News

Join us to help define the first bicycle lanes

bill702 — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:36:42 -0600

A meeting on Valentines Day to discuss
possible bike lanes configurations on Ft. Worth Ave
included members of
CityDesign Studio, Huitt-Zollars, City of Dallas,
Team Better Block, Bike Friendly Oak Cliff and
Ft. Worth Avenue Development Group.

FWADG will be hosting a town hall meeting on
Tuesday, February 21, 6pm
at Salon Las Americas, 1004 Ft. Worth Ave, Dallas TX.

I hope you can join us to help define the first bicycle lanes in Dallas.

Dallas mayor's plan to spur southern growth focuses on key corridors

bill702 — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:16:34 -0600

Subject: Dallas mayor's plan to spur southern growth focuses on key corridors

By RUDOLPH BUSH
Staff Writer
rbush@dallasnews.com

Published: 10 February 2012 05:25 PM

Dallas’ greatest opportunities and most intractable troubles have long been wound together in the open land and scattered neighborhoods south of the Trinity River. Now, seeking to capitalize on those opportunities and minimize the troubles, Mayor Mike Rawlings is unveiling a plan he hopes will bring economic growth to eight key corridors of southern Dallas and help change perceptions of the entire area.

Returning to a key plank of his campaign, Rawlings sat down this week to discuss details of the plan that he will roll out Monday at a community meeting in the Cedars. “Growing southern Dallas is one of the most important things I feel I can do as mayor, and I want to make sure we do this in an organized fashion,” he said.

The plan, crafted over months with city staff, boils down to building on successes by focusing money on key areas, leveraging new investment as those areas grow and shifting attitudes by cleaning up and marketing the neighborhoods of southern Dallas. Past mayors, including Rawlings’ predecessor, Tom Leppert, had their own plans for improving southern Dallas that often made little progress.

But certain parts of southern Dallas have changed for the better — dramatically in some cases — over the past decade.

Rawlings pointed to the Bishop Arts District and to Pinnacle Park, near Interstate 30 and Loop 12, where strong private investment has taken root. And he talked about West Dallas and the area around the University of North Texas at Dallas, where major public investments can be capitalized upon.

Investors need to know that these are the places where the returns will be, Rawlings said. “I’m a salesman, unabashedly, about the investment opportunities I think exist. And I want to be clear about where I’m going to be spending my time in my administration,” he said. He said he is already working to bring investors to the area to show them what has been done and what is coming.

KEY AREAS: Corridors emphasized in city’s plan

Mayor Mike Rawlings’ plan for southern Dallas focuses broadly on eight areas, with long-term (two years) and short-term (one year) goals for each. Here’s a look at some of the goals for each area:

West Dallas Gateway: Overhaul Herbert Street north of Singleton; continue work on restaurant district; build new Continental pedestrian bridge; replace Sylvan Avenue bridge; make improvements recommended by Complete Streets Demonstration Project.

Pinnacle Park: Begin construction of new frontage road along the south side of I-30 from Cockrell Hill Road to Westmoreland Road; begin construction of 130-unit Hillside West apartments on West Davis Street.

North Oak Cliff: Complete “Main Street Plan” for Jefferson Boulevard and strategic plan for Bishop Arts District; begin construction of Oak Cliff streetcar starter line; make improvements recommended by Complete Streets Demonstration Project and zoning changes consistent with Oak Cliff Gateway land use plan.

Greater downtown/the Cedars: Support funding requests for residential and hotel projects; complete South Lamar streetscape improvements; review operations at Dallas Farmers Market and consider options; complete design for Riverfront Boulevard reconstruction south of Cadiz Street.

Lancaster Corridor: Start construction of Lancaster Urban Village mixed-use project; make improvements recommended by Complete Streets Demonstration Project; initiate affordable-housing plan at the Kiest and VA Medical CenterDART stations; work with the VA Medical Center to build a pedestrian bridge over Lancaster Road.

