Community Park FAQs
Where will the Community Park located?
The Community Park will be located on the 277-acre campus of Fair Park at the intersection of South Fitzhugh Avenue and Lagow Street. Currently, the site is an 18-acre parking lot (Lot 10) adjacent to the Dos Equis Pavilion. The site is across the street from the communities of Mill City and Dolphin Heights, with direct access to the community of Jubilee to the north.
When will the Community Park open?
The Community Park will open in the Spring/Summer of 2025.
How big will the Community Park be?
The Community Park will be on an 18-acre site.
Will the Community Park have a fee for admission or parking?
No. The Community Park will be free and open to the public, with a dedicated parking lot available free of charge. Areas of the Community Park will also be available for outside rentals, branding activations, and occasional special events.
What will be the hours of operation?
As a public park, the hours of operation will be similar to the operating hours of Fair Park - open daily, year-round.
What amenities will be at the Community Park?
The Community Park will feature free, daily programming. The community input for the Master Plan Update identified the desire for splash pads, multiple play structures for children of different ages and abilities, Wi-Fi, a performance pavilion, picnic shelters, game tables, food and beverage offerings, fitness trails, a dog park, and flex lawns. The design team of the Community Park is seeking input from the community to refine this list and create the final design of the park. Please click here to provide feedback.
Will the Community Park feature local artists?
Art is an essential part of the campus of Fair Park. With over 200 pieces of public art at Fair Park, the Community Park will look to add to the collection onsite. The goal for any art installations/additions to be interactive, educational, local, and/or rotational. The art plan is part of the design team’s scope of work and will be seeking input from the community.
Who is designing the Community Park?
Studio-MLA out of Los Angeles has been selected as the designer. Studio-MLA is a design studio with more than 25 years of experience integrating landscape architecture, urban design, and planning to create places that inspire human connection, unite communities, and restore environmental balance. Studio-MLA, in partnership with renowned Dallas landscape architects Studio Outside, internationally award-winning architect Allison Grace Williams, FAIA, and acclaimed Dallas-based architects and historical narrative storytellers buildingcommunityWORKSHOP, make up the core design team. Studio-MLA's accolades list includes Vista Hermosa Natural Park, Destination Crenshaw, and the Natural History Museum's Nature Gardens in Los Angeles, CA. The expanded team of sub-consultant experts include Fluidity for fountain design; Essential Light; CRTKL for graphics and wayfinding; JQ Engineers for Structural, Civil, and stormwater innovation strategies; Terracon for Environmental Engineering; MEPCE for M/E/P Engineering, Hines irrigation consultants; and Project Resources Group for expert cost consultation.
Who is handling the permitting?
Fair Park First with the design team will be acquiring all necessary permits in compliance with the City of Dallas.
What type of plants, grasses, trees, and naturalized spaces will be at the Community Park?
The site’s horticulture plan is part of the design team’s scope of work. The Community Park will feature naturalized spaces with plantings that are responsive to the climate, community’s desires, and the Blackland Prairie ecoregion of North Texas.
Will the fences and gates be taken down?
The Community Park and proposed gateway parks recommend the removal of the fences around these sites to make the site more accessible and welcoming. The goal is to push back the paywall (fence line).
What will the name of the Community Park be?
A name for the community park has not yet been identified. When interest in naming the community park or a park amenity arises, Fair Park First will explore and consider it. As a future part of the City of Dallas park system, the name of the Community Park will conform to the Dallas Park and Recreation Department's Park Naming Policy.
Who is paying for the Community Park?
Fair Park is privately operated and managed by Fair Park First, a 501c3 nonprofit. The Community Park will be built through a public, private partnership with the City of Dallas, but entirely funded through private funding.
How will the community access the Community Park during the State Fair of Texas and other major events?
The Community Park will remain open and accessible daily during the State Fair of Texas and other major events. The site sits outside of the event paywall (fence line) and has a dedicated parking lot with direct access down Lagow Street - outside of normal traffic congestion.
How will the Community Park impact parking onsite?
The Master Plan Update proposes a parking deck be erected in parking lots 11A/11b, adjacent to the Community Park. A traffic study is being conducted for the entire site to understand the parking needs for large events and with the new Community Park and other projects coming out of the Master Plan Update.
Will there be information at Fair Park that leads to historical places in South Dallas (i.e. the Juanita Craft House, Forest Theater, etc.)?
Fair Park First is pursuing a Cultural District designation from the Texas Commission on the Arts for Fair Park and the surrounding community of South Dallas. These Cultural districts are special zones that harness the power of cultural resources to stimulate economic development and community revitalization. These districts become focal points for generating businesses, attracting tourists, stimulating cultural development, and fostering civic pride.
How will the Community Park impact the surrounding neighborhoods?
The Community Park is meant to be a programmed greenspace for our neighbors and local communities, while also creating a unique new attraction for the region. Fair Park First and the design team will spend the next year seeking input to ensure a community-focused design and to co-create opportunities to support inclusive development. The Community Park represents the fulfillment of a long-promised amenity for local residents, with recommendations for a community green space on the historic Fair Park campus dating back decades.
While Fair Park First and its partner organizations are sensitive to the potential impacts of gentrification and displacement, as a private entity its contractual authority only covers the 277-acre Fair Park campus. Fair Park First has offered support to a variety of organizations working to establish protections for the legacy residents in the neighborhoods surrounding the Park. In addition, the City of Dallas Planning & Urban Design Department and District 7 Councilmember Adam Bazaldua have initiated an area planning process for South Dallas/Fair Park. The purpose of this plan will be to communicate a cohesive land use vision, guide investment and growth, and identify metrics to measure success. Topics of discussion will include zoning, housing investment, business corridors, transit-oriented development, and other catalytic projects.
More information on this planning effort can be found here: https://dallascityhall.com/departments/pnv/Pages/SDFP-AreaPlanning.aspx
