The Trinity River
Corridor Project in Dallas
Green Infrastructure
for a Sustainable Future
Ignacio F. Bunster-Ossa, ASLA, LEED AP, Principal, Wallace Roberts & Todd
Dr. Gail Thomas, President & CEO, Trinity Trust
Willis Winters, Assistant Director City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department
James Parrish, Program Manager, CH2MHill
Framed by 30-foot levees and drawing a ½ mile
swath through the heart of Dallas, the Trinity
River Corridor has functioned since the 1930’s
as an essential flood control structure. Now it is
also envisioned as a transportation corridor, an
ecological resource, urban park and community/
economic development catalyst. Through this
project the City of Dallas intends to re-orient its
growth back to downtown and adjacent areas,
potentially attracting tens of thousands of residents
to new transit-oriented, walkable and recreationoriented communities.
The following sections describe how proposed
improvements in transportation, recreation,
flood control, environmental restoration and
community/economic development are entwined
as the largest infrastructure project in the history
of Dallas.
Transportation:
The Trinity Parkway
To many Dallas residents, however, the presence
Central Dallas hosts a confluence of interstate
highways plus other expressways and arterials,
all vying for space as they circle downtown before
spinning outward to other destinations. Interstate
Highways 30 and 35E barrel towards this junction
over the Trinity River floodway from the west, soon
to be joined by the Woodall Rodgers Expressway,
the main span of which Margaret Hunt Hill was
instrumental in funding. These highways coalesce
past the floodway in a maelstrom of ramps and
lanes commonly referred to as the “Canyon/Mix
Master.” And it is all scheduled for reconstruction
within a decade or so. This effort, dubbed “Project
Pegasus,” will require the transference of traffic
volume to other roadways—especially to the Trinity
Parkway, a nine-mile downtown bypass connecting
State Highway 183 to the north with State Highway
310 to the south. With a design speed of 55mph,
the six-lane Parkway will absorb 100,000 vehicles
per day. This is needed infrastructure, one that the
North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) is prepared to
build and operate.
of a high-volume, high-speed toll road running
inside the City’s long-envisioned “Central Park” is
anathema. A parkway it isn’t, many people feel, at
least not in the sense of a low-speed, stop-as-youwish recreational drive might be. “Do you want a
highway in the middle of the park?” was the rallying
cry behind the November 2007 ballot measure.
After the “No” vote narrowly won the day (meaning
“Yes” to keep the Parkway within the floodway), the
Trinity River Corridor Project design team pressed
on under a clear mandate: to seamlessly integrate
the Parkway to the park, making it as welcoming,
unobtrusive and green a roadway as possible.
In practical terms this meant “de-materializing” the
roadway such that the structure would not detract
from the enjoyment of the park or from views of the
signature bridges and the downtown skyline. It also
meant incorporating sustainable design measure
as a reinforcement of the park’s comprehensive
green agenda. Several proposals steer the physical
appearance of the Parkway to this end:
■■ Wind Turbines: 28, 100-megawatt turbines, 300
feet on center, are proposed on the roadway
median between the Hampton Street and
Continental Avenue Bridges—a 1¾ mile stretch.
With an estimated 1 megawatt per day in power
generation, the turbines will satisfy the power
demand for the Parkway lighting, leaving a
surplus that will help pay for park operations and
maintenance. Payback for the turbine investment
is expected after seven years.
The Trinity Parkway will
parallel the Trinity River
floodway, offering wide views
of the city skyline and the
Calatrava-designed bridges.
■■ Photo-Voltaic Panels: Almost 1.5 miles of the
roadway will lie below the 100-year flood elevation,
requiring a flood protection wall between it and
the park. Atop this wall is proposed a nearly
continuous screen of photo-voltaic panels, which
will also aid with noise attenuation. An 828 kW
annual output is anticipated from the PV panels,
earmarked for special lighting associated with
parkway ramps and pedestrian crossovers.
