About This Tool
The new Dallas PFC/HFC Deal Analyzer helps users quickly determine how a proposed Dallas site would be treated under the City’s proposed PFC and HFC policy restrictions for LIHTC-related projects.
Users can search an address or click directly on the map to see whether a site falls within a 20%+ poverty census tract, identify the exact poverty rate and census tract ID, and understand the likely policy implications for both DPFC projects and DHFC LIHTC waivers. The tool is built using the same public data sources referenced in the broader policy discussion, including U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year data and HUD R/ECAP designations.
The significance of the tool is simple: until the proposed geographic restrictions are resolved, site evaluation in Dallas now requires understanding where a project falls under the proposed rules. This tool gives developers, consultants, attorneys, advocates, and local officials a quick way to see whether a site is likely to face a more streamlined path or a more difficult political one.
Key Policy Restrictions
What Are Restricted Zones?
Under the framework reflected in the tool, restricted zones include:
- Census tracts with poverty rates above 20%
- HUD-designated Racially or Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty (R/ECAPs)
In Restricted Zones (20%+ Poverty / R/ECAP Areas)
- PFC projects are generally permitted and prioritized
- HFC LIHTC waivers would not be granted unless the project meets specific exceptions
- Those exceptions would require a 3/4 City Council vote
Examples of qualifying exceptions include:
- redevelopment
- slum/blight or urban nuisance
- environmental contamination or nuisance
- other public benefit
In Unrestricted Zones (Under 20% Poverty)
- HFC LIHTC projects would be eligible for waivers through a more streamlined path
- PFC projects would require a 3/4 supermajority City Council vote
- Those projects would also need to satisfy specific criteria, such as:
- conversion or renovation for deeper affordability
- location in a rapidly changing tract or high-opportunity area
- addressing slum/blight, nuisance, or environmental issues
- other public benefit
The Broader Policy Fight
The tool exists because Dallas is in the middle of a broader debate over how its Dallas Housing Finance Corporation (DHFC) and Dallas Public Facility Corporation (DPFC) should operate moving forward. The City’s proposed amendments to the Dallas Housing Resource Catalog would update the DHFC and DPFC program statements, clarify roles between the City and the corporations, and create a more structured review process for projects seeking City support. But the most significant piece of the proposal is geographic. Under the proposed framework, project treatment would turn more directly on where a site is located.
Why Stakeholders Are Concerned
That location-based approach has drawn concern because it could make affordable housing development harder in a city already struggling to produce enough units. Councilmember Chad West has been one of the clearest critics of the proposed changes. In a March 9 memo, he said that while OHCE had made some adjustments in response to feedback, he remained opposed to what he viewed as excessive and unnecessary location restrictions, especially the requirement of a 2/3 City Council vote for policy waivers. West argued that Dallas is already underperforming in affordable housing production and should be doing everything possible to attract more developers and more feasible projects, not making site selection harder and more expensive across large portions of the city. He also challenged the use of a strict 20% poverty-rate threshold, calling it a blunt and unsupported standard that does not account for factors such as rent burden, expiring affordability, loss of naturally occurring affordable housing, and gentrification risk.
Instead of rigid geographic restrictions, West urged the City to rely more heavily on existing TDHCA QAP requirements and Dallas’s Fair Housing Assessment tool, develop better district-level housing data, and use incentives to guide development. He warned that the proposed restrictions could weaken programs the City relied on for 73% of its affordable rental housing production in FY 2023–24.
Final Takeaway
The Dallas PFC/HFC Deal Analyzer is important because it makes a complicated and increasingly map-driven policy debate much easier to understand. As Dallas continues debating how restrictive its PFC and HFC policies should be, this tool shows just how much now turns on a site’s census tract, poverty rate, and geographic designation.