DALLAS — Dallas City Council members are considering changes to city rules that could allow temporary artwork and markings on sidewalks, months after the city removed rainbow and other decorative crosswalk markings under a state directive.
The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee discussed the proposal Monday as council members considered whether the city should allow temporary sidewalk markings that recognize neighborhood identity.
District 14 Council Member Paul Ridley, who chairs the committee, said the Cedar Springs Merchant Association asked the city to amend its ordinance so the transportation and public works director could issue permits for sidewalk artwork.
The request follows the removal of rainbow crosswalks along the Cedar Springs corridor in the historically LGBTQ+ Oak Lawn neighborhood.
“It’s been an issue in my district, along the Cedar Springs corridor where the rainbow crosswalks were eliminated under state mandate,” Ridley said.
Ridley said businesses have explored other ways to highlight the neighborhood and provide local content without placing artwork in the street right of way.
The current city code does not allow public art on sidewalks.
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a directive last year that prohibited public art and decorative signs, including roadway murals, on crosswalks across Texas. Dallas later removed rainbow and Black Lives Matter crosswalks as the city complied with the directive.
Some neighborhood groups responded with alternative displays, including rainbow-colored sidewalks, bike racks and other artwork.
City officials raise First Amendment concerns
Dallas Transportation Director Gus Khankarli said safety remains the city’s priority for projects involving city-funded sidewalks. He also questioned whether transportation officials should decide which artwork the city can approve.
“It’s concerning when that type of approval is in the hands of a director without some sort of a policy from the body,” Khankarli told council members.
Some council members proposed a program involving the Office of Arts and Culture and Transportation and Public Works that could establish criteria for sidewalk art permits.
District 12 Council Member Cara Mendelsohn said residents in her Far North Dallas district also want to place stencils on the Preston Ridge Trail. She said the proposed designs would include uniform childhood themes such as hopscotch, dinosaurs and the alphabet.
Mendelsohn also raised concerns about how the city would handle offensive or extremist imagery and potential First Amendment disputes.
District 11 Council Member William Roth opposed the proposal, saying the city should not permit artwork on public sidewalks and streets.
“I really think that it’s not appropriate for us to be legislating or allowing folks to be dealing with our projects on our sidewalks and on our streets,” Roth said.
Ridley asked city staff to examine the legal implications of changing the sidewalk code and report back to the transportation committee.