■■ Green Walls: On the roadway-side of the Parkway
flood protection wall is proposed a system
of vertical plant containers, forming a solid
vegetative cover representing one acre in total
surface area. The “G-Sky” Green Walls (after
the company that manufactures the system)
are denser in biomass than simple vines,
delivering substantial sound attenuation and
CO2 absorption. The biomass of 10 SF of Green
Wall is equivalent to that of a small tree, which,
over the proposed total acreage of surface area,
equals approximately 4,000 small trees.
■■ Water Harvesting: The Parkway paving within
the floodway constitutes about 46 acres of
impervious cover, generating 800,000 cubic feet
of storm water based on the 25-year, 24-hour
rain event. Nearly five acres of water storage
ponds are proposed on the park adjacent to
the Parkway to capture this water for Parkway
irrigation purposes. (Given safety concerns
related to maintenance, the irrigation system is
conceived as a plant establishment aide only.)
■■ Bio-Filtration: Immediately above the water
harvesting ponds are proposed bands of wetland
to catch first flush rain events and to naturally
filter roadway toxins that would otherwise flow
directly to the river via a piped storm system. The
wetlands would also provide habitat for waterfowl
as well as a serve as a physical barrier and visual
buffer between park users and the roadway.
■■ Native Vegetation: The Parkway landscape
will uphold the same selection of native or
naturalized, drought-tolerant plants as are
proposed for the park. Moreover, the Parkway
median and shoulder plantings will be divided
in the same zones as the park landscape so as
to create aesthetic concurrence between both
realms. The meadows and drifts of trees in the
park, for example, will carry over into the Parkway,
giving motorists a close view of the colors and
textures of the landscape they see from afar.
In an effort to mitigate their sheer size and material
monotony, many new highways are dressed-up or
“architecturalized” by means of patterned formliners, colored surfaces and/or recurrent graphic
motifs. In Dallas, the IH-630 and Central Expressway
interchange is perhaps the most prominent example
of such a practice. By contrast, the Trinity Parkway
will be rendered plain, except for the features that
advance sustainability as described above. Doing so
will make the Trinity Parkway contextually sensitive
and timeless but also a significant example of
transportation infrastructure gone green.
RECREATION:
A CENTRAL PARK FOR
DALLAS
The Trinity Lakes will be the
centerpiece of the Corridor, offering
active and passive recreation.
Like all great urban parks, the “Trinity River Park”
will accommodate a great variety of activities:
from rest and relaxation in quiet nooks under the
soothing spell of water walls, to large open areas
for crowds to watch Fourth of July fireworks; from
bird watching in secluded wetlands to world-class
rowing aligned with the downtown skyline.
Trails
A proposed 30-mile system of trails will attract
people to the park year round, from joggers to
casual walkers, cyclists, skaters, bird-watchers
and horseback riders. Anchoring the system is a
20-foot wide Primary Trail running the length of
park, crossing the river channel at six locations as
it meanders between the Oak Cliff and Downtown
sides. This trail is envisioned as a venue for
River
“It is not possible to step in the same river twice.”
Heraclitus
walkathons, races, and other special events,
The river enjoys wide use today by canoe and kayak
hence its generous width. It will also serve as an
enthusiasts. New boat ramps and an enhanced
emergency and park maintenance roadway as well
river landscape are proposed to magnify the boating
as accommodate a potential future open-air shuttle
experience. In the future it will be possible to launch
service. Other walking trails consist of both paved
a boat at the Confluence and canoe 12 miles down
and unpaved surfaces and, in some instances,
to Trinity Audubon Center, a 6-8 hour run exposing
boardwalks to facilitate a more intimate experience
boating enthusiasts to the totality of the Trinity
of the park lakes and natural areas. An equestrian
Lakes Park and Great Trinity Forest environments.
trail is proposed on the Oak Cliff side of the park,
And unlike the existing channel, future boaters
coinciding with the floodplain levee maintenance
will navigate through meanders wide and narrow,
road. This trail will be connected southward to
bringing into view varying glimpses or full views of
the planned equestrian center, and northward to
the City’s downtown skyline. Along the way, boaters
regional trails leading to Fort Worth as well as to
will have the opportunity to tie up and lock their craft
the Las Colinas Equestrian Center.
for a picnic on the river banks, or stroll up to the park
to partake in other recreational activities.
Lakes
Because of their central and accessible location,
the lakes will be fringed by several key amenities:
Three off-channel new lakes are proposed as
recreational anchors: the 130-acre West Dallas
Lake, south of the Confluence; the 90-acre Urban
Lake, generally north of IH-30; and the 60-acre
Natural Lake, immediately to the south. About
seven million cubic yards of soil will be generated
by the excavation of these lakes, most all of it
earmarked for the bench required to support the
Trinity Parkway.
With a length of 7,500 feet and wide enough to hold
seven-Olympic-sized lanes, the West Dallas Lake will
be suitable for major rowing competitions. Shielded
from the prevailing winds by the western levee, the
West Dallas Lake will offer fairly tranquil waters for
regattas, a significant benefit as compared to other
regional rowing venues. Its waters will be ground
fed according to seasonal rainfall and therefore
will fluctuate a few feet in elevation. By contrast,
water for the Urban and Natural lakes will remain
constant owing to a 50-70 million gallon daily
supply of treated water pumped from the City’s
central water treatment plant, located two miles
to the south. Because of this supply, these lakes
will have a reverse flow with respect to the river,
creating a four-mile lakes-to-river boating loop, the
closure of which would be a short portage up the
embankment from the river to the headwaters of
the Natural Lake.
It is anticipated that the Urban and Natural
Lakes and their surrounding parkland will draw
more than two thirds of the park’s planned
users, an estimated 120,000 people during a
fair weather holiday weekend. Ranging in width
from 500-800 feet (minimally as wide as the
River Seine), the Urban and Natural Lakes will
dramatically alter the image of the floodway,
making a permanent, rather than flood-dependent,
reflection of the many bridges that cross it.
■■ Downtown Overlook: A 200-foot wide deck over
the Trinity Parkway at the terminus of Reunion
Boulevard will afford wide and elevated views
of the Urban Lake and signature bridges.
Additionally, an iconic building—the Trinity
Discovery Center—will hover above the deck to
house exhibits, interpretive displays, a small
theater, concessions and support facilities such
as public restrooms. Its 30,000 SF rooftop, 75
feet above th0e Urban Lake, will function as a
unique venue for special events and gatherings.
■■ Promenade: A mile-long promenade will edge
the Urban Lake on the Downtown side, inviting
people to sit, gather, stroll and enjoy close
proximity to the water. A combination of water
walls and perched cypress ponds are proposed
as a backdrop, part of a lake aeration and biofiltration strategy. More than 80 percent of the
promenade will be shaded for micro-climate
attenuation purposes.
■■ Isthmus: Stepped, stone terraces with carved
channels for canoeing and kayaking will negotiate
the three-foot drop from the Natural to the Urban
Lake. The terraces, evoking the chalky limestone
that exists as a geologic substrate, will also invite
people to ford the lakes in a fashion reminiscent
of the native and European settlers that first
came to the area.
■■ Central Island: A narrow, two-mile strip of
parkland will separate the river channel from the
Urban and Natural Lakes. As the only open and
un-programmed turf area of the park, this “island”
will function as a locus for civic gatherings and
celebrations. Flower-like shade structures will
dot the island, covered with PV fabric powering
nighttime illumination.
■■ Fountain Plaza: A one-acre expanse containing a
multitude of water effects, from aerating bubblers
to rainfall umbrellas and interactive water jets,
will draw people to the park year-round. Located
on the Central Island on axis with the Downtown
Overlook, the Fountain Plaza will provide a visual
focus on the Urban Lake, enlivening the scene
from nearby developments.
■■ White Water Run: Perched 17 feet above the
river’s normal flow elevation, the Urban and
Natural Lakes will drain into the river through
a 2,000-foot long outlet channel. The Urban
Lake water elevation will be periodically raised
two feet to increase the flow through the Outlet
Channel, causing white water conditions along
2/3 of its length.
■■ Eco-restorers: Approximately 3.5-acres of
floating wetlands in the Natural Lake will help to
naturally polish the lake waters while providing
habitat for fish and freshwater invertebrates.
