Dallas Zoo seeks MU-2 zoning for 116-ft zip line
What's proposed
Applicant Dallas Zoo Management, Inc. (Dustin Crawford; representative Mission Ridge Consultants / Kiesha Kay) on land owned by the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department asks to rezone a small piece of the zoo from RR Regional Retail to MU-2 Mixed Use. The sole stated purpose is a 116-ft zip line, which exceeds RR's 70-ft height cap. MU-2 allows 135 ft (180 ft for a mixed-use project with retail), 80% lot coverage, and adds multifamily, hotel (by SUP) and other residential uses RR does not permit. The zoo holds a certificate of occupancy for a public park.
Staff recommendation
"Approval." No conditions or site plan are stated in the report.
Who it helps or hurts
West of the site is R-7.5(A) single-family homes; staff says distance from residential and the small, oddly shaped parcel limit any buildable scale and that the height is appropriate. Still, nothing conditions the MU-2 change on the zip line; a 135-ft structure becomes legally possible. ForwardDallas 2.0 guidance cited calls for early community engagement.
North is MU-1 commercial/offices; east is RR parking lot; south is zoo on R-7.5(A)/CS. City ownership means little private development pressure; the signal is tolerance for taller structures on Marsalis ("F" MVA market). No parking required for the park use near transit.
Within about 1,000 feet
DART Red Line light rail and bus routes 9 and 145 within half a mile. Traffic staff found no significant roadway impact.
Watch for
- Only 7 property owners notified (list dated 09/10/2026), mostly Havendon Circle homes; replies not stated in the report.
- No zoning cases in the area in the last five years.
- Commissioners could ask why a straight MU-2 change was used rather than a height-limited tool.
Next step
Zoning change requires a City Council public hearing and vote after CPC.
Source
source PDF · Legistar file 26-3207A.
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