Denton City Council streamlines block party planning for affordability

Mayor Pro Tem Suzi Rumohr said she brought the proposal to city staff after meeting with a resident who said throwing block parties was cost prohibitive.

“This all started because I had a constituent come to me and said that he had started the process of trying to throw a block party and it was going to be about $1,000 just for the barricades and the traffic control plan,” Rumohr said. “I came to staff and said, ‘I’m concerned that we’re accidentally making these really important community building activities financially infeasible.’”

The city defines a block party as a residential gathering or street closure with no more than 200 attendees, restricted to neighborhood residents and not open to the general public.

Looking ahead

The pilot program and new requirements will go into effect June 1, council documents state.

“I would love to see in 6-8 months how many more applications we get,” council member Nick Stevens said.