Consisting of dispersed 80-foot diameter rings
filled with aquatic plants, the restorers will offer
didactic and demonstrative evidence of the
park’s function as green infrastructure.
Fields
A major complex of sports fields will occupy the
West Dallas side of the park between the Sylvan
and Hampton bridges. Containing 17 regulation
soccer fields, the complex is intended to support
regional and national events. The fields are sized
to also support games of rugby, lacrosse, cricket
and field hockey, all lit for evening competitions.
Areas for parking, picnicking and playgrounds
divide the fields into three main groups, inviting
families and various age groups to recreate in
proximity to one another. Open areas of managed
turf are also envisioned nearby for informal play,
pick-up games, kite flying or special events. In
concert with other recreation venues not far
from the park in West Dallas—WMCA, a privately
operated water park, baseball fields—the West
Dallas Fields will help rebrand this part of the City
as a sports and recreation destination, stabilizing
the surrounding neighborhoods and bringing about
new development.
Public Art
Art for the Trinity is a program conceived to become
integral with the natural environment and ecology of
the Trinity project, as well as a magnet for drawing
people to the park. With this simple motivation,
Art for the Trinity is conceptualized as a three-part
“Trinity-Specific” program conceived to unfold and
evolve over a number of years.
■■ Temporary and Sustainable Works: Works by
local, national and international artists placed in
localized sites or scattered throughout the park
as allowed by the ebb and flow of the river through
the seasons. These works would become a way
for a new generation of artists—especially Dallasbased artists—to express their relationship to the
notion of nature, living systems, sustainability,
art, culture, technology and the communities
in which they live. They would also bring people
to the park to appreciate, at each installation, a
changed landscape.
■■ Council Circles: Native Americans and American
pioneers viewed the Council Circle as a gathering
place where people could come together as
equals, to share their views, participate in free
and honest discussions, read or tell stories, act
out dramas, or simply meditate on humanity’s
relationship with nature. Unity is symbolized in
the figure of the circle. In a contemporary context,
the Council Circle as a work of art would establish
a multitude of “places” within the Trinity Lakes
Corridor that educate and inspire. Each Council
Circle would have its own spirit, coaxed into form by
the individual artist and would become enlivened
by the ever-changing actions of their inhabitants.
■■ Art Work for the Central Island: A major
commission by a renowned artist attracting
international attention is envisioned as part of
the Central Island. This work would be iconic and
reinforce the reputation of Dallas as a hub for art.
The work would involve the design of an entire
plaza by an artist working with water, light, shade
structures, plantings, seating and/or sculpture—
or be an individual work designed to fit within the
context of the Island, as designed by the project
landscape architect.
Environment:
Ecological Restoration
More than 3/4 of the
Corridor encompass
ecological restoration
and habitat areas.
Riparian Zones
Although the existing Trinity River floodplain is
already an altered landscape, and will be further
altered through the construction of the project,
the design intent is to create, or in some instances
re-create, a self-sustaining and ecological landscape
that reflect the region’s natural environment. In
fact, ¾ of the park—more than 1,600 acres—will
be devoted to landscape restoration in the form of
lakes, wetlands, riparian river terraces, meadows,
bottomland forest and urban forest.
Floodway Land Allocation
River 226 acres
Lakes
301 acres
Meadow 780 acres
Wetland 317 acres
Parkland 350 acres
Playfields 119 acres
Promenade
21 acres
Parkway
114 acres
Levee Park 86 acres
Total 2,314 acres
Riparian zones are ecologically diverse vegetated
zones alongside freshwater streams, creeks, or
rivers that contribute to the health of aquatic
ecosystems by filtering pollutants, protecting aquatic
environments from excessive sedimentation, and
preventing erosion through bank stabilization.
Riparian communities are critically important
habitats, especially in arid or semi-arid situations,
such as the American West, as plants and animals
reach far greater levels of diversity and abundance
in riparian zones than in nearby habitats. Riparian
habitat is proposed along the majority of the river
terraces, more than 16 acres in area.
