Half-built duplex in Dallas historic Elm Thicket neighborhood won’t be torn down [Video]

Residents in a historic Dallas neighborhood made emotional pleas before learning that at least one of the half-built duplexes violating the city’s zoning law would be allowed to stay.

On Tuesday night, the Dallas Board of Adjustment overturned a Dallas building official’s stop-work order on the grounds of the building being a duplex. They determined the lot had been a duplex in the past, so the new zoning rules from 2022 didn’t apply.

However, the builder will still have to spend $88,000 to reduce the height of the duplex and turn the roof into a pitch-style roof.

Last month, the Board of Adjustment told the developers and the city to work out a compromise solution. 

Neither side was able to come to an agreement.

Residents in Elm Thicket, also known as Ellum Thicket, worked hard to get zoning changes passed in 2022 after noticing an influx of large builds leaving little green space, flat roofs, and duplexes.

The case …