Issues and Priorities

Senate Bills (SB) 840 and 2477, enacted by the 89th Texas Legislature, require cities with a population exceeding 150,000, like Grand Prairie, to allow multi-family developments in areas currently zoned for office, commercial, retail, warehouse, or mixed-use uses.  

This means that despite our current ongoing battle against adding so many apartments, this bill requires allowing for properties zoned office, commercial, retail, warehouse or mixed use, to be used to build MORE apartments, if requested.

I am against this policy, and I want our city government to reach out to state reps to dispute this or repeal this bill. Apartments are useful, but overloading our city with apartments (dense and high influx of population) put strains on public works, public amenities and local businesses. 

Read more of SB 840 and 2477 here on the City of Grand Prairie Website:  appendix-s-11.4.25.pdf 

I want to see the city get off dead center on the improvement of the downtown corridor.  The turnback was applied for years ago, and businesses are in limbo.  We need to plan for the construction on Main Street, preparing to help existing businesses with public access during construction via rear-entries and protected sidewalks with signage, marketing, as well as possibly some financial support to those businesses that remain when work is underway, and their business patronage suffers.

The city had a "business vitality" program in the past that matched dollar for dollar the monies that businesses spent to improve their locations.  We need to find a way to encourage businesses to make improvements with financial matching.

Owned and operated by the Army Corp of Engineers, the old "Mansfield Road" which is the blacktop path that perches on the top of the dam, used to be open to the public for exercise and events.  Parking was available off of 1382, with scenic lookouts, public restrooms and hiking trails as well as access to the path on the dam.  It is my understanding that there are no plans to revitalize that path, from the Corp.  I would like to partner with the Corp to revitalize the path as it is a fantastic amenity to the community.

I would like to increase the requirements for parking in new multifamily.  Currently, according to the Unified Development Code, 10.7.4: "Off-Street Parking Standards for Multi-Family Uses A. Required minimum parking for multi-family development shall be one parking space for each unit, one parking space per 300 sq. ft. of clubhouse, and one parking space per 275 sq. ft. of leasing office.    B. Garage Parking shall be included in the required minimum parking calculation and may count towards the required covered parking. ".

As nice as garages are, the reality is that people often rent them for storage onsite, not parking.  My stance is that garages should not be part of the parking calculation, and there should be two spaces per unit, not only one (current standard).  Residents often have difficulty finding parking near their buildings, and it's reasonable to think that in any apartment, there could be 2 drivers, so 2 spots should be available.  Additionally, I would propose at least 4 guest parking spots per building (or every 4 units).

I am in favor of rolling trash bins provided by the city for both trash and recycling.  Additionally, I feel that there should be some legislation regarding the storage of these bins, as they may resolve the issue of blowing trash and recyclables, but then create eyesores and traffic issues if they are left out at the curb or in front yards.  There may also need to be some consideration on street parking during trash pickup days.

I would like to be more firm with code enforcement on businesses and rental unit owners so that we can be sure the community is appealing to attract more residents and businesses, as well as discourage deferred maintenance protect the leasing businesses and residential renters.

Thousands of pets are lost or run away annually in our city. I would advocate for there to be pet chip scanning services available 24 hours at the public foyer of the public service building.  

This would be a great public service to citizens and reduce the load on Prairie Paws (Grand Prairie's local animal adoption and holding center) by reuniting owners to lost pets.

One of the most important infrastructure issues facing Grand Prairie is protecting the safety and reliability of our water systems. Recent experiences have made it clear that residents expect and deserve strong oversight and accountability in this area.

The long-term groundwater contamination near the former Delfasco Forge site, while not affecting the city’s drinking water, has directly impacted nearby neighborhoods. The City must continue to advocate for residents, hold state and federal partners accountable for cleanup progress, and ensure clear, ongoing communication so families know what is being done and why it matters.

In 2024, the incident involving firefighting foam entering the water system highlighted the critical importance of backflow prevention. While the response was quick, it reinforced the need for consistent testing, maintenance, and enforcement to prevent these situations from occurring in the first place. Residents should be confident that safeguards are in place and being followed.

Moving forward, I believe the City must prioritize proactive maintenance, regular inspections, and transparency. When issues arise, residents deserve timely, accurate information and clear answers. Protecting our water infrastructure isn’t optional. it’s foundational to public health, trust, and responsible growth.

By learning from these challenges and committing to strong oversight and communication, Grand Prairie can strengthen its infrastructure while maintaining the confidence of the people it serves.

Having been part of two HOAs and hearing the challenges of others, I would like to require that new subdivisions have 1) electricity access and installed lighting at all entries to the communities, 2) start HOAs with a significant fund for common area upkeep, and 3) I would like to make changes to the specs for community walls/fences, increasing the depth of grade beams or changing requirements that will help these community walls sustain the drastic climate changes. They are a safety risk as well as an aesthetic issue.

So many communities with and without HOAs are left holding the bag, so to speak, when community fences and walls fail over time, and they are not set up with enough reserves to maintain them.

Main Street Fest is a city-run, city-funded festival meant to promote tourism and general festivities for our citizens.  It would be my desire to select a panel of 5 citizens as a representation of the community, to be involved in the selection of entertainment and review of the spending on this event.  Additionally, I would like to have a review of the data recorded regarding the patronage of this event and find ways to benefit downtown and potentially Grand Prairie exclusive businesses.

I would like to examine the costs and potentially design a multi-year plan for the burying of existing utilities on main public routes throughout the city.  Exposed powerlines are susceptible to weather-related damage, resulting in power outages, as well as the need to severely and sometimes destructively cut trees that are near those lines.

From Thanksgiving to December 31st, residents in the peninsula neighborhoods are impacted both north and southbound by the traffic caused by Prairie Lights.  I acknowledge that there is a problem, and would like the city to consider some solutions, perhaps even one that changes the location of the event.  

I would like to see additional Veteran services in our city - whether it is about housing or help with utilities, or transportation discounts with Via Grand Prairie.

After running the Grand Prairie Chamber of Commerce for more than 6 years, I feel that the city, in partnership with the Chamber, need to provide for programs and help the mom and pops and sole proprietors succeed.  This could be discounted rent in city-owned properties and future development. We need to support businesses that in turn will lead to new jobs, too.

Please send me an email at contact@votemichellemadden.com and I will post the answer here and reply to you directly, as well.