DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF)- The largest parkland dedication in Dallas since 1938 was announced today, the result of a joint effort between Oncor Electric Delivery, the City of Dallas and the Circuit Trail Conservancy (CTC), the nonprofit completing The LOOP, a 50 mile walk and bike trail connecting north, south, east and west Dallas.
“A critical piece of The LOOP is the Trinity Forest Spine Trail, a nine-mile connection from White Rock Lake to the Great Trinity Forest,” said Philip Hiatt Haigh, Executive Director of the Circuit Trail Conservancy. “With this donation, the Circuit Trail Conservancy can complete the Trinity Forest Spine Trail, and The LOOP, in its entirety, bringing together neighborhoods that have long been disconnected and make walkable, bikeable green space a strong part of Dallas’ identity.”
“Dallas’ development is a great story — one that is increasingly earning national attention,” Mayor Eric Johnson said. “We are one of the fastest-growing major cities in the country. We have a booming and diverse economy that serves as the engine of the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Our skyline is dotted with construction cranes. But development alone does not tell the full story of our city.”
“Dallas is flourishing because we are intently focused on providing an amazing quality of life for our residents,” Mayor Johnson continued. “We are eliminating blight and building new parks, trails, and green spaces across our city. The donation of Parkdale Lake and the surrounding land is huge for Dallas. It will create new recreational opportunities and help us connect our neighborhoods through our trail system. I am excited about the possibilities, and I am grateful to our partners at Oncor and the Circuit Trail Conservancy for helping us make this new park possible.”
In 2020, Oncor began the process of donating Parkdale Lake and the surrounding land west of White Rock Creek to the City of Dallas for the Circuit Trail Conservancy to use to address flooding, and to the Park and Recreation Department for use as future park land to serve the community.
“This is a real win for Dallas’ vision to have a comprehensive system of parks, trails, open spaces and recreation facilities that sustains, inspires and invigorates,” said Arun Agarwal, President of the City of Dallas Park Board. “This is the largest land commitment for the Dallas Park system since the 1930’s. It will help the City of Dallas, and specifically Southern Dallas as this donation is south of 30, grow in a healthy way. Great partnerships like this one
between the City of Dallas, Oncor and the Circuit Trail Conservancy bring more beautiful, open greenspace to residents and visitors.”
“The initiative by the City of Dallas and the Circuit Trail Conservancy to unite Dallas’
neighborhoods is a big win for our entire community,” said Allen Nye, CEO, Oncor. “The LOOP
will connect Dallas in a way that increases access for all residents to our city’s economic
resources, enhances green space and improves overall quality of life. We’re so proud to be a
part of making this project a reality.”
The North Phase of the Trinity Forest Spine Trail will be completed in two phases. The first phase, which broke ground in July, extends from just below the White Rock Lake spillway to Samuell Road; the second phase will extend to the Lawnview DART Station in the Parkdale/Lawnview neighborhood of southeast Dallas. The southern phase will extend from Scyene Road to Pemberton Hill Road, passing through Roosevelt Heights, down to U.S. 175, with construction expected to begin in 2022.
Most of the Trinity Forest Spine Trail lies within the White Rock Creek floodplain, so it requires hydrological mitigation — landscape features that interrupt the flow of runoff to rivers. Parkdale Lake is a key addition to the plan because of the important role it will play in managing runoff and preventing flooding. Any plans or programming for the remainder of the property will depend on community input.
“We know there is an infrastructure disparity between North and South Dallas that has left neighborhoods — like Parkdale — without dedicated, safe pedestrian connections to surrounding neighborhoods or the rest of Dallas. Completing The LOOP is a step in the right direction toward connecting and uniting Dallas,” continued Hiatt Haigh. “Parkdale is less than five miles from White Rock and because of this land donation, and public funding from the City of Dallas, County of Dallas and privately raised CTC funds, these neighborhoods will now be connected.”
Parkdale Lake is located in Southeast Dallas along White Rock Creek. Parkdale Lake was built in 1953 as a water storage site for the Parkdale Steam Electric Station which was decommissioned in 2005. Prior to that, the area was farmland in the 1930s and was abandoned in the early 1950s because of flooding. Oncor Electric Delivery has owned Parkdale Lake and surrounding land totaling 280 acres since 2010. In 2019, the CTC, and then Park and Recreation Department Director Willis Winters, approached Oncor about donating the lake and land as it is critical to deliver the Trinity Forest Spine Trail and The LOOP. To view drone video, photos and more information about Parkdale Lake, visit www.parkdalelake.com.
About The LOOP. The LOOP will unite Dallas with a city-wide bike and pedestrian active transportation system that joins 39 miles of existing trails in Dallas with 11 miles of newly built trails. A catalyst for economic and physical mobility, The LOOP will be a lifeline between Dallas communities — connecting people to public transportation, walkable green space and one another.
When complete, The LOOP will connect Dallas neighborhoods and destinations in north, south, east and west Dallas. As Dallas continues to grow and attract new businesses and residents, investing in a state-of-the-art transportation system that connects neighborhoods throughout the city is one of the most important investments Dallas can make for our residents for generations to come. To learn more about construction and connectivity, please visit theloopdallas.org.
