South Dallas residents, lawmakers urge Dallas council to finalize Fair Park community park agreement

Dozens of South Dallas residents, community leaders and elected officials urged the Dallas City Council on Jan. 14 to stop delaying the long‑promised Fair Park community park and to finalize the Fair Park First development agreement that would unlock already‑secured state and federal funding.

State Rep. Benton Jones told the council the state has committed $4,900,000 for the project and called the plan “shovel ready,” urging the council to approve the development agreement so construction can begin. “The funding is in place. The community has spoken and South Dallas has waited long enough,” Jones said.

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett said the park has attracted multiple grants and philanthropic commitments and warned that “revisiting that decision now undermines the very process the city itself put in place.” Crockett said her office helped secure $850,000 in HUD funding and $8.6 million through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program, and she said the project had met environmental and design clearances required for federal awards.

Community speakers—residents, neighborhood association presidents, pastors and nonprofit leaders—recounted decades of planning and engagement. “We were asked to partner. We have been a consistent and a faithful partner,” said Reverend Dr. Todd Atkins. Speakers repeatedly called the project an equity investment for a neighborhood that lost homes to earlier public projects and asked the council to honor those commitments.

Council member Adam Bazaldua gave notice of his intent to offer a procedural motion to discharge the Park and Recreation Board from further consideration of the Fair Park First funding and development agreement so the council can act more quickly; he said he hoped task‑force work would conclude in time for council action in February and that the city preserve a September ground‑breaking timeline after FIFA vacates the grounds.

City staff and several council members said the item is under active consideration and that some council members were seeking additional vetting through a task force. But the overwhelming tenor of public comment on Jan. 14 was to move forward: multiple speakers described the project as fully designed, environmentally cleared and backed by a mix of state, federal and philanthropic dollars.

Next steps: Bazaldua’s notice sets the stage for a procedural motion that would allow the council to consider removing the park agreement from the park board’s review and bring it to the full council. The council did not take a final vote on the Fair Park First agreement at this meeting.