Fair Park First Unveils Community Park Complex Planned For Fitzhugh Avenue

Fair Park First unveiled updated renderings this week of an 18-acre Community Park Complex along Fitzhugh Avenue.

The renderings showcase a bird’s-eye view of the entire Community Park Complex, a view of one of the play areas featuring a skywalk and hillside slides, and a snapshot of an outdoor market featured in the Market Grove overlooking the central lawn.

Dallas Park and Recreation Board President Arun Agarwal noted that Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson has made parks one of his major priorities for 2023.

“Public-private partnerships will have to be the cornerstone for this initiative,” Agarwal said. “The Dallas Park and Recreation Board is thrilled to help build a new 18-acre Community Park with our partner Fair Park First. The design team for this is world-class, and the process has been very inclusive. This park truly encompasses amenities that will benefit the community for decades to come.”

The Community Park Complex design has reached a milestone, transitioning into its final phase of design, permitting, and construction documentation. With community input, the design process has been an extensively collaborative project led by the renowned landscape architect firm Studio MLA and the global design powerhouse Gensler. Key partners on the project include Studio Outside, AGWms_studio, buildingcommunityWORKSHOP, Turner Construction, VCC, Con-Real, Rise360, K Strategies, and Biederman Redevelopment Ventures.

FAIR PARK FIRST PRESS RELEASE

Fair Park’s Facelift And Proposition A

Fair Park made big news earlier this year when 68 percent of Dallas voters approved Proposition A, an increase in hotel occupancy taxes expected to net $1.5 billion for park improvements and the remodel of Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas. The measure was deemed a “transformative investment” for downtown and South Dallas.

The community park is a separate venture with its own “Fair Park Your Park” fundraising campaign.

The Community Park Complex is the signature component of Phase 1 of the 2020 Fair Park Master Plan Update and the Fair Park Your Park Campaign. Under the leadership of the Fair Park First board and leadership team, the Community Park Complex has raised $25 million toward the campaign goal of $93 million, officials said.

The community park will feature numerous free and accessible amenities, including wifi, water play, a full-scale outdoor performance stage, a dog park, outdoor cafes, exercise equipment, inclusive playgrounds, and custom play structures, all with diverse native landscaping and shade weaved across the site, Fair Park First Senior Director of Marketing Julian Bowman said in a press release. The primary goal of the community park is to be a world-class park that creates gathering and recreational space for South Dallas while serving as an attraction to visitors from across the region, Bowman added.

Ron Kirk, former Dallas mayor and unity co-chair for the Fair Park Your Park Campaign, said encouraging play and physical activity is vital to the overall health of the community.

“I am proud to serve as co-chair on this capital campaign to raise the needed funds for this park,” Kirk said. “We know this new community asset will contribute to healthier, brighter, and stronger futures for the neighborhoods and beyond.”