Woodall Rodgers Park Planners Make an Effort Not to Overreach: Dallas: Building More Than 3 Parts May Be Too Costly, Impractical
Posted on: Tuesday, 27 December 2005, 12:00 CST
By Dave Levinthal, The Dallas Morning News, The Dallas Morning News
Dec. 27--The question isn't so much whether Dallas will build a "deck park" spanning Woodall Rodgers Freeway between Uptown and the downtown Arts District. More important are when, how big, and at what cost?
Keeping the park under budget -- $60 million -- and on schedule -- completed by decade's end -- may involve building something smaller than what's in the most expansive proposal, city planners acknowledge.
A blueprint prepared for park planners by engineering and architecture firm Carter and Burgess calls for the creation of up to six park segments stretching from west of Akard Street to east of Pearl Street.
But anything more extensive than three main park segments would create several engineering challenges that would probably cause costs to spike. A six-segment park would, for example, require tons more building material. Huge fans underneath the deck would probably be needed to clear automobile exhaust.
"You'd have to essentially design it as a tunnel," said Wes McClure, a Texas Department of Transportation official advising on the project.
A more realistic scenario is building three park segments that would cover the canyonlike stretch of Woodall Rodgers from St. Paul Street to Pearl Street, said Dallas park and recreation director Paul Dyer.
"The entire thing -- that's a very expensive length to develop," Mr. Dyer said. "Building the core section is very much feasible. And there seems to be considerable appetite in the private sector to raise funds."
A key variable in this public-private funding venture is billionaire oilman Ray Hunt, who is building his 15-story Hunt Consolidated international headquarters one block west of where the deck park's core section would end.
Business people involved in raising private funding for the park say that Mr. Hunt may want it extended in front of his headquarters but that no formal discussions on how to pay for it have occurred.
Hunt Consolidated officials declined several requests to comment on the proposed park.
Initial plans for the park, unveiled in February, call for $20 million in federal funding; $15 million to $20 million in city funding; and $15 million to $20 million in private donations.
City officials and many downtown business interests view the park as the city's best opportunity to link the booming Uptown and Arts District areas while creating badly needed center-city green space. Some people involved also speculate that property values along Woodall Rodgers will increase considerably.
To date, the private and public officials coordinating park plans have secured a $10 million federal grant and about $3.5 million in private donations, said Jody Grant, chairman of Texas Capital Bank, who donated $1 million of his own money.
A working park design, including its size and features, must be determined before fundraising efforts begin in earnest, Mr. Grant said.
"There are a lot of moving parts now, and the cost will determine how much we go out to the public for," he said. "We've first got to get our arms around this. This kind of project is whatever you want it to be."
Expect a working design by early next year, with aggressive fundraising efforts and public input sessions to begin shortly afterward, said Linda Owen, president of the Real Estate Council, which is heavily involved in the project's planning.
"Right now, we're still evaluating all options. This is a very complicated public/private-sector venture," Ms. Owen said. "But the private sector is committed. I don't have any reason to believe we can't get to our budget number."
E-mail dlevinthal@dallasnews.com
-----
Copyright (c) 2005, The Dallas Morning News
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.
LSE:PSH, Unknown:HUN,
Source: The Dallas Morning News
Related Articles
- The Trinity Trust and the City of Dallas Announce a $10 Million Gift to Convert the Continental Avenue Bridge Into a Pedestrian Bridge
- Camden City Public Schools Announce Historic and Unprecedented District-Wide Reading Initiative with American Reading Company Using Federal Stimulus Funds
- Background Investigations of Hedge Funds, Private Equity Groups, and Venture Funds in Spotlight
- Vulture Fund VIII Sells 45 Percent Interest in Las Vegas Office Building to TNP/SLI Green Building Fund in Joint Venture
- GDF SUEZ Subsidiary Renews Contract With the City of Dallas for Its Total Energy Load
- Time Warner Inc. Chooses the Winners of Its First ''Principals of Excellence'' Awards, Celebrating Exemplary Leadership in New York City Public Schools
- SUEZ Energy Resources Signs Contract With City of Dallas
- The Allen Group and BNSF Railway Finalize Agreements for Logistics Park - Kansas City
- Dell Develops 150 Portable Computing Labs to Aid Oklahoma City Public Schools' District-Wide Technology Efforts
- Baltimore City Public School System Will Save $45 Million Over 15 Years
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds