Some White Rock Lake Homeowners Will Have Stunning Views of Winfrey Point’s New Parking Lot

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UPDATE: According to Eric Nicholson at the Dallas Observer, the Arboretum has changed course and won’t try to park cars at Winfrey Point.
That is, if the Dallas Arboretum has its way.

This weekend, a group of supporters carrying posters and wearing shirts saying “Help Save Winfrey Point” rallied outside the Dallas Arboretum, protesting the new parking facility planned for the area. Winfrey Point, an award-winning blackland prairie restoration and natural area, is a popular landmark at White Rock Lake. It’s home to a few tidy baseball diamonds, too.

But from now until November, it’ll be a parking lot. And after that, it could be a parking garage.

I bet you’re thinking Joni Mitchell was ahead of her time, amiright?

I am wondering how the folks who live in the Emerald Isle neighborhood as well as some of the nearby pricey apartments and condos think about having a ton of cars parked on Winfrey Point. That can’t be good for property values.

In the WFAA story, nearby residents sounded downright stunned by the news, saying that there was no public notice of the decision. One day, Winfrey Point was just another part of Dallas’ Crown Jewel — White Rock Lake — the next day the mowers were roaring and the wildflowers were shaking in their roots.

Now, the Arboretum, which just finished another overflow lot on Garland Road a couple of blocks away, says that because of the new Dave Chihuly exhibit and the addition of the new Children’s Garden, they need a place to park more cars, and Winfrey Point happens to be that spot. They also claim that all of those wildflowers and grasses aren’t native at all, and should’ve been mowed down anyway.

Fighting the Arboretum on the issue will be an uphill battle for residents and nature-lovers, that’s for sure.

Perhaps someone has already thought of this, but what happens when several less-than-well-maintained cars and trucks park out on the blackland prairie restoration area and leak oil and other toxic fluids into the soil before the parking structure is built? What about all the hard work the city put into restoring the area? And what about the brand-new baseball diamonds?

Is the city being short-sighted, or are the Arboretum’s neighbors being too sensitive? How will a multi-story parking structure change the landscape of White Rock Lake Park?

There seem to be a heck of a lot more questions than answers, that’ for sure.

Joanna England is the Executive Editor at CandysDirt.com and covers the North Texas housing market.

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  1. della on May 8, 2012 at 8:56 am

    Really? I just returned from a trip from two different city, one Denver the other Salt Lake City. These two very different but very beautiful cities have city parks everywhere, not just over a small strip of a freeway and I'm still tring to figure out where people are going to park there. Dallas needs to learn from other cities and the huge success of The Katy Trail. Dallas needs beautiful parks!!! Where's the Trinity River park? Oh, now it's going to be another tollway, Right.

  2. della on May 8, 2012 at 8:56 am

    Really? I just returned from a trip from two different city, one Denver the other Salt Lake City. These two very different but very beautiful cities have city parks everywhere, not just over a small strip of a freeway and I'm still tring to figure out where people are going to park there. Dallas needs to learn from other cities and the huge success of The Katy Trail. Dallas needs beautiful parks!!! Where's the Trinity River park? Oh, now it's going to be another tollway, Right.

  3. Brenda Claybrook on May 8, 2012 at 10:27 am

    Candy: two comments

    1. What about underground parking which would give everyone what they want?
    2. In the event that underground parking is not a possibility why not partner with DART and the local churches, VA etc to run neighborhood shuttles. Many of these facilities have large parking lots that are empty much of the day. Could be a win / win for all sides.

    Re Della comments on Denver and Salt Lake City, they both have strong transit systems and neighborhood alliances.

  4. Brenda Claybrook on May 8, 2012 at 10:27 am

    Candy: two comments

    1. What about underground parking which would give everyone what they want?
    2. In the event that underground parking is not a possibility why not partner with DART and the local churches, VA etc to run neighborhood shuttles. Many of these facilities have large parking lots that are empty much of the day. Could be a win / win for all sides.

    Re Della comments on Denver and Salt Lake City, they both have strong transit systems and neighborhood alliances.

  5. Candy Evans on May 8, 2012 at 10:33 am

    Brenda, could not agree more. I think making use of existing parking lots in churches and schools is smart, PHPC does this with St. Mark's. Jo is watching this story and I think the City is not just short-sighted, it's effing blind. I want to make a huge fuss until they do this right!

  6. Candy Evans on May 8, 2012 at 10:33 am

    Brenda, could not agree more. I think making use of existing parking lots in churches and schools is smart, PHPC does this with St. Mark's. Jo is watching this story and I think the City is not just short-sighted, it's effing blind. I want to make a huge fuss until they do this right!

  7. BW on May 8, 2012 at 10:37 am

    Can someone please explain why the arboretum just put in a parking lot on garland road….where was the foresight to see this parking issue and why did they not make that new lot a parking garage?!?

  8. BW on May 8, 2012 at 10:37 am

    Can someone please explain why the arboretum just put in a parking lot on garland road….where was the foresight to see this parking issue and why did they not make that new lot a parking garage?!?

  9. Candy Evans on May 8, 2012 at 10:46 am

    I am so glad my future daughter in law chose NOT to have her wedding at The Aboretum.

  10. Candy Evans on May 8, 2012 at 10:46 am

    I am so glad my future daughter in law chose NOT to have her wedding at The Aboretum.

  11. Scott M. on May 8, 2012 at 2:40 pm

    They could set up a Park and Ride lot from West Dallas and get good use out of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Just sayin…

  12. Scott M. on May 8, 2012 at 2:40 pm

    They could set up a Park and Ride lot from West Dallas and get good use out of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Just sayin…

  13. Carol on May 8, 2012 at 9:09 pm

    I think that the neighbors across Garland Road in Forest Hills had a dim view on a parking garage looming over their lawns, thus merely a single level parking lot was installed.
    The logical place for additional Arboretum parking is near the Garland Road / Gaston intersection. There's a huge and already paved parking field that appears to be underused. Seems like the Arboretum could negotiate a weekend lease or maybe just purchase the property as a permanent addition.

  14. Carol on May 8, 2012 at 9:09 pm

    I think that the neighbors across Garland Road in Forest Hills had a dim view on a parking garage looming over their lawns, thus merely a single level parking lot was installed.
    The logical place for additional Arboretum parking is near the Garland Road / Gaston intersection. There's a huge and already paved parking field that appears to be underused. Seems like the Arboretum could negotiate a weekend lease or maybe just purchase the property as a permanent addition.

  15. […] was just a year ago that public outcry from neighborhoods surrounding the Dallas Arboretum put the kibosh on a parking lot planned for Winfrey Point. That project would have paved over a significant portion of the restored prairie and baseball […]

  16. […] was just a year ago that public outcry from neighborhoods surrounding the Dallas Arboretum put the kibosh on a parking lot planned for Winfrey Point. That project would have paved over a significant portion of the restored prairie and baseball […]

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