After years of debate, a nonprofit management plan for Fair Park was endorsed by the Dallas Park Board Thursday.
In a 13-2 vote, the board sent the plan to the Dallas City Council in time for including it in a new city budget this month.
Officials said city money will still be required from taxpayers, but much less than other options for operating and maintaining the park.
“It’s time to do something,” said Park Board President Bobby Abtahi. “It’s time to put the park back in Fair Park and it’s time to take care of that neighborhood. This has been far too long. We have an opportunity to do something that our predecessors, for some reason, did not. And I think it’s a good day.”
The resolution approved Thursday included a list of additional recommendations for City Council amendments to the plan.
“It doesn’t mean that the City Council is going to adopt this,” said Park Board Member Bo Slaughter.
He and Member Yolanda Williams voted against the plan, complaining that the resolution did not go far enough to guarantee that neighborhoods around Fair Park would be included and protected.
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“I don’t understand what’s so hard to go back and ask them to put this in writing,” Williams said.
The plan would turn operation of Fair Park over to a nonprofit group called Fair Park First. The group includes a former Dallas City Council Member, a Fair Park-area Minister and other civic leaders as board members.
The group’s President, Darren James, said Fair Park First has already agreed to expand its board to 13 members to include two more Fair Park neighbors at the table.
James, who works for an architecture and planning firm, said the Park Board action Thursday was a major step forward for Fair Park.
“I think it’s a great thing. I don’t think it’s just a good thing. There’s an opportunity to create a 365-day a year destination,” James said.
Fair Park First has partnered with Spectra, a venue operating company with other clients around the nation and around the world.
“Our focus is going to be driving more and more events, a diverse mix of events that kind of appeal to everyone,” said Spectra Vice President Peter Zingoni. “The Park Board will be holding us accountable as well as the City Council. So we’re up for the challenge. We feel very confident we can make a very positive impact for Fair Park and the surrounding community.”
Plans include turning existing parking lots on the edges of Fair Park into community parks that can be enjoyed by neighbors year round.
Pastor Donald Parish with True Lee Missionary Baptist Church near Fair Park is an original member of the Fair Park First Board. He said he is there to be a community representative.
Parish said surrounding neighborhoods want protection from gentrification that park improvements might bring, but at the same time hope to see vacant land around the park developed to boost the neighborhood.
“I think that we are finally going to get an opportunity to have a say in what’s going to happen there and I am just looking forward to it and very excited,” Parish said. “We’re hoping to make this so iconic that developers will see this as an opportunity to come and fill up those vacant lots.”
Some new homes and a new multi-family building have gone up in the area recently.
Surrounding businesses are hoping for a new influx of visitors and residents.
Micheal Liebermann with Pizza Lounge across from Fair Park said past traffic in the area has been disappointing.
“We’re beyond excited. We’re ecstatic about privatizing. We’re ecstatic about the group they chose. So finally, we’re poised to take a big step forward,” Liebermann said.
The State Fair of Texas will remain a major tenant at Fair Park. Fair President Mitchell Glieber said the fair is willing to take a bigger role in helping the park and the neighborhood.
“There’s certainly opportunity for more events to happen out here and a third-party company with the expertise of someone like Spectra could actually come out and bring contacts to the table, and marketing dollars and success to make those types of things happen here,” Glieber said.
Spectra is owned by Comcast, which also owns NBC and KXAS-TV.
