Fast Facts on Southern Gateway Park
1. Who is designing the park?
The park is a public/private project between the City of Dallas, North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), Texas Department of Transportation, and the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation. The Foundation is tasked with the design, construction, and future operations of the Southern Gateway Park.
The Foundation hired HKS, Inc. to lead design and engineering for the deck park. The HKS team also includes firms with Dallas roots like Pacheco Koch, Priority, Inc., and SWA.
2. Where is the park located?
The future deck park will span I-35E in Southern Dallas between Ewing and Marsalis Avenues. The park will be directly adjacent to the Dallas Zoo and reconnects historic Oak Cliff.
3. When will the park be open to the public?
The Texas Department of Transportation completed construction on the underlying deck in late 2022. The Foundation began construction of park amenities in 2024 and construction will last approximately 22-24 months. The Foundation aims to open to the public in 2026.
4. Is this a public or private park?
The Southern Gateway Park will be a public park, managed by a private partner — the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation. This model is common in many of Dallas’ other signature parks such as the Arboretum, the Dallas Zoo, Klyde Warren Park, Pacific Plaza, and West End Square.
5. Who is building the park?
The Texas Department of Transportation constructed the deck infrastructure and cap as part of its Southern Gateway Project to reconstruct I-35E from downtown to I-20. The Foundation is responsible for constructing the park amenities from the cap up.
6. What is the expected cost to build the park?
Phase I of the park is expected to cost $112 million. The Foundation is raising $65 million for park amenities from public, private, and philanthropic funds. As of the beginning of 2024, over $40 million of this goal has already been donated or pledged. The City of Dallas contributed $7 million in 2017 bond funds as a local match to more than $40 million from the NCTCOG. These public funds were used to build the deck infrastructure.
7. Why has the cost of Phase I increased?
The original estimate for the cost of construction of Phase I park amenities was created in 2020. Since then, inflationary pressures and escalation in the cost of goods, along with delays in the original project timeline, have significantly increased the original cost.
8. What is the park’s relationship with the Dallas Zoo?
The Dallas Zoo is our closest neighbor and friend! We communicate regularly with Zoo leadership and collaborate on design decisions and fundraising opportunities. We’re hopeful that in the future we can partner with the Dallas Zoo to achieve some operational efficiencies and take advantage of their expertise in landscaping and educational programming.
9. Why only Phase I?
In 2017, the decision was made to build the future park in two phases. At the time, there was only sufficient funding to construct the infrastructure for half of the park. We are excited about the concept plan for Phase I, adjacent to Ewing, because it includes so many of the amenities that the community has asked for and dreamed up. Phase I of the park will be 2.8 acres.
10. What are your plans to hire minority contractors?
The Foundation is committed to hiring and contracting practices that are community-based, diverse, and equitable. It used the City of Dallas Business Inclusion & Diversity (BID) Plan to score and select its design team. Ultimately, the Foundation selected HKS, Inc. to lead the design team in part because HKS has a history of weaving together community input and creating innovative new spaces in urban environments.
The Foundation made clear that MWBE participation is a major priority in its selection of a general contractor and has committed to exceeding the City’s BID goal of 32% MWBE participation. For its general contractor, the Foundation selected a joint venture between McCarthy, a large company that was also the general contractor for Klyde Warren Park, and EJ Smith Construction, a minority-owned construction company with roots in Oak Cliff.
The Foundation also looks forward to hiring local, diverse firms to participate in the operation of the park.
11. Who leads the Foundation?
The Foundation is led by Oak Cliff resident, April Allen. April serves as the Foundation’s inaugural President and has a background in non-profit and business management.
The Foundation board of directors is comprised of 15 leaders who live, work, or care deeply about Oak Cliff and Dallas as a whole. The Foundation is chaired by long-time Southern Dallas advocate Mike Gruber.
12. What is in the plans for the first phase of the Park?
Phase I of the park will stretch from Lancaster to Ewing. It will include most of the features that the community requested in our outreach meetings like a multi-purpose pavilion, large lawn, pavilion, children's playground, and turnaround for food trucks and drop offs.
