DALLAS — In the words of Fair Park First, “change is coming” to the neighborhood of South Dallas. On Thursday, the organization released new renderings of the Community Park that’s scheduled to open in the fall of 2024.
The state-of-the-art Community Park is a part of a plan to revitalize the neighborhood. Last spring, Spectrum News 1 reported on the nonprofit organization’s plans to team up with former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush to help raise $85 million for park improvements through the Fair Park Your Park Capital Campaign. The couple, along with others, will serve as ambassadors for the project set to be completed over the next 10 to 15 years. Besides the park, funds from the campaign will go toward more green spaces and the restoration of parts of the Fair Park campus.
The park will be nestled in the parking lot south of Lago Street and north of Exposition Avenue between Pennsylvania and Fitzhugh Avenues. Officials describe it as the largest transformation of the parking lot, of 10A/10B, into a 14-acre natural Blackland Prairie. With the help of Studio-MLA and community input, Fair Park First began conceptualizing ideas for the park in early 2021. The goal was to create a “unique user-friendly” experience.
“We challenged Studio-MLA and this design team to embrace a 360-degree approach to this plan,” said Darren L. James, Chairman and President of Fair Park First in a press release. “We do not see the park as having one front entrance. We see it interacting with all four sides in different ways. Then, once you enter the park, we want to provide a different experience with all the elements that are inviting you to move across the space.”
According to officials, the park will comprise “ecological gardens, picnic areas, a community stage and pavilion, multiple play areas, a dog park, a market grove, and water elements. It will also include various spaces for outdoor activities such as farmer’s markets and art fairs and areas for park-goers to relax and fellowship to vibe to live music or watch films.
Based on feedback from those in the community, all-abilities play elements were strongly suggested during the master plan process. Therefore, the park’s design will have over one acre of playgrounds as well as play features throughout the site. Early renderings of the Community Park show “sensory gardens immersed in custom play structures, slides carved into the topography and colorful pieces” aimed at producing “joy and discovery.” An interactive water feature, custom climbers, a tot lot zone, a custom mega net structure, and roller slides nestled in the rock hill are also a part of the custom design. For the longest, residents voiced their opinions on the lack of quality parks in the community in comparison to other areas of town. Now, with the creation of Community Park, residents hope this will continue to spark necessary change around South Dallas.
“By merging these two themes into one cohesive vision, we are ensuring this park is intrinsically South Dallas in its identity, North Texas in its ecology, but truly unlike any place in America,” said Maria Landoni, Senior Associate and Design Lead, Studio-MLA, of Studio-MLA, in a press release..