Dallas parks staff propose hybrid Fair Park plan focused on revenue, short-term contracts and community input

Dallas Parks and Recreation staff outlined a high-level plan to revitalize Fair Park during a board briefing, proposing a hybrid operations model that retains city control while contracting short-term services to private experts, pursuing economic development on campus and creating nonprofit partners to raise philanthropy.

The plan, presented to the Parks and Recreation Board, lays out five pillars — maximizing campus partners, developing recurring community programming, attracting large campus activations, pursuing retail/hospitality economic development, and creating nonprofit foundations — and calls for near-term one- to two-year contracts followed by longer three- to five-year procurements.

Why it matters: Fair Park draws more than 4,000,000 visitors a year, department leaders said, and the campus includes historic buildings and large venues such as the Cotton Bowl and Coliseum. For the city to maintain those assets and reduce deferred maintenance, staff say Fair Park must generate new, sustainable revenues while involving neighboring communities.

Staff described a three-leg model: keep the city responsible for…