City officials will look into whether vacant, unused city-owned land can be used for parks, recreational spaces and affordable housing for residents.
Mayor Eric Johnson asked the city manager to conduct an inventory of unused land that could be of use, asking him to work with the Dallas Park and Recreation Department and Trust for Public Land to find possible locations for public space.
The main goal, Johnson said, is more park accessibility for the whole city.
"I want to make sure that no one, in any part of our city, isn't within a 10-minute walk of a park,鈥� Johnson said.
The mayor鈥檚 move to find new park space comes after his Nov. 15 , in which he pushed park expansion as one of his key priorities as the city prepares a $1 billion bond package for voters in 2024.
Johnson said the City Manager approved the request, and the process will soon begin for surveying vacant land.
鈥淚f it's in our inventory right now 鈥� if it鈥檚 city owned, we own it free and clear 鈥� let's talk about what we can do to help increase the parkland in the city,鈥� Johnson said.
The said it would work closely with the mayor鈥檚 office and the parks department to identify areas in need of green space access. The nonprofit has helped carry out renovation plans like the and Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park.
Robert Kent, TPL鈥檚 Texas state director, said Dallas鈥� green space has improved since 2014, when only 58% of the city鈥檚 residents were a 10-minute walk from a public park.
Dallas has made progress on that front; TPL reports are now close to a public park or green space. Still, the city ranks 53 out of the 100 largest cities in the United States based on its residents鈥� access to parks.
鈥淲hether that is a property that is currently being used for stormwater detention, or whether it is surplus property in the land bank, all these things could end up being great places for people to enjoy spending time outdoors,鈥� Kent said.
Ryan O鈥機onnor, assistant director for the Dallas Park and Recreation Department, said the city鈥檚 work with groups like TPL, the Texas Trees Foundation and local school districts have made a dent in the city's "park deserts," bringing closer to communities that traditionally have gone underresourced.
鈥淭he resident expectation is that there is now a fully functional park that is close to where they live, where previously there wasn't,鈥� O鈥機onnor said.
Both Kent and O鈥機onnor said they hope to meet and discuss the results of the inventory later this month.
