$325 million will be invested in developing Harold Simmons Park which is situated along the Trinity River in Dallas according to a CultureMap Dallas article. They say,
“A major park long in the works for Dallas has shifted its location to a more stable setting: Harold Simmons Park, the 250-acre park centered around the Trinity River, will now be situated on a parcel of land that’s west of the floodway.
The park, which was first announced in 2016 with a $50 million gift from Annette Simmons, widow of Dallas businessman Harold Simmons, has expanded from a 200-acre park within the floodway, stretching from the Ronald Kirk Bridge to the Margaret McDermott Bridge, to a 250-acre park which includes overlook parks and development within the floodway.”
Tony Moore of the Trinity Park Conservancy could not help but express his excitement for the state of the art park that will be developed especially considering that it will be situated in Dallas according to a Dallas Innovates article which says,
“When I first got to Dallas. I heard a lot of different conversations that this park has been in the works for 10 years, 20 years, even 100 years,” Moore said. “And the park we have today is significantly different than the park that we initially started with. But nevertheless, this is an exciting time for us.”
“Building green infrastructures in a built environment is a highly complex job that requires a lot of different pivoting and adjustments and acquiring the land, the right location that’s suitable for a park, and working with the community in ensuring this park resonates with the community,” Moore noted. “And working with a city and all the civic entities from a funding point of view and from a support point of view.”
“This is a park that will be significantly impactful in adding to the cultural attractions of Dallas,” Moore said.
But of course, the park will not be developed without the concurrence of the nearby community of people and so their voices were allowed to be heard in a forum according to a Dallas Weekly article which says,
“What they want now is for the conservancy and anyone else listening to act in ways to ensure the park will actually benefit neighbors.
More than anything, though, neighbors asked for two things:
1) Prioritize us for park jobs, both during construction and ongoing maintenance, and teach our young people the specialized skills to do more technical work for the West Dallas park and beyond.
2) Use your influence and connections to give our residents property tax relief, so we can stay in our community or pass on generational wealth from rising property values to our children.”
The park is set to break ground 2024 according to Tony Moore.
