Why on God’s Green earth is UNT’s backyard “Single Family Only?”

Or: How to cause a housing crisis

These apartments are in a single family only zone somehow???

UNT announced last year it has nearly 47,000 students. With so many students (and support staff, and faculty), it’s clear to see that there’s a huge need for housing near UNT. Prices are rising rapidly as the demand outstrips supply. The dorms are now freshman only. So why, on God’s green earth, is my neighborhood, between UNT and 380, single family only?

I’ve written previously about how Denton, like many cities, created a zoning code in the 60s that attempted to maintain segregation in the face of the Fair Housing Act by deliberately creating expensive housing in “White” areas. This relied on the reality that Black and other non-White Americans typically had (and still have thanks to the “racial wealth gap”) less wealth than White Americans. One neighborhood that was designed to be unaffordable is the area just north of UNT. “Pecan Creek” is designated single family only (the most expensive housing type) in the current zoning map.

A zoning map for the area north of UNT showing that the area is zoned R3, Single family only

What’s… interesting… about this, is that this area contains lots of other types of housing, specifically duplexes and apartments. The 1960 comprehensive plan (the one that designed the zoning code to segregate the city) allowed duplexes with no special process in the yellow area near UNT.

The 1960 comprehensive plan map showing that the neighborhood north of UNT allowed duplexes

The result is that the neighborhood has at least dozens of duplexes. I think they’re quite beautiful, so here’s some pictures of a few of them.

1732 scripture st, dark blue, green outlines, and a cute little vampire in a suit

409 Marietta St, a grey duplex with 2 dark green

1011 Crescent St

Downzoning an area from duplexes to single family only isn’t a huge step. It does mean that if any of these duplexes were to suddenly burn down, it would be illegal to reconstruct them, but the owner could probably get a variance request approved. But what’s weirder is how apartments got banned. Here’s the 1960 zoning code again (note that I had to color code this myself. The original used a very difficult to distinguish collection of dot patterns to separate the different zoning districts. Please clap.)

The 1960 comprehensive plan map showing that the neighborhood north of UNT also had a little strip through it allowing apartments.

Let’s observe a couple of things here:

1. that’s not exactly a nice, geometric shape for the blue “medium density apartment zone.” I’m curious why it is like that.
2. Most of that zone doesn’t have apartments in it.
3. Some of the apartments in my neighborhood are not in that zone.

Take, for instance, the apartments at 1800 Scripture St. First, shout out to whoever owns these for leasing a 2br apartment for $875. Second, these are not in the apartment zone. Third, to return to the question at hand: why, on God’s green earth, is this not legal in all of my neighborhood? With a housing shortage that is spiking rents all around town, it seems allowing students, faculty, and staff to have enough housing near UNT to meet the huge need is an obvious win. But instead basically all the apartments going up in town are far away from UNT/Downtown, along dangerous highways, where the residents will need cars to get anywhere (increasing traffic and emissions).

We know the environmental benefits of allowing folks to live near where they need to go (thanks, Obama). We know the savings not needing a car allows people. We know how building dense housing contributes to housing affordability. We know how dense, walkable communities contribute to social life. We know how it enables small businesses. We know all these things.

But my neighborhood, UNT’s backyard, is single family only. We know the benefits. We need the will.