Fair Park’s largest parking lot to be converted into a park

New community park planned for Fair Park in Dallas

Good Day got a first look at a planned community park that will be on the grounds of Fair Park. It will be 14 acres next to the Dos Equis Pavillion.

DALLAS - A parking lot near the Dos Equis pavilion at Fair Park will soon be a 14-acre community park with playgrounds, picnic spaces, water fountains and more.

"This goes back decades to a time when the city of Dallas unfortunately took away many homes in the surrounding area. And it left a really deep wound in the surrounding community," said Brian Luallen, the CEO of Fair Park First.

Luallen said part of the promise to the residents at the time was that there would be a beautiful community gathering place. That never really happened.

The new park dubbed "Community Park" represents a major shift in priorities for the city of Dallas.

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"In many ways we see this as a red carpet of sorts, or green carpet in this case, that will serve as a new front porch for Fair Park," Luallen said. "This community gathering place I think is going to be very significant for the future of these communities while at the same time really acknowledging things that have happened in the past and allowing a space for a lot of fun, a lot of healing and new memories."

The planning and design phase of the project began about two years ago.

The new renderings show off the planned garden, picnic and dog areas. There will also be a stage and pavilion, water features and multiple playgrounds, including an all-abilities playground.

"It’s going to serve as a major new regional attraction and, at the same time, serving over 11 neighborhoods that don’t have a walkable park today," Luallen said.

Construction on the park will begin in early 2023. It’s expected to open in late 2024.

Funding will come from the $85 million Fair Park Your Park Capital Campaign that was launched in 2021.