Skillman Quarter TIF board approves $1.1 million for Skillman Street edge landscaping between Church and Sedgwick

The Skillman Quarter Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District board voted unanimously to dedicate up to $1,100,000 in district-wide set-aside funds to the city’s Department of Transportation and Public Works to build hardscape, parkway edge landscaping and related pedestrian improvements along Skillman Street between Church Road and Sedgwick Drive.

The board’s approval supplements existing funding already allocated to nearby intersection improvements. Board members and staff said the expanded scope is intended to implement elements of the Skillman Street master plan and improve walkability, visibility and traffic calming for people walking and bicycling — including students who use the route.

At the meeting, board members were told the total additional cost to extend the work to the parkway edges between Church and Sedgwick is just over $1.2 million. The Lake Highlands Public Improvement District (PID) has agreed to pay the engineering and design cost of $108,872 for that extra scope, leaving $1,100,000 requested from the TIF. The presentation stated the project would be contracted through Transportation and Public Works and is expected to be bid and awarded in the fall.

Board member Shannon McCord asked, “What are our ultimate goals with these additional construction?” McCord said she was focused on pedestrian safety for students. A staff member responding to the question described the objectives as improving “walkability and connectivity” and making the corridor “a better pedestrian environment.”

Vice Chair Bill Boyd asked whether the board should expand the funding ask to cover a larger construction footprint at once; staff said they preferred a smaller, immediately fundable segment now but did not rule out future requests to expand work. Boyd later told the board he wants to prioritize keeping TIF dollars available to benefit the District 10 area.

Transportation staff discussed construction timing and coordination with schools. Dustin Calling, identified in the transcript as director of the Department of Transportation and Public Works, said construction phasing and timing could be coordinated with neighborhood and school schedules: “I’m very sensitive to the school timing. So definitely we can work on that.” Staff estimated construction could take about 15 to 18 months depending on the extent of pavement removal and stamped-concrete work needed at intersections.

The board heard that the initial intersection improvements already funded include Walnut Hill and Skillman, Walnut Hill and Sedgwick, Walnut Hill and Wildcat Way, and Skillman and Church (with stamped concrete crosswalks). Presenters said prior appropriations that support those intersection projects include $1,500,000 in 2017 bond funds and $2,000,000 in Dallas County funds for improvements around Skillman and Walnut Hill; those funds do not cover the additional parkway edge scope between Church and Sedgwick.

After discussion the board chair called for a motion; the motion to approve the $1,100,000 dedication was made and seconded, and the board approved the request. The transcript records the motion as passing unanimously; the meeting record does not provide a roll-call vote tally.

Funding and next steps noted in the presentation and discussion: - Lake Highlands PID will cover the $108,872 engineering/design cost for the additional scope. - The TIF would contract construction through Transportation and Public Works for the edge landscaping and hardscape between Church Road and Sedgwick Drive. - Staff anticipated the additional scope could be bid and awarded in the fall; construction duration was estimated at roughly 15–18 months.

Board members emphasized pedestrian safety and connectivity as the main rationale for the expansion. Several members asked staff to coordinate construction timing and temporary pedestrian accommodations to minimize impacts to students and school travel routes. The presentation and questions made clear the expanded work is intended to implement the Skillman Street master plan’s pedestrian and urban-design elements rather than only aesthetics.

No other action was taken on the item beyond the funding dedication. The board moved on to a separate discussion about updating the TIF’s 2009 strategic implementation plan later in the meeting.