.

Homeless Needs

The 1990 Census found two homeless persons in Mesquite. Neither of those individuals lived in Mesquite. Service providers, the Mesquite Police and other reliable sources report that there is no reason to believe that Mesquite has any hard core homeless persons as defined above. The fact is that Mesquite does not have a homeless problem. What few homeless individuals or families do seek services, are served in existing Mesquite-based programs or they leave Mesquite for more substantive and professional help in Dallas or other cities.

Public and Assisted Housing Needs

There are no public housing units in the City of Mesquite.

The City of Mesquite Housing Office administers 72 Section 8 vouchers and 550 Section 8 certificates representing an expenditure of $330,139 and $2,792,680 respectively. As of April 1, 1995, there were 671 names on the Section 8 waiting list. The average wait for preferential families is one year; for non-preferential families it is 4 - 6 years. As has been the case for many years, the Mesquite Housing Office will apply for more vouchers and certificates at every opportunity.

Barriers to Affordable Housing

There are no major impediments to development of affordable housing in Mesquite. The City of Mesquite has scrupulously avoided any policies that adversely affect the development or provision of affordable housing. Mesquite has long been attractive to developers of single-family and multi-family developments. The city has avoided any ordinances or policies that would discourage any residential development. The city has absorbed the dramatic growth of the 1980's and is prepared to entertain proposals for more development. The unknown ingredient in the future of affordable housing in Mesquite has been the presence of developers committed to that particular market. That concern seems to be somewhat allayed now that single-family residential development has increased in the last year.

Fair Housing

The City of Mesquite will complete an analysis of impediments to fair housing choice within the jurisdiction, take appropriate actions to overcome the effects of any impediments identified through that analysis, and maintain records reflecting that analysis and actions in this regard.

Lead-Based Paint

When the City of Mesquite inspects housing units for minimum building standards prior to authorizing a Section 8 rental, inspectors look for peeling, flaking or damaged lead-based paint. Should such be found, the landlord is required to scrape, sand and paint over the affected area. City building inspectors are aware of lead-based paint hazards and routinely screen structures that are being re-modeled or rehabilitated for lead-based paint hazards. The City of Mesquite Environmental Health Department and the Dallas County Health Department's Environmental Health Office do not report any residential structures with lead-based paint hazards. The City of Mesquite Housing Office, the Environmental Health Office and the Dallas County Health Department have no record of any children in Mesquite with lead blood levels above the Environmental Protection Agency's minimum reporting level of 25 micrograms per deciliter ( g/dl).

Community Development Needs

As Mesquite ages and as the population changes, it is becoming apparent that two important community development needs exist. First, infrastructure systems need updating in low-income areas. Specifically, streets and sewers are in need of repair. In order to avoid the cycle of deterioration so common in low-income neighborhoods, the city will repair streets, sidewalks, and sewers.

Second, more and more low-income families need after school care for children. The city will continue to support the YMCA Latchkey after school program.

Coordination

The city's citizen participation plan is the foundation of coordination efforts within the city. Interested parties, nonprofit organizations, service providers health providers and mental health professionals are invited to comment on, assist in the development of and implementation of the city's Consolidated Plan.

The city's housing office communicates regularly with the Dallas Housing Authority, HUD and other local public housing providers. In doing so, it also notifies those agencies of the city's priority activities. Additionally, the Planning Department daily discusses affordable housing supply, demand and availability with for profit and nonprofit developers and service providers. Finally, Mesquite Social Services, a CDBG-funded agency, acts as the first line of contact with all service and health providers. It regularly seeks out new services and communicates the city's policies and goals.

HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Housing and Community Development Priorities

The City of Mesquite is intent on maintaining its traditional character as a city of single- family neighborhoods. The percentage of homeowners in the city fell by 10 percent between 1980 and 1990. Preservation of the single-family tax base is an important component of long range planning and neighborhood integrity. Since January 1994, 15 single-family units have been identified by inspectors as substandard. Eight were demolished. Seven have been secured or rehabilitated.

Code enforcement is a key element in identifying dwellings, single-family and multi-family, with structural, systems and life safety problems. City funds will be used to inspect dwellings which appear to have code violations.

The city encourages and will support efforts by not-for-profit agencies to assist in or cause rehabilitation of owner-occupied housing as discussed above. The city will review all such projects, programs and proposals to insure conformance with codes, city planning efforts, community standards, other ordinances and zoning.

Non-Housing Community Development Priorities

The City of Mesquite will continue to use CDBG funds to repair streets, sidewalks, gutters and storm sewers in CDBG-eligible areas of the city. Due to the predictability and the ability to target them, the city has been intentional and deliberate in its use of CDBG funds to maintain neighborhood integrity in low-income neighborhoods.

In order to carry out its obligations under the American With Disabilities Act, the city will continue to use CDBG resources to remove barriers to handicapped individuals.

Anti-Poverty Strategy

The City of Mesquite is eager to improve the standard of living of all its citizens. Through a wide variety of activities the city seeks to maintain the outstanding character of its residential neighborhoods, attract high paying industry and jobs to the community, and cooperate with others who strive for similar goals.

The City of Mesquite supports the Mesquite Independent School System. One important way to combat poverty is to offer each child the tools necessary to work effectively in the nation's economy, a good education.

The city's housing programs and policies enhance the ability of citizens to retain good jobs or recruit better jobs. This is the case because the city's primary effort, reflected over and over in this plan, is to maintain a high standard of neighborhood integrity. Safe, decent and fit housing in safe, decent neighborhoods are a terrific base from which the poor can strive to improve their lives and from which those already above poverty level can protect what they have earned.

Housing and Community Development Resources

To date the City of Mesquite has participated in the Community Development Block Grant program and the Section 8 rental assistance program. The city formed the Mesquite Housing Finance Corporation to fund single-family home mortgages.

Coordination of Strategic Plan

Additionally, the Planning Department daily discusses affordable housing supply, demand and availability with for profit and nonprofit developers and service providers. v Finally, Mesquite Social Services, a CDBG-funded agency, acts as the first line of contact with all service and health providers. It regularly seeks out new services and communicates the city's policies and goals.

ONE-YEAR ACTION PLAN

The City of Mesquite will receive $1,116,000 for its Fiscal Year 1995 CDBG program. One-hundred percent FY 1995 CDBG expenditures will benefit very low- income and low-income residents of Mesquite. The city anticipates no displacement of persons or families as it executes this plan.

The FY 1995 CDBG program expenditures will be in the following categories:

Housing Rehabilitation - $350,000
Social Services - 153,188
Latchkey Care Program - $100,000
Family Self-Sufficiency - 28,818
New Beginning Center - 25,000
Code Enforcement - 94,751
Handicapped Barrier Removal - 146,616
Street & Sidewalk Repairs & Maintenance - 306,172
Program Administration - 65,273

The City of Mesquite will rehabilitate 44 homes owned and occupied by low- and moderate-income families. It is estimated that the cost of this effort will be $350,000. The source of funds for this program will be CDBG.

Maps

MAP 1 shows points of interest in the City of Mesquite.

MAP 2 shows points of interest in Mesquite with low- and moderate-income areas shaded.

MAP 3 shows areas of minority concentration with low- and moderate-income areas outlined.

MAP 4 shows unemployment data (1990) by block group, with low- and moderate-income areas outlined.

MAP 5 shows selected CDBG projects to be funded during its 1995 program year, with unemployment data shaded by block group and low- and moderate-income areas outlined.

For additional information, contact Gordon Browning at 214/288-7711.

Return to Texas' Consolidated Plans.