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Residents urge council to preserve Pecan Grove Park, question Atlético Dallas proposal
Summary
Volunteers, trail stewards and park users told the Rowlett City Council they oppose a press-release-backed plan with Atlético Dallas that would put soccer fields, hotels and apartments on public parkland and wooded tracts at Pecan Grove; speakers cited tree loss, trail removal and doubtful visitation estimates.
Several speakers at the Feb. 3 Rowlett council meeting urged officials to reject or substantially revise a proposed land plan tied to Atlético Dallas that would place multiple soccer fields and mixed-use development on city-owned tracts around Pecan Grove Park.
Martin Malloy, the volunteer trail steward for Pecan Grove and a lead critic, described the plan’s footprint and said it would remove an estimated 58 acres of wooded areas across two tracts, convert natural trail space and add four soccer fields to the 43-acre park. "We're done on Pecan Grove Park," Malloy said as he urged the council to stop selling city land. Several other speakers including representatives of off-road and disc-golf groups said volunteer-built trails, disc golf and habitat would be lost and questioned economic projections tied to the plan.
Malloy and other commenters scrutinized a press release claim that the soccer complex could generate up to 400,000 annual visits; Malloy called that projection implausible for a start-up United Soccer League operation and provided a smaller, attendance-based calculation for comparison. Brandon Bailey, a local disc-golf business owner, referenced the city’s 2018 parks master plan and said city survey results prioritized green space and trails over additional field sports and apartments.
Speakers asked the council for transparent alternatives and impact studies (ecological, parking/traffic, and fiscal) before any transfer or sale of parkland or conversion of public land to private development.
