Company says it will shut down West Dallas shingle plant – within seven years

A company that operates an asphalt shingle plant that residents of a West Dallas neighborhood have sought to shut down for the last two years says it will try to close it by 2029.

But residents say they want it gone much sooner.

This week marks the first time New Jersey-based roofing manufacturer GAF has expressed any intention to leave the Singleton Road site it’s been operating for around 80 years, including amid recent backlash from the community over noise and air pollution concerns.

Residents have staged protests outside the plant and last year appealed to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to urge the state regulator to deny the company’s request to renew its air quality permit.

Company officials met with residents and city officials at the Nash-Davis Recreation Center on Wednesday to propose a seven-year shut down process, but left without a firm agreement, according to the heads of community groups Singleton United/Unidos and West Dallas 1.

The plant is surrounded by homes, a library and a school.

“Right now, there’s nothing — nada — that we’ve agreed on or gave a nod to except for continuing a conversation to make sure there’s an exit strategy,” said Raul Reyes, president of West Dallas 1. “We know there is a process and these things take time, but we feel seven years is too long to wait.”

Singleton United/Unidos in a statement said the city could consider forcing the plant to leave via amortization, a process that could include the city council or a resident formally requesting that Dallas’ Board of Adjustment review the site to determine if there are enough negative impacts caused by the site to justify shutting it down.

“We are concerned because at this point, there is no specific timeline for the pollution to completely stop,” the group said. “Whether this is via amortization or a negotiated deal depends on GAF.”

Joe Perri, a GAF spokesman, confirmed Thursday that the company proposed a “legally binding winding down of operations in West Dallas over the next seven years,” and planned to keep working with the city and residents on plans moving forward.

The West Dallas plant has 150 workers, he said. “Our plan allows for these individuals and families to be supported through this transition, while also allowing for the development of the West Dallas neighborhood to meet the future needs of the city and community,” Perri said.

GAF, one of the largest roofing manufacturing companies in North America, announced last month that it plans to open a new asphalt shingle plant in Corsicana, about 55 miles southeast of Dallas, in 2023. It is also planning an expansion of an existing facility in Ennis to be completed by next year.

A report from researchers at Paul Quinn College analyzing 2020 data from the TCEQ determined the West Dallas GAF site is among the top polluters in Dallas County.

Substances emitted included sulfur dioxide, a gas that can make breathing difficult and can impact children with asthma, according to the EPA.

West Dallas 1 is one of several community advocacy groups from around the state that recently petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to review the TCEQ. They alleged the state agency violates civil rights and environmental laws by failing to evaluate how minority and low-income neighborhoods are affected by air pollution from industrial sites and limiting residents’ input during the permitting process.

GAF’s Dallas plant sits in the 75212 ZIP code. According to 2020 census data, around 28,000 residents live in the 75212 ZIP code and 62% are Hispanic. The median household income is about $40,000. Close to 24% of residents live below the poverty line, higher than the 11% rate for the Dallas metro area.

A 2020 report by researchers at Paul Quinn College found the air pollution in 75212 is among the worst in the city.

Dallas City Council member Omar Narvaez held a news conference at City Hall on Thursday to announce GAF’s intentions to leave. He said there was no set timeline for the plant to shut down and that it is too early to discuss the future of the site once the operator is gone.

“What GAF said is that they have heard the community loud and clear and that they recognize that as West Dallas is changing and becoming more residential, that this industrial use just no longer fits in West Dallas,” said Narvaez.