The long-delayed second phase of Klyde Warren Park comes back to the Dallas City Council on Wednesday, Oct. 28, with a reset timeline that would have construction start by the end of 2027 and the new park space finished by the end of 2031.
The project would add about 1.5 acres of deck park over Woodall Rodgers Freeway, generally between St. Paul Street and just west of Akard Street, including a west lawn with a multipurpose building and restrooms. A new dog park at Pearl Street and the eastbound frontage road is also part of the expansion, according to council documents.
Why it stalled
City resolutions say work has been paused since late 2022 so the design could be value engineered and more money found, after construction bids came in significantly higher than expected. The added money since then includes $20 million in federal Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods funds, $6.5 million from the 2024 bond program's parks proposition and $1,300,900 from Dallas County.
In December 2025 the council raised the estimated budget for the deck structure by about $57 million, to $122.4 million.
What the council is asked to approve
Both items sit on the consent agenda, and the agenda lists no cost to the city for either.
- The regional grant. An amendment to the interlocal agreement with the Regional Transportation Council and the North Central Texas Council of Governments would acknowledge that the council's federal Surface Transportation Block Grant commitment to the park has grown from $30 million to $44,648,437. It would also change repayment dates and let the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation share in any savings if the project comes in under cost.
- The tax increment deal. A 2021 agreement lets the foundation draw up to $3 million from the City Center tax increment financing district. The amendment would require a building or demolition permit and the start of construction by Dec. 31, 2027, completion of the deck by Aug. 31, 2029, and completion of the park on top by Dec. 31, 2031. It adds a new condition that the foundation invest at least $22.5 million in design or construction, and no TIF money would be paid until both the deck and the park are substantially complete. The original agreement called for construction to begin by the end of 2021 and anticipated completion in August 2024.
The repayment arrangement stays the same in outline: $10 million of the regional money is a loan, and the foundation rather than the city is responsible for paying it back, through the $3 million in TIF funds and $7 million from other sources it raises.
The City Center TIF board approved the deadline extensions in January 2025 and reaffirmed them in February 2026. Council members were briefed by memo on Oct. 16. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at City Hall and is streamed on the city's channels.
Sources
cityofdallas.legistar1.com
cityofdallas.legistar1.com
cityofdallas.legistar1.com
