The city is about to ask developers, businesses and nonprofits what they would build on roughly 40 acres of Fair Park that now sit mostly empty outside the State Fair.
The Dallas Park and Recreation Department expects to release a Call for Concepts the week of Nov. 10, according to a city news release issued Oct. 29. The project area takes in surface parking lots 10, 11 and 12 along with the site of the planned Fair Park Community Park.
The city lists sports and recreation facilities, entertainment venues, restaurants, retail, hotels and structured parking among the kinds of ideas it will accept. Other qualified groups may also respond. The release describes the call as a first step in exploring development at the park, tied to goals of drawing private investment, bringing more activity to the grounds year-round and finding new sources of revenue.
It does not give a deadline for submissions or say how proposals will be judged.
Town hall Monday
Council Member Adam Bazaldua, whose District 7 includes Fair Park, is hosting a community town hall on the plan Monday, Nov. 2, from 6 to 7 p.m. at Vista Bank, 3225 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The city is also offering a way to join online through WebEx.
City leaders plan to walk through how the Call for Concepts will work, how to submit an idea and the expected schedule. They also expect to talk about what types of development the city wants, chances for local businesses and jobs, and how new projects could tie Fair Park to surrounding Southern Dallas neighborhoods while helping pay for the park's upkeep and historic preservation.
