Dallas city staff confirmed Monday that there is no agreement between the city and roofing materials company GAF to end its industrial operations by 2029.
Andreea Udrea, Deputy Director of Planning and Development, told the Economic Development Committee that she is not aware of any agreements for an exit date.
That comes weeks after the city terminated an application to rezone the shingle factory located at 2600 Singleton Boulevard in West Dallas. The rezoning application had been the only written documentation that set a deadline for GAF to end operations by the end of 2029.
GAF did not respond to KERA's request for comment, but the company has previously said it plans to shut down operations in July 2029.
However Caleb Roberts, Executive Director of Downwinders at Risk, said environmental advocacy groups like his have been raising alarms about the certainty of that deadline. Staff's confirmation that there was no deal confirmed there concerns.
"I think that's one of the secrets that are finally getting exposed and one of things that we've been talking about is the 2029 date was always lip service," Roberts said.
The GAF property, along with the TAMKO property on Central Expressway, will be on the April 22 agenda for the full council to hire a consultant who will estimate the cost of closing the businesses. It could cost up to $200,000 and it would use contingency reserve funds without taking away funds from other budget items.
Both the GAF and TAMKO properties are near neighborhoods, which has prompted environmental and health concerns from residents.
Janie Cisneros is with the neighborhood group Singleton United/Unidos, which has pushed for the factory's shutdown. She said her West Dallas community has faced negative health impacts while GAF continues to operate the facility, and that neighbors are committed to shutting down the factory sooner rather than later.
That would have been possible through amortization, which is a scheduled closure, but the city ended residents’ ability to initiate that process last year. Cisneros sued the city of Dallas in December 2023 over blocking that process.
Council Member Adam Bazaldua is one of five council members who signed onto the memo to add the item to the agenda. He said a consultant would give more information for residents and for council members to make a decision.
"Because it is a big deal, and a new process even at that, there's quite frankly no way to make a decision without having the adequate information," Bazaldua said.
Council Members Laura Cadena, Chad West, Zarin Gracey, and Paula Blackmon are the other four council members who signed onto the memo in November. Because it was signed by five council members, the item will go to the full council without a committee vote.
Council member Bill Roth said he understood the environmental concerns, but was worried about the costs. He added that this was not a property valuation, it was a business valuation to address an ongoing concern.
"We're in the budget process, we've got limited funds that we are going to be dealing with over the next several months, this is not a critical issue right now," Roth said. "$200,000 is real money to me, and I think that this is also a complicated issue."
But Cisneros told KERA that it is an urgent issue.
"It's interesting that the cost of of the residents who've been inhaling the pollution for such a long time wasn't even brought up," Cisneros said. "I understand it's a business decision, but I just found it a little interesting that there wasn't much perspective brought to the table with regards to constituents' health."
Got a tip? Email Megan Cardona at mcardona@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you!