Education Corridor: Overhaul water, sewer and roads; finalize plans for grocery store on Simpson Stuart Road; complete design for Complete Streets Demonstration Project on Camp Wisdom and Simpson Stuart roads; re-establish relationship with BNSF railway for potential intermodal facility; consider pursuing state funding for additional campus buildings at UNT-Dallas.

DART Green Line Corridor: Initiate affordable housing and other development at MLK, Hatcher and Buckner DART stations; improvements recommended by Complete Streets Demonstration Project; continue construction of Fair Park Estates single-family development.

Red Bird: Hire aviation coordinator to oversee land development at Dallas Executive Airport and Love Field; finalize approvals for Wal-Mart Supercenter at I-35E and Ledbetter Road; complete Home Depot distribution center expansion; identify potential private developers at Executive Airport.

SOURCE: City of Dallas

City’s focus areas

Rawlings held back some details of his plan for Monday’s meeting. But he said those ideas involve new financial tools for investing in the area, giving a hand up to schools and strengthening neighborhood organizations. He spoke at length, though, about where he wants to see City Hall focus its efforts during his time in office. And he said he wants to see results soon.

He called for the city to make Jefferson Boulevard, near Bishop Arts, a main street for north Oak Cliff. That means not only improvements to the streetscape, but also engagement with building owners to set a strategy for the future.“This is our complete street right there. Let’s just make this thing come to life,” he said.

He wants to see 2012 bond money committed to extending Herbert Street as a main street in West Dallas. And he wants a focus on improving basic infrastructure around UNT-Dallas and seeing a frontage road built along I-30 at the Pinnacle Park development.

Other ideas include improvements to the Lancaster corridor near the Veterans Affairs hospital, re-engaging the plan to build up the inland port, and driving development to the corridor along DART’s Green Line in southeastern Dallas.

The plan also involves efforts to shift perceptions throughout North Texas about southern Dallas.
Rawlings, former chief executive of the advertising firm TracyLocke, is calling for the city to hire a “brand manager” whose sole job will be to market southern Dallas.

“I’m a marketing guy, so I’m going to be staying very close with this person,” he said.

He wants to have ad agencies donate services to support the marketing plan.
And there is good news to market, city officials say. Crime in all of southern Dallas is down 33 percent from eight years ago. The area can boast that it is home to two nationally ranked magnet high schools. And few parts of the region have as many transportation options.

The area will be easier to market if it’s cleaner and more welcoming.
As part of that effort, the city plans to demolish 250 nuisance buildings this year, roughly the same number it destroyed last year.

Rawlings also wants to see the city help distinguish major neighborhoods with attractive gateway signs, of the sort recently erected in Pleasant Grove. Southern Dallas is often meshed together in many people’s minds when, in fact, it is composed of distinct and diverse neighborhoods, such as South Dallas, Mountain Creek, Red Bird and different sections of Oak Cliff.

Opportunities
Council member Tennell Atkins, who headed Leppert’s Southern Dallas Task Force, praised Rawlings’ plan as the right approach. “This mayor feels like we have a product, and that product is southern Dallas,” he said.

The product is also opportunity, he said.
“UNT, that’s an education opportunity. You know the institution is going to be there. You look at Bishop Arts and you know that’s a great opportunity. You’ve got Methodist hospital there, and a streetcar line coming. Look at the Cedars. Look at West Dallas. Southern Dallas is a good product for the city of Dallas,” he said.

But not everyone is so sure about the plan.
Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College and a respected southern Dallas leader, said that he knew nothing about Rawlings’ plan and that no one had approached him to discuss it. Paul Quinn is an important part of the “education corridor” around UNT-Dallas that Rawlings identified as one of eight critical areas of focus. Sorrell lives with the challenges that major parts of southern Dallas have presented for generations, and he is clear-eyed about the difficulty of overcoming them.

“To create lasting, substantial, meaningful change, there are some fundamental things which have to occur. You can fix housing stock, you can provide investment dollars, but if you don’t address the pervasive lack of preparation, of educational opportunities and of readiness for the citizens, then I’m not sure how you don’t wind up in a situation, even with all the best intentions, where you don’t maximize your opportunities,” he said.

