For years, a city-owned stormwater detention pond in north Lake Highlands was overgrown, poorly maintained and sometimes used as a dumping ground.
Now, the Bushmills Road property is becoming a place where neighbors can walk, enjoy nature and get to know one another.
The green space is the first project to open under Dallas’ Greening Initiative, a plan to turn underused, city-owned land into small, neighborhood-designed green spaces in areas with limited access to parks.
For Bryan Wallace, 42, the transformation began with a question he and his wife asked while walking past the property during the pandemic: “What would it take to make this into a park?”
Wallace contacted the mayor and worked with city staff to move the idea forward. The process took more than six years.
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Residents helped shape a design that reflected what they wanted: a quiet place to walk, sit outside and enjoy nature, rather than a destination with extensive recreational amenities.
“What we ended up all wanting, for the most part, was just a nice, quiet, serene place to walk and enjoy your mornings, your evenings, your little peaceful moments,” Wallace said.
Listening to residents
Dallas’ Greening Initiative grew out of a 2022 request from Mayor Eric Johnson to identify vacant, city-owned land that could be converted into neighborhood green spaces. The goal is to revitalize 15 green spaces.
The city partnered with the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit that used mapping and park-access data to identify areas with the greatest need.
The organization estimates that more than 300,000 Dallas residents lack a park or green space within a 10-minute walk of home.
The first six announced pilot sites are sprinkled across the city; four of the locations are north of Interstate 30, while two are south of it. One is across the street from the Pleasant Grove Branch Library. Another is located near the corner of the property at Forest and Marsh lanes, which will eventually be part of a new library site. And one more in the Kleberg neighborhood.
The Bushmills park will officially open Nov. 5 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“Bushmills Neighborhood Green marks an incredible milestone on our mission to make Dallas the greenest major city in America,” Johnson said in a press release. “As the first park completed through my Dallas Greening Initiative, Bushmills Neighborhood Green demonstrates the tremendous progress we are making toward ensuring every Dallas resident has access to a park or trail within a 10-minute walk.”
A man runs through Bushmills Neighborhood Green on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Dallas. (Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News)
Dallas Park and Recreation is expected to maintain the new spaces, while the Trust for Public Land is helping residents establish volunteer stewardship groups.
Bushmills was among the first projects council member Kathy Stewart worked on after taking office. Some residents initially questioned the project because they worried a park might bring unwanted activity or change the character of their neighborhood.
Others expected traditional park amenities, such as playground equipment.
“They [Trust for Public Land] really listened to the neighborhood,” Stewart said. “You can’t tell them what they need. You really have to just stop and listen to the community.”
The experience offered a lesson for future projects, she said.
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Wallace encouraged residents to participate in public meetings as the remaining sites take shape.
“As long as you show up to the meetings, you can have a word in the overall scope of what the project will entail,” he said. “Your voice will matter.”
Future green spaces
The Bushmills design preserves the pond and existing natural character, with trees and native seed mixes planted for shaded and sloped areas. Residents asked for a quieter spot to sit and take in views of the pond, watch birds and observe wildlife such as turtles and ducks.
The site has an informal walking route. The park also has lighting and security cameras monitored by Dallas police. There’s a concrete perimeter to keep cars from driving onto the site and an irrigation system to help seeds grow.
The green spaces are intended as small natural amenities for nearby residents, not destinations designed to draw visitors from outside the neighborhood, said Molly Morgan, the Trust for Public Land’s Texas state director.
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The mini park will feature nature and mindfulness programming, including guided “forest bathing” walks and nature signs.
A wildlife viewing station features a bench overlooking the Jackson Branch of White Rock Creek at Bushmills Neighborhood Green on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Dallas. (Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News)
The project cost about $650,000, paid for by Trust for Public Land, and hours of volunteer work to clear about 500 pounds of trash.
The site already had a pond, a creek and natural vegetation, but it lacked the features and design needed for public use. The project adds a half-mile walking trail, benches, a picnic area, native plantings and a wooden overlook built by Green Space Dallas.
The pocket parks are designed to be small and intentional, reflecting the character and needs of each neighborhood.
“The most important thing when I walk this site is that it looks like it should have been here,” Morgan said.
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This article originally published at Dallas opens first pocket park in north Lake Highlands.