Meadows
Wetland
Dallas is located in the Texas Blackland Prairie, an
Under the Clean Water Act, the term wetlands means
eco-region that covers approximately six million
“those areas that are inundated or saturated by
hectares of land in Texas, from the Red River in
surface or ground water at a frequency and duration
the north to near San Antonio in southern Texas.
sufficient to support a prevalence of vegetation
This region is a small part of the much larger North
typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.”
American Tall Grass Prairie community that runs
This prolonged presence of water creates conditions
from Manitoba to the Texas Coast. The natural
that favor the growth of specially adapted plants
vegetation of this region is dominated by tall
called hydrophytes, and characteristic wetland
grass prairie in the upland areas, with deciduous
soils called hydric soils. Wetland types vary widely
bottomland woodland common along low lying
due to differences in soils, topography, climate,
rivers and creeks.
hydrology, water chemistry, vegetation, and human
The proposed meadow habitats are intended as
prairie-like grasslands reminiscent of the native
Blackland Prairie landscape of North Central Texas.
Strewn with wildflowers, numerous native grasses
and a few specimen tree groves, these meadows will
provide an ever-changing colorscape throughout the
seasons. Paths and roads will wind their way through
the meadows, allowing visitors to walk, jog, drive, or
cycle through the wildflowers and blowing grasses.
As compared to the regularly mown and maintained
lawn areas of the park, the meadows will be natural,
providing increased habitat for birds, butterflies
and other wildlife. In acreage, the meadows will
be the dominant landscape within the park.
disturbance. The Trinity Lakes Park project wetland
environments will include newly constructed storm
water management wetlands, mitigation wetlands,
cypress wetlands and marshland wetlands, as
well as the enhancement of existing emergent
wetlands already occurring in the floodplain today.
All of these wetland environments will play a role
in improving overall water quality by removing
nitrogen, phosphorus and other pollutants from
urban runoff, and will help to increase both the
amount and quality of plant and wildlife habitat in
the park.
■■ Marshlands: Lushly vegetated zones along
the sloping banks of both the West Dallas and
Natural Lake. The flora will be herbaceous in
character, winding in and out of the lake edge,
creating half moon-like arcs of lush and colorful
greenery. In some areas, boardwalks will weave
into these zones, allowing visitors to view this
bountiful landscape up-close.
■■ Hampton Wetlands: More than 80-acres
of wetland are proposed in the vicinity of
the Trinity Parkway between the Sylvan and
Westmoreland Bridges. Fairly isolated from
future active recreation, these wetlands are
intended to mitigate Parkway impacts as well as
provide bio-filtration for its storm water run-off.
■■ Pavaho Wetlands: Designs for these wetlands
predate the design of the park and are therefore
considered and “existing” condition. The park
design maximizes their ecological function
by providing wide buffers from proposed human
activity.
■■ Cypress Wetlands: Perched cypress ponds are
proposed as a means to shade and cool high
use areas and provide a green backing to park,
especially the promenade. They are also intended
as bio-filtration areas capable of absorbing lake
nutrients through re-circulating mechanisms.
These constructed wetlands would feature bald
or pond cypress trees and other water tolerant
herbaceous plants capable of high rates of biofiltration. As a tree mass, the cypress trees will
also help screen the Trinity Parkway from the
noise, creating from the park side a green buffer
towards the city skyline.
■■ Corinth Wetlands: Large areas of existing
emergent wetlands dominate the southern reach
of the park between IH-35E and the Corinth
Street Bridge. This landscape will be enhanced
by the creation of a shallow lake reminiscent of
a remnant “oxbow” meander. Boardwalks and
bird blinds are also proposed to facilitate bird
watching as a recreation activity.
The park design envisions Bottomland Forest
vegetation throughout the park to help mitigate
anticipated higher flood velocities aiming for the
Trinity Forest. Certain existing tree groves have
been identified within the floodway, and these will
be preserved and, where possible, expanded.
Urban Forest
While the Urban Forest areas of the park will not
mimic a naturally occurring North Texas landscape,
it will be composed of many native and naturalized
tree species. Non-native ornamentals that have not
been deemed invasive or in other ways problematic
will also be used. Given the proximity to downtown
Dallas, this should be an especially welcoming
area, inviting people to come from the city and
beyond, cross over the parkway and the levee, and
enter the park through the shades and rich textures
and colors of a varied plant palette.