Investment in land, infrastructure and business, without investment in the people of the area, “can lead to unintended gentrification,” Sorrell said.

City Hall understands change will come slowly.
And Rawlings said he wants to see all of southern Dallas participate in the change through stronger neighborhoods. The city can provide help, but he’s under no illusion government can do it all, he said. It will take investors, leaders and the people of southern Dallas, he said.

“So much of this is outside of the big-C City’s purview. The city, the institutional city, can only do so much,” he said.

Mark Your Calendar - City of Dallas Meeting

bill702 — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:36:40 -0600

February 10, 2012

CITY OF DALLAS
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
FORT WORTH AVENUE/WEST COMMERCE STREET IMPROVEMENTS
&
PROPOSED THOROUGHFARE PLAN AMENDMENTS
Your input is requested at a community meeting on
Tuesday, February 21st, 2012
to discuss how Fort Worth Avenue/West Commerce Street can
become a more “Complete Street.” The meeting will cover getting input on
the proposed vision, near-term and long term implementation measures
along with the required Thoroughfare Plan amendment process.
Salon Las Americas
1004 Fort Worth Avenue
Dallas, TX 75208
6:00 p.m.
This meeting will allow for community input on the proposed amendments
which include reducing the designated number of travel lanes from six to
four from IH-30 to Beckley Avenue and adding bicycle lanes along the
corridor. For additional information, please contact
David Whitley at (214) 670-4214
or Pam Thompson at (214) 671-9825.

Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Opening Celebration

bill702 — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:40:22 -0600

Much ado about the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge


	Artist Rendition

After much construction and a bit of rescheduling, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, the newest addition to the Dallas skyline, will officially open the weekend of March 2-4. The three-day celebration is filled with concerts, parities and, of course, a ribbon cutting ceremony, but other events already have kicked off. Here are a few:

Now until Feb 25

The Latino Cultural Center (LCC) is showing “White Steel, Blue Skies: A New Icon for Dallas’ Skyline.” The center invited Latino photographers from North Texas to photograph their takes on the bridge’s architecture to commemorate its opening. The winning submission of the third annual Trinity River Corridor Photography Contest also will be exhibited.

Thursday, March 1

Jim Lake Companies and the Dallas Design District Blog are hosting a kick-off celebration for the opening weekend of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The International on Turtle Creek. Drinks will be complementary, and fare from the Easy Slider Truck will be on the menu. Roberto Verastegui and his jazz trio will perform while attendees partake in photos of West Dallas and the new bridge by photographer by Dave Kozlowski, Harman’s prints of historic Dallas neighborhoods taken by David Anthony, and other works from Galerie Zuger. Stay tuned for updates on food and entertainment.

The Haley-Henman Gallery will feature an art show, “Focus on the Bridge.” The installment features photographs taken by David Clanton, Cecelia Feld, Bob Johnson, Michael Lyon and Alan Robertson. An opening reception for is March 1 at 6:30 p.m., and the show runs Feb. 29- March 5.

Friday, March 2

The weekend kicks off with the a $200-per-ticket party on the bridge at 7 p.m. Lyle Lovett and his band are the evening’s headliners, followed by DJ Lucy Wrubel and Sing-Off runners up Street Corner Symphony. Local cuisine and specialty drinks will be served by Trinity Groves. We’re interested to see the 14-foot Calatrava-inspired costumed performers. Fireworks will end the evening.

Saturday, March 3

The eight annual Trinity River Levee Run 5k and 10k races begin at 8 a.m., this year from the west side of the Margaret Hill Hunt Bridge. Runners will cross the bridge, then run through the Design District and back. Contact the Dallas Running Club for more information. Preregistration is $30, and $40 on race day.

