Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation Forms Advisory Groups to Champion New Bridge Park and Cultivate Community Engagement

                                                         

Current and Former Dallas Mayors, Business Leaders and Community Advocates Join Forces to Help Bring Southern Gateway Park to Life

(DALLAS) – February 3, 2022 – The Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation today announced the formation of two new advisory groups for Southern Gateway Park: The Southern Gateway Alliance and The Southern Gateway Community Advisory Council. The five-acre bridge park is currently under construction, spanning Interstate 35E between Ewing and Marsalis Avenues, directly adjacent to the Dallas Zoo. Slated to open in 2024, the Park will be a key catalyst for closing the opportunity gap that was created when the highway was originally built in the 1950s through the middle of Oak Cliff. 

The Southern Gateway Alliance is chaired by Former Dallas Mayors Mike Rawlings and Ron Kirk, alongside entrepreneur and Oak Cliff real estate developer Amanda Moreno-Lake. This diverse group of civic and business leaders all have a personal commitment to and passion for the Park and the valuable role it will play in the continued revitalization of Southern Dallas. As official ambassadors for the Park, they will champion its mission and encourage support of the landmark project with their respective networks. 

“I love this city, and I want it to be the very best place it can be for everyone who calls it home,” Rawlings said. “Dallas is booming, and projects like Southern Gateway Park are key drivers of that growth. This is how great cities are built. It starts with vision and people working together to make that vision a reality. The bridge lays the foundation for the park, which brings neighbors together and drives demand for new shops and restaurants, which in turn encourages visitors and attracts new residents to the area, and then not-so-suddenly, an entire community is transformed.”

Other Alliance members include:

  • Derwin Broughton, AIA, Principal, KAI Enterprises 

  • Bryan Carter, Sr. Pastor, Concord Church 

  • Mita Havllick, Executive Director, Dallas Education Foundation

  • Matt Houston, Former Chair, Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce 

  • Lee Kleinman, Former Dallas City Councilman and Senior Advisor, Masterplan Texas

  • Noelle LeVeaux, Chief Marketing Officer, Communities Foundation of Texas 

  • Alison Draper Lolley, Chief Development Officer, TD Jakes Foundation 

  • Terrence Maiden, Chief Executive Officer, Russell Glen Company 

  • Bob Mong, President, UNT Dallas 

  • Drex Owusu, Chief Impact Officer, The Dallas Foundation 

  • John Phillips, President, Methodist Dallas Medical Center 

  • Cristal Retana, Director of Community Relations, Children's Medical Center and Chair, Oak Cliff Chamber Public Policy Committee

  • Jason Roberts, Founder, Better Block

  • Miguel Solis, Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives, Commit Partnership

The Southern Gateway Community Advisory Council is chaired by former Dallas City Councilwoman Delia Jasso and Libbie Lee, Executive Director of Golden Seeds Community Development Corp., and reflects the diversity of Oak Cliff’s residents. It is a continuation of the Foundation’s equitable development plan (EDP) for the project and its impact area. To that end, members will advise the Foundation on its role in furthering equitable access to the park, as well as future programming. The Council also will help the Foundation to identify and amplify the unique history of Oak Cliff and surrounding communities. 

“Southern Gateway Park is poised to become the heartbeat of our community – a vibrant and diverse gathering place where everyone feels welcome,” said Jasso, who grew up in Oak Cliff. “The Park is being created for and by the people, and I’m excited to help bring our collective vision to life.” 

Other Council members include:

  • Carmen Arana, Property Manager, Notre Dame Court

  • James Armstrong, President and Chief Executive Officer, Builders of Hope 

  • Steven Bradley, Cedar Crest Neighborhood Association

  • Shaneika Frazier, Community Outreach Manager, Dallas College 

  • Astrid Fuentes, Representative for Heritage Oak Cliff      

  • JR Huerta, Executive Director,   Dallas Youth Sports 

  • Tino Jalomo, District 1 Commissioner, Dallas Arts & Culture Commission

  • Ajamu Loving, PhD, Asst. Professor of Finance. UNT Dallas School of Business 

  • Israel Rivera, Principal, Dallas ISD (Townview School of Business Management) 

  • Lydia Torrez, Principal, St. Cecilia School 

  • Taylor Toynes, Executive Director, For Oak Cliff

“We’ve worked hard to ensure that the community’s voice is at the center of this journey, every step of the way,” said April Allen, President of the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation. “We are grateful that these groups will lend their time, insight and, most importantly, their passion as we bring this Park to life. Together, we have an opportunity to build something that will have a generational impact on our city.”  

About Southern Gateway Park 

Southern Gateway Park is a public/private partnership with the City of Dallas, the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the Texas Department of Transportation, and the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation. The new 5-acre green space also will tie into complete streets and pedestrian boulevards lined with more than 250 trees to increase the canopy and mitigate the impact of an urban heat island, as well as laying the groundwork for potential connections to the Dallas Streetcar line and a network of hike-and-bike trails. Together with the Dallas Zoo’s Master Plan, the collective capital investment will exceed $250 million, the largest investment in Southern Dallas’ history.

The Foundation enlisted global design firm HKS and renowned landscape architecture firm SWA to lead the park’s planning and design. TxDOT began construction on the underlying deck structure last summer and is currently installing the massive support beams for the deck itself. The first phase of the bridge park scheduled to open to the public in 2024, attracting an estimated 2 million visitors per year through a variety of signature spaces. 

In addition to native landscape and ample green space, park amenities will include: a stage and pavilion for concerts and live events, an inclusive children’s playground, outdoor classroom space for local schools and organizations, a multi-purpose building for dining and community events, integrated history exhibits, a dedicated food truck area, interactive water features for those hot Texas days, and so much more. 

For more information or to get involved, please visit www.southerngatewaypark.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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