Occupying the levee park, promenade and other
high-use areas, the urban forest is intended as
an easily accessible area of the park, with trees
limbed up and planted at adequate distances
Bottomland Forest
Bottomland hardwood forests occur in the low
lying areas of the Blackland Prairie, generally in
the floodplain areas of creeks and rivers. These
forests are among the wettest types, and represent
a transition between drier upland forests and
very wet riparian floodplain and wetland forests.
Composed of an overstory of dominant tree species
(core species), an understory of companion trees
and shrubs, and a groundcover layer of herbaceous
plants, bottomland forests provide abundant food
and cover for numerous small mammal, reptile,
insect, and bird species.
apart, allowing visitors to pass both under and
between the lines, grids, and groves of trees. Tree
plantings are designed to enhance site lines, soften
edges, and frame important views. Interesting and
diverse planting patterns are proposed to create
both intimate and grand spaces.
Flood Control:
Better Protection
Park improvements have been designed to
showcase the interaction of flood waters with
landform and recreation structures.
Mandated by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the design
of the Trinity Parkway and the Trinity Lakes Park must
accommodate the Standard Project Flood, equivalent
to an 800 year flood event. Hydrologic models of the
proposed design have been conducted iteratively to
ensure that the park design will cause zero-rise in
floodwaters over current 100-year protection line and
that flood velocities will neither back up water volumes
up to the detriment up upstream areas, nor rush them
downstream and cause damage to the bottomlands of
the Great Trinity Forest.
These are examples of the weaving of engineering
Meeting the USACE flood protection guideline at first
and landscape design strands that make the creation
blush would appear detrimental to the construction of
of the Trinity Lakes Park a unique project in green
a park. But the opposite is the case, at least from the
infrastructure. Another example is the linkage between
standpoint of vegetation cover. Three hundred acres of
park wetlands and the outflow from the various
new lakes represents a very slick surface for floodwater
pump stations that effectively drain the City into the
to move through. To compensate, the remainder other
Trinity River. At the location of the future Able Pump
areas of the park have to slow down floodwaters by
Station, south of IH-35E on the Downtown side, water
means of a higher coefficient of resistance, such as
will be diverted into a proposed cypress wetland (see
provided by trees and shrubs. As of this writing, the
“Environment” above) to retain and filter part of a
final coefficient of roughness of the park vegetation
storm’s “first-flush,” which typically carries the most
and the location of the major tree masses remains an
pollutants. This measure represents more than 25
approximation. But it is safe to say that the number of
acre-feet of bio-retention.
trees will exceed 10,000, mostly occupying the center
of the floodway on either side of the new river channel.
To be sure, all proposed park improvements will
Another USACE requirement is to ensure the stability of
benches, walls, shelters, signs and paths have been
Central Island separating the Urban and Natural Lakes
designed to withstand the impact of rushing waters
from the river—prevention against what amounts to the
and debris. High pressure water will be used to sweep
potential rupture of an earthen dam. As a result, the
sediment accumulation from paths, plazas and other
Central Island will be entirely clad by a combination
hard-surface areas. Two of the 12 feet of depth on the
of shotcrete and articulated concrete block matting.
Urban and Natural Lakes are reserved for sediment
Such protection, however, facilitates the sculpting of
accumulation.
the Island through swales and mounds for recreation
purposes, as well as the planting of trees with sufficient
soil depth above the protection layer.
periodically flood. Features such as light poles,
Economic Development:
Towards a Sustainable City
As infrastructure projects go, the Trinity River
Corridor Project is a “game changer.” What will follow
in its wake in terms of real estate development will
drastically and forever alter the urban character of
Dallas. This is hard for most Dallasites to imagine.