Following the race is a free street fair at noon, which will be one of the few times during the weekend when pedestrians can walk across the bridge. Food vendors, dancers, radio personalities, local bands and musicians, and sidewalk artist Douglas Rouse will be there, and artwork from the Trinity River Photo Contest and the Trinity River Art Contest will be exhibited. The “Parade of Builders” will honor those who had a hand in building the bridge, including Santiago Calatrava, and interactive booths will chronicle the work of those who are key to the Trinity River Corridor Project. Fireworks will end the street fair at 9 p.m.

Sunday, March 4

A sunrise blessing and ribbon cutting begins at 7:15 Sunday morning and is open to the public. The National Anthem will be performed by Street Corner Symphony, and the Orchestra of New Spain will sing in honor of the Spanish naming of the Trinity River.

At 1:30 p.m. Bike Friendly Oak Cliff leads a free bike tour chronicling the major historic moments of the Trinity. The ride will navigate several of the adjacent downtown bridges that span the river. As it turns out, the Houston Street Viaduct turns 100 this year.

Urban Emergence, a seminar that showcases up-and-coming neighborhoods worldwide for their strides to become popular destinations, will begin at 2 p.m. Held in Methodist Dallas Medical Center’s Hitt Auditorium “technology, urban innovation and futurism converge” as city planners, historians and architects alike discuss what makes these neighborhoods the gems of their communities then and now. This event will be in partnership with the Dallas CityDesign Studio.

Posted by: Breajna Dawkins on February 7th, 2012 in All Blog Posts, City Hall, Entertainment

SPARE PARTS PROPOSAL

bill702 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:16:53 -0600

SPARE PARTS PROPOSAL DEADLINE

MARCH 17, 2012

Overview and Project Goals

The Ft Worth Ave Development Group is seeking an artist or team of artists to create a site-specific work in the burgeoning area on Commerce/Ft. Worth Ave between Eastus and Hardwick Streets. Our goal is to support the ingenuity and DIY spirit of the area, and to encourage street life and pride along Fort Worth Avenue. Re-purposed warehouses and Airstream trailers are laying the ground for vibrant street life to return to the Ave, and engaging public art will help catalyze the public to understand and embrace
these changes.

Content

Re-Use: Artists are encouraged to make use of recycled, re-used, and re-defined materials in keeping with the spirit of the incremental redevelopment of the neighborhood.

Utility: The art is not required to fill a utilitarian role, but projects which fill a secondary purpose (shade, seating, bike parking, etc) are strongly encouraged.

Location
- The installation(s) will be placed on private property along Ft Worth Ave in the area between Eastus and Hardwick Streets. The business owners in this area have agreed to host work on their property, and submissions can be situated in any of the areas listed below.
- Owners will not vote on selection, but will approve any installation on their property.
- The owners of the Foundry/Chickenscratch, the Mission Motel, the Dallas West Retail Trailers, and Butch McGregor’s warehouses and open space on the north side of the street have all signed on to this project.

Budget
-The project budget is $6000. This amount is to cover materials, supply, labor, and installation costs.

View the attached PDF's for further details and information.

Electronic Submissions Here: http://bit.ly/zDHpYP

Press Conference Today at Noon

bill702 — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:57:01 -0600

1.3.2012

Council members Scott Griggs and Monica Alonzo will attend a press conference in the Flag Room at City Hall on Wednesday, January 4th at noon for an announcement by the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group to donate funds for the design and implementation of bicycle lanes along the Fort Worth Avenue corridor from Colorado Boulevard to Beckley Avenue.

The Fort Worth Avenue Development Group has spearheaded a $25,000 challenge grant fund raising drive; $15,000 donated by Fort Worth Avenue Development Group with additional contributions provided by area businesses, residents and developers throughout the two mile span to assist the city in developing bicycle infrastructure within the next six months recommended by the recently adopted Dallas Bike Plan

Sincerely;
David Lyles
President, Fort Worth Avenue Development Group

Coming soon in 2012

bill702 — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:19:58 -0600

The Dallas Fort Worth Avenue Development Group, is a non-profit organization group of committed volunteers from the neighboring community who are interested in developing existing businesses and bringing new businesses and residents to the West Commerce/Fort Worth Avenue corridor.

