Regulations for the CR: Community Retail District in Dallas
The CR: Community Retail District within the Municipality of Dallas is established to provide for convenience retail shopping, services, and professional offices that are intended to be compatible in scale and intensity with adjacent residential neighborhoods. Development in this district is limited to a maximum building height of 54 feet and a maximum lot coverage of 60 percent, with off-street parking requirements generally set at one space per 200 square feet for most retail and personal service uses [Section 51A-4.122].
Main Uses Permitted by Right
In the CR: Community Retail District, the Municipality of Dallas permits several categories of use by right, provided they meet the specific definitions and standards outlined in the Dallas Development Code.
- Agricultural Uses: Crop production [Section 51A-4.122].
- Institutional and Community Service Uses: Child or adult care facility, church, college, university, or seminary, convent or monastery, and library, art gallery, or museum [Section 51A-4.122].
- Office Uses: Financial institution without drive-in window, medical clinic or ambulatory surgical center, and professional office [Section 51A-4.122].
- Recreation Uses: Country club with private membership and public park, playground, or golf course [Section 51A-4.122].
- Residential Uses: Duplex, group residential facility, handicapped group dwelling unit, multifamily, residential hotel, retirement housing, and single family [Section 51A-4.122].
- Retail and Personal Service Uses: Dry cleaning or laundry store, furniture store, general merchandise or food stores (under 100,000 square feet), household equipment and appliance repair, liquor store, mortuary or commercial wedding chapel, motor vehicle fueling station, nursery or plant sales, personal service uses, and theater [Section 51A-4.122].
- Utility and Public Service Uses: Tower/antenna for cellular communication [Section 51A-4.122].
- Wholesale, Distribution, and Storage Uses: Recycling drop-off containers and recycling drop-off for special occasion collections [Section 51A-4.122].
Uses Requiring Special Authorization
Certain uses in the CR: Community Retail District require additional review by the Municipality of Dallas through a Specific Use Permit (SUP), Residential Adjacency Review (RAR), or Development Impact Review (DIR).
- Specific Use Permit (SUP) Required: Cemetery or mausoleum, community service center, hospital, open-enrollment charter school, private school, alternative financial establishment, private recreation center, college dormitory, general merchandise or food store (100,000 square feet or more), paraphernalia shop, swap or buy shop, transit passenger station, mini-warehouse, and most major utility installations (e.g., electrical substation, police/fire station, post office) [Section 51A-4.122].
- Development Impact Review (DIR) Required: Financial institution with drive-in window and restaurant with drive-in or drive-through service [Section 51A-4.122].
- Residential Adjacency Review (RAR) Required: Public school (other than open-enrollment) and restaurant without drive-in or drive-through service [Section 51A-4.122].
Prohibited Uses
The Municipality of Dallas expressly prohibits the following use categories within the CR: Community Retail District:
- Commercial and Business Service Uses: None permitted (e.g., catering services, medical laboratories, or tool rentals are not allowed as main uses) [Section 51A-4.122].
- Industrial Uses: None permitted [Section 51A-4.122].
- Lodging Uses: None permitted, except for those specifically categorized under residential uses like a residential hotel [Section 51A-4.122].
Yard, Lot, and Space Regulations
The following technical standards apply to all structures within the CR: Community Retail District in the Municipality of Dallas.
| Regulation Type | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Minimum Front Yard | 15 feet |
| Minimum Side/Rear Yard | 20 feet (if adjacent to residential districts); otherwise no minimum |
| Maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) | 0.5 for office uses; 0.75 for all uses combined |
| Maximum Height | 54 feet |
| Maximum Stories | 4 stories |
| Maximum Lot Coverage | 60% |
| Minimum Lot Size | None (except as required for residential density) |
[Section 51A-4.122]
Off-Street Parking Requirements
Parking ratios in the Municipality of Dallas for the CR: Community Retail District are based on the specific use and its floor area.
| Use Category | Parking Ratio Requirement |
|---|---|
| General Retail & Personal Service | 1 space per 200 square feet of floor area |
| Office | 1 space per 333 square feet of floor area |
| Medical Clinic | 1 space per 200 square feet of floor area |
| Restaurant (without drive-in) | No parking for first 2,500 sq. ft.; 1 per 200 sq. ft. thereafter |
| Furniture Store | 1 space per 500 sq. ft. (public area); 1 per 1,000 sq. ft. (storage) |
| Bank/Financial Institution | 1 space per 333 square feet of floor area |
[Table 1.0.2; Section 51A-4.210; Section 51A-4.301]
Accessory Uses
As a general rule, an accessory use is permitted in the CR: Community Retail District if it is customarily incidental to a permitted main use. However, the Municipality of Dallas prohibits "Accessory Helistops" in this district. Furthermore, accessory outside display and outside storage are limited to five percent of the total lot area [Section 51A-4.217].
Sections Cited
- SEC. 51A-4.122. RETAIL DISTRICTS.
- SEC. 51A-4.207. OFFICE USES.
- SEC. 51A-4.209. RESIDENTIAL USES.
- SEC. 51A-4.210. RETAIL AND PERSONAL SERVICE USES.
- SEC. 51A-4.212. UTILITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE USES.
- SEC. 51A-4.217. ACCESSORY USES.
- SEC. 51A-4.301. OFF-STREET PARKING REGULATIONS.