Being among the most youthful populations in the
nation, no one in Dallas has memory of anything
much different along the Trinity River than what
exists today: desolate grassland surrounded
As a private development, the
Trinity Gateway project intends
to capitalize on the recreation
and environmental amenties
of the Trinity River Corridor.
for the most part by warehouses and marginal
industrial development. Few even care to believe
that the project is real, given decades of talk that
have produced little thus far. But then, few people
in New York City circa 1860 could have imagined
Nearly a square mile land ripe for redevelopment
what the city’s Upper East and West sides would
encircles the core area of Trinity River Corridor
in time look like in the wake of Central Park. This is
project, much of it on the downtown side. A 50
understandable also, since when Central Park was
percent split between public easements and
dedicated, the tallest structure in New York City,
private landholdings, and an average net floor area
save for a few church spires, were the towers of the
ratio of 3 (excluding parking), would yield 40 million
Brooklyn Bridge.
SF of new development within blocks of the Trinity
Real estate developers, however, are a different
breed. They have to see trends ahead of others,
or the waves of growth will surpass them. And in
parched Dallas, nothing can crystallize a coming
development trend better than the prospects for
an urban waterfront, a trend that is magnified by
the extent of landholdings in proximity to the river
bordering on obsolescence.
Lakes Park. This represents an investment of about
$6–$8 billion or tenfold the estimated cost of the
park in 2009 dollars. Examples of such potential
are already in the planning stages:
■■ At the foot of Reunion Boulevard, a private
developer has envisioned a $4 million SF mixed
use development including waterfront-oriented
retail, entertainment and cultural attractions.
Among the key features would be a maritime
plaza displaying historic ships associated with
Dallas (potentially the USS Dallas nuclear
submarine, which was featured in the movie and
based on an actual cold war event, “The Hunt for
Red October” and will be soon decommissioned).
Anchored by a multi-use, 55-story tower, this
development would also serve as the terminus
for the Dallas Sky Tram, connecting the Trinity
Lakes Park with downtown.
■■ Along Riverfront Boulevard south of IH-35E,
another developer has proposed an extensive
multifamily and mixed use complex, anchored
by a minor league ballpark and hotel. This
development would transform existing drainage
ways into public amenities, with paths and plazas
leading to a pedestrian path over the levee and
Parkway, and into the Trinity Lakes Park at the
headwaters of the Natural Lake.
■■ A West Dallas partnership has amassed
approximately 100 acres of land stretching from
the floodway to Sylvan Avenue along Singleton
Boulevard. Their aim? A world-class sustainable
community adjacent to the Trinity River Corridor.
Comprising mixed uses, the development would
bring schools, retail, and community services
where few currently exist, to the benefit of nearby
low-income neighborhoods. It would also bring
a population of more than 5,000 to live within
easy reach of downtown by means of public
transit or bicycle.
In the end, a combination of private and public
initiatives will bring needed vitality to the Trinity River
Corridor, strengthening existing communities and
creating new ones offering health and recreation
and as a draw. Much of this growth will be transit
and pedestrian oriented and will take shape in the
form of green buildings and landscapes. Residents
in these new communities will create the demand
for enhanced services, both in Oak Cliff and the
Downtown sides: markets, schools, daycares, plus
retail and entertainment establishments. Both new
and existing residents will accrue the benefits of
such growth. Currently, mobility between the two
sides of the floodway is possible only through the
bridges that cross it. In the future, people will be able
to go to and from Oak Cliff and downtown through
park paths and trails, on foot or bicycle, easily up
and over the levees. The services and attractions on
one side of the floodway will be reachable through
the park to residents on the other. Few cities in the
world will offer such a health-inducing, recreationoriented lifestyle.
Several other development initiatives are underway,
many of them infill projects, especially in Oak Cliff,
which will serve to further enhance the viability
of streetcars, bike paths and other amenities
serving the wider Dallas community across the
Client
Trinity River Corridor Project Office, Dallas, TX
Jill Jordan, Assistant City Manager
river from downtown.
Access to the park and new park amenities are being
planned for South Dallas also, primarily an African
American community. Moore Park in East Oak Cliff,
for example, is scheduled to be refurbished with new
access roads, parking, shelters, and playfield while
improved access to the Corridor across the river is
envisioned along Forest Street, a future point of
entry where none currently exists. Urban plans are
also underway to rehabilitate large areas of South
Dallas, capitalizing on the connectivity to the Trinity
Parkway, which terminates there.
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