Thanks to all who have contributed in the past.
Your continued interest and support has gone a long way towards allowing us to make a tremendous difference in the community. 2012 is sure to be an exciting year as there is tremendous attention and momentum for development in the area. To become a member or to renew your membership and stay plugged into new investments and developments, visit http://www.fortworthavenue.org.

Coming soon and scheduled to be delivered in 2012 to Fort Worth Avenue corridor:

Bike lanes to Fort Worth Avenue
Metro Paws
Manny Rodriguez
Compound Restaurant Management II (Chicken Scratch - opening soon)
West Commerce Retail RV Park
Team Better Block
Stash Designs
Western Heights Cemetery Clean Up
Beckley / Commerce Interchange
Various Arts Investments
Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge

FWADG continues to fight and facilitate for rapid transition to the area. To continue to stay informed, don't forget to sign up for the news-letter http://oakcliff.bubblelife.com/community/fort_worth_avenue/joinlist.

Again, to become a new member or to renew your existing membership, visit us at http://www.fortworthavenue.org.

A letter from the president

bill702 — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:22:06 -0500

There seems to be some confusion in the community as to the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group’s position on the Sylvan/Thirty development, which we all as a community are eager to see launched.

The Sylvan/Thirty project has the potential to be a flagship development for our neighborhoods, and FWADG has worked very hard alongside the Oaxaca team for several years to bring this project to fruition. FWADG worked diligently to assist in the land parcel acquisition and was a primary player alongside Oaxaca Interests in the 2009 charrette that helped define a new look for Sylvan Avenue from the I30 intersection to Singleton Ave. and the adjoining properties to the north, south, east, and west of Sylvan.

View the Sylvan/Thirty Project Site Plan.

In February of 2005, the Dallas City Council approved and passed a new PD for the area bordering Commerce Street and Fort Worth Avenue along the north and south of these thoroughfares. This Special Purpose District, PD 714, was conceptualized and created over a period of several years by some truly visionary individuals—all members of our North Oak Cliff/West Dallas communities. The PD was created in an effort to redefine the area and open the door for mixed-use development in a safe, pedestrian-friendly, and bike-friendly manner including residential, retail, office, and light industrial business applications. The PD defines zoning and code issues such as building setbacks on properties, height restrictions, sidewalk widths, landscaping requirements for new and existing development, residential proximity slopes, parking, and a vast array of other topics most of the general public cares little about at face value, but these issues have a crucial role in defining the character of any given development and its effect on the surrounding neighborhoods.

By law, PD 714 disallows massage parlors, dance halls, tattoo parlors, body piercing establishments, cell towers, outdoor amusement parks, bingo parlors, and other land uses that the community does not wish to see along the corridor.

We at Fort Worth Avenue Development Group are the stewards of PD 714. FWADG does not dictate who can move into our community or how their development or site plan should be organized provided that their development is compliant with the zoning, code, and form concepts outlined in PD 714. Just as with the U.S. Constitution, occasional amendments are created to PD 714 when new, intelligent, urban ideas are created, and we feel that it is clearly in the best interests of the community to allow these changes. We have a very good track record of discussing potential projects with developers who are interested in bringing their visions to our community, and when applicable, we assist the developers in promoting these innovative concepts and ideas.

PD 714 was in place years before the Sylvan/Thirty land parcel was acquired; in this case, the developers were well aware of the PD’s urban-form requirements. FWADG has every hope that the developers of Sylvan/Thirty will comply with the requirements, form, and spirit of PD 714. We continue to stand ready to listen to all sides of the issues at hand and are willing and ready to negotiate a positive outcome that will benefit our community provided that the developers of Sylvan/Thirty are willing to sit down and address these issues and follow the form and spirit of PD 714.

FWADG and the community at large have a tremendous interest in seeing the Sylvan/Thirty development thrive and become a model for future development within our boundaries and perhaps greater Dallas.

