On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved a master plan that would bring a public park to the historic, 277-acre Fair Park. Renowned as the home of the State Fair of Texas and Cotton Bowl Stadium, city officials greenlighted a plan that would attract events year-round.
The city allocated $34.5 million in 2018 for Spectra and Fair Park First to manage the park. The two organizations would oversee the park for the first half of a 20-year management agreement.
The plan calls for the planting of over 1,200 trees on the site, and the creation of 52 acres of new or expanded parkland. In addition to bringing family-friendly programming to the area and revitalizing an underutilized piece of property, organizers hope that the project will spark redevelopment in surrounding South Dallas communities.
A National Historic Landmark, Fair Park boasts one of the nation’s largest collections of 1930s art and Art Deco architecture.