Deck park over I-35 in Dallas set to open this spring

Dallas still needs $22M for Oak Cliff deck park

The group raising money for a deck park over I-35 in Oak Cliff still needs $22 million in funding to complete the project this spring. They're hoping Dallas leaders will approve some tax increment financing and grant funding to help close the gap.

DALLAS - The long-awaited deck park across from the Dallas Zoo is set to open this spring. But the project is still millions of dollars short on funding.

What's new:

On Tuesday, a Dallas City Council committee recommended using tax increment financing and grant dollars to close a funding gap for what will be known as Halperin Park.

The deck park above Interstate 35 between South Ewing and Marsalis avenues features multiple water features and a large children’s area with a "treehouse in the woods" inspiration.

It’s nearly finished, but $22 million is still needed to complete construction and begin operations.

The Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation wants the city council to approve about $7 million in funding from District 1’s TIF District, and another $1 million in grant funding from the city’s 2012 general obligation bond program.

Foundation President and CEO April Allen said she will work to raise the remaining $14 million from corporate sponsors and philanthropy.

The foundation has already privately raised $63 million for the first phase of the project and another $80 million for the second phase.

What they're saying:

"This is an idea that started in 2017 as a hope and a prayer," Allen said. "Here we are nine years later with a project that will open this year."

Allen said the park is uniquely reflective of Oak Cliff.

"I’m really excited about being able to cut the ribbon on the park hopefully this spring. And, of course, we’ll have the World Cup coming up right after. And so, we are excited to be a space that that kind of helps all these folks that are coming in from all over the world to Dallas to get a sense of what it feels like to be in Oak Cliff," she said.

A private developer of vacant buildings in Oak Cliff said the park is already making an impact on the region, literally bridging the gap the freeway created.

"When they built 35, they divided the neighborhood. The east side of 35, people don’t even think of it as Oak Cliff sometimes," said A.J. Ramler with Founder Proxy Property. "So, it is cool to see kind of a rejoining of Oak Cliff."

What's next:

While the spring is the target for the opening, no date has been set yet.

An analysis from the University of North Texas – Dallas estimates that over the park’s first five years, the economic impact will be about $1 billion.