Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum

The corps really loves the levees mowed it seems, even if it's counterintuitive or stop-gap sometimes to do so. Or maybe that's the city, I forget the details at this point - I've gotten a little exhausted. But, I'm onboard if this is possible in some sort of reasonable fashion. And, this would be a very meticulous wilding technically. ITL could provide more insight.

CTroyMathis wrote:The corps really loves the levees mowed it seems, even if it's counterintuitive or stop-gap sometimes to do so. Or maybe that's the city, I forget the details at this point - I've gotten a little exhausted. But, I'm onboard if this is possible in some sort of reasonable fashion. And, this would be a very meticulous wilding technically. ITL could provide more insight.

I think the mowing requirements are overblown. A lot of people have complained in the past. The O&M for the levees does not mandate what is currently happening.

OrangeMike wrote:

tamtagon wrote:Taking the "signature park" out of the floodway is the best thing that could have happened. It needs to be accessible wilderness.

Easy fix: Seed-bomb inside the levees with milkweed and create an unparalleled oasis for the Monarch butterflies that already migrate through Dallas. Guaranteed twice-a-year tourist attraction Spring and Fall as Monarchs pass by each direction. Maybe add other plants and wildflowers to attract pollinators. Then don't do much of anything. Less is more, which Dallas can't seem to do well at all. Creates a unique park that isn't going to be found on the same vast scale anywhere else. Saves on mowing and maintenance, is completely natural, and shouldn't reduce flood capacity much versus the existing grass, I wouldn't think, so the Corps might even be okay with it.

I have always loved ideas like this. Turn the entire thing into a butterfly and birding habitat. Few overlooks and some trails and you're done, and that part is pretty much already in place. It is the most obvious and cheapest solution which is exactly why i doesn't happen.

Meanwhile, further down the river......

Did a water line break create a massive swamp in Dallas’ urban forest?
A viral TikTok video says the break has leaked untold gallons of treated drinking water.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/environ ... an-forest/

https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-enterta ... iver-park/

Five years ago, after more than a decade of civic debate, the Trinity River Conservancy released plans for a 200-acre, $150 million park between the Trinity River levees. Designed by landscape architects Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, the plans called for the remaking of the barren floodway into a wonderland of undulating hills and winding paths set amid fields of wildflowers.

Groundbreaking was planned for fall 2020, with an opening in 2022. Gone was the ill-conceived toll road that had caused so much acrimony. The park was designed to withstand flooding, protecting the city from inundation while giving it a new green center. In doing so, it answered the goals of the 2003 Balanced Vision Plan, which called for a park that would unify a divided city, bringing it together both physically and metaphorically around the waters of the Trinity. “This will change the way you live in Dallas,” Van Valkenburgh told The Dallas Morning News in 2018.

What has changed, instead, is the vision for the park. That 2018 plan has been abandoned, replaced by a new design, also by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, that represents a fundamental shift in the park’s conception. What was once a vast, nature-oriented park set primarily between the Trinity levees has been transformed into an amenity-driven destination set mostly outside the levees in West Dallas

Story continues at the link above

Photos of the proposed park

Additional Photos

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a total optimist and sometimes even gullible, but at this point, I'm at the "I'll believe it when I see it" stage regarding anything being accomplished with the Trinity River project.

GunnerDallas wrote:I'll be the first to admit that I'm a total optimist and sometimes even gullible, but at this point, I'm at the "I'll believe it when I see it" stage regarding anything being accomplished with the Trinity River project.

I agree, but the estimated cost, financial backing and revised placement has me hopeful. This seems viable and less “head in the clouds “ to me.

On the whole I think this looks great.
Not touching a single blade of grass between the levees means this bypasses a major hurdle--if not THE major hurdle--and has an actual chance of happening. Maybe someday we'll work out something feasible with the Corps between the levees, but making the perimeter of the river as appealing and enjoyable as possible is the best way to attract people towards it to appreciate the river as a core part of Dallas.

I have to admit this is a brilliant move, especially compared to the idiocy of buying the Dawson Jail. I'm looking at the footprint of the West Overlook, and all I can think of is what's gonna happen with all this land to the west along W Main?



As in "why stop there"? If we're doing the Trinity River park outside the levees, grab as much of that vacant land as possible.

Agree w/ the Author. The parking lot is a waste. They should include public parking as part of some housing development.

I'm very curious about what's up with the vacant grass lot pictured here...

NdoorTX wrote:

...but not really pictured here:

NdoorTX wrote:

The parking lot is incredibly stupid. Massive waste of land - could be used for more park space, park-serving shops, etc.

I can't believe I'm actually going to say this, but I'm okay with the surface parking. I want to make it quick/easy for people to access this area and surface parking will do that.

I get that the end goal should be to have people walk, bus, bike to this area, but we are far from that reality. In the short term, I just want people here no matter how that happens and eventually we can convert this surface parking space into something better. No to mention, there is technically so much greenspace here.

The only issue I have with this is Beckley is already backed up at rush hour this will be a pain to drive through. It's more of a personal gripe though. All that being said I'll believe this when dirt moves.

MC_ScattCat wrote:All that being said I'll believe this when dirt moves.

If I'm reading everything correctly the three previous designs were given a timeline of about 2 years to groundbreaking each time they were revealed.
They're saying this will break ground next year so we'll at least find out if this is all hot air again quicker than usual.

Wonder if this park (assuming it does come to fruition in its latest design) will serve as a catalyst to a new round of West Dallas Trinity-adjacent investment, and if so, how much. Know it was a pipedream, but still think about those Trintiy Groves renders with towers (or anything 10+ stories, to be completely honest).