Dallas’ economic development director to resign

Dallas’ city executive overseeing economic development is resigning. City Manager T.C. Broadnax announced Wednesday in a memo to elected leaders that Eric Anthony Johnson, who has been Dallas’ economic development and neighborhood services chief since March 2020, is leaving his position effective Jan. 28. Broadnax didn’t specify a reason. Johnson earns $230,000 a year, city records show. Johnson will be the next president and CEO of Aeon, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit affordable housing developer. The company announced his first day will be Feb. 8. Johnson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Broadnax said Johnson “has exemplified the leadership and commitment necessary to advance the city’s economic development and housing goals in partnership with residents, the business community, and nonprofit organizations.” Among his accomplishments, Broadnax praised Johnson for creating an affordable housing fund that helped create more than 1,800 affordable residential units in the city. An interim chief hasn’t yet been announced. Johnson, who is not related to Mayor Eric Johnson, oversees Dallas’ housing, economic development, historic preservation, development services, and planning and urban design offices. During his tenure, the city adopted a new economic development policy in May that emphasized new rules and incentives to promote more financial growth and progress in southern Dallas. He also oversaw the city creating a mortgage, rental assistance and small business fund programs to help residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of his time in the job saw the city dealing with a growing backlog of hundreds of unprocessed residential and commercial building permits that delayed projects for months as well as problems with poor call center service. City officials say much of the backlog has been cleared and building inspection call center changes are coming.