Sincerely,
David Lyles, President, Fort Worth Avenue Development Group

Power Art

bill702 — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:56:15 -0500

Design Competition: Winners and Honorable Mention Awards

The City of Dallas received nearly 50 submissions for the Power Art Competition. A competition designed to generate ideas to help us rethink about how we view and address public infrastructure. The neighboring community had the opportunity to view and give their input on the ideas submitted at a stakeholders meeting held at the Bataan Center.

Residents, business owners and property owners attended the meeting to give their input. The community deeply enjoyed the opportunity to view so many different and creative ideas. After a full morning of our selection panel reviewing and voting, three winners were selected. These winners will be given a monetary stipend to expand upon their ideas and present their concepts to the public. Additionally, three projects were also chosen for honorable mention.

Winners:

1st - Scott Armstrong | view design
2nd - Brandon Smith & Eloy R. Cavazos | view design
3rd - Michael Beene | view design

Honorable Mentions:

Community Choice, Mohamed Ahmed | view design
Sustainable Approach, William Roberts & Laura Satin | view design
Creative Technology, David Levitt & Samantha Randall | view design

Metro Paws Animal Hospital Opens New Location

Lauren Hill — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:47:28 -0500

Metro Paws Animal Hospital is excited to be a part of the revitalization efforts of Fort Worth Avenue in Oak Cliff. A second location with a full service veterinary hospital and wellness care clinic is being developed in a 4,000 square foot facility. The building will fit the urban character of the area with pedestrian friendly streets, enhanced sidewalks, parallel parking, and a large green space to serve our Oak Cliff dog and cat patients.

With a large number of our clients traveling from Oak Cliff, we determined Fort Worth Avenue adjacent to Smoke and the Belmont Hotel to be the ideal place for a new clinic. We are excited about the possibility of adding a service to a community that values animals as members of their households. Metro Paws Animal Hospital, LLC was opened in 2006 by Dr. Jennifer Lavender and Dr. Kathryn Junkins Sarpong with a mission to deliver personal veterinary care.

Contact information:

Dr. Kathryn Sarpong
214-887-1400, 214-802-0552
kat_junkins@yahoo.com

Dr. Jennifer Lavender
214-887-1400, 214-207-5528
drlavender@gmail.com

www.dallasmetropaws.com

Mission Motel

Lauren Hill — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 18:00:00 -0600

The Mission Motel is currently undergoing transformation as mixed-use live/work spaces. Amanda Cross and Victor Balas are redeveloping the units to be 500-, 600-, and 800-square-feet units ideal for small start- up businesses.

Amanda and Victor are well aware of PD 714 guidelines and are doing everything they can to remain compliant in their renovation. The city is currently reviewing their plans, and they hope to be renting by spring of 2011.

December 2010 Newsletter

Lauren Hill — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 18:00:00 -0600

Sylvan|Thirty

Oaxaca Interests is proceeding with its plans to develop the block along Sylvan between I30 and Fort Worth Avenue. Demolition of the properties began on Tuesday, Dec. 14th at 4 pm. The first property to be demolished was the county maintenance facility at the intersection of Sylvan and Fort Worth Avenue.

Mission Motel

Dallas West Mobile Home & RV Park

Dallas West Mobile Home & RV park will be adding some vendor trailers along its Commerce Street frontage. Developer Monte Anderson, working on behalf of Cienda Partners, will be installing eight trailers.

Continental Gateway

Once the first Calatrava bridge is complete (expected to be October 2011), the Continental bridge will be closed for improvement and revitalization. While this renovation is taking place, the city hopes to begin construction on a gateway project.

Beckley-Commerce Intersection

The redesign of the Commerce Street/Beckley Avenue intersection continues. Community meetings have taken place with the City Design Studio presenting the WRT design to local stakeholders. A couple of obstacles remain before final redesign plans and construction can take place.

Streetcar

The City, DART, and NTCOG are working diligently towards having all of their ducks in a row to meet the Tiger Grant requirements for the $23-million-dollar federal grant by mid December of this year.