Dallas Park and Recreation Director John Jenkins speaks during a Fair Park community town hall to brief neighbors on next steps for Fair Park’s development, potential partner selection and upcoming plans for the city-owned site, at Cotton Bowl Stadium, on May 4, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
It’s time for Fair Park to start generating revenue, Dallas park department leaders say, with a new hotel, retail or restaurants. On Monday, they made their case to people in South Dallas.
Neighbors drove through areas that fill up with picnic tables and crowds during the State Fair of Texas, parked beside the Midway and headed up to the sixth floor of the newly renovated Cotton Bowl to weigh in. They wanted to know how new development will impact the area.
“One thing that we’re going to get right this time, we’re not going to leave the surrounding community behind,” said John Jenkins, the city’s park department director.
The meeting was the first of two, with a second expected May 12 at Vista Bank on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Dallas has been working to improve the 277-acre, city-owned fairgrounds after taking over management responsibilities in September and scrambling to secure new contracts after a tense split from the previous operator.
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Fair Park also has tens of millions in deferred maintenance costs. The conversation around what the city might do to boost Fair Park, who it might bring in for the task and how much it needs to spend comes as the city deals with budget woes, trying to fix a multimillion-dollar shortfall. This development would be privately funded, officials said.
“Who is managing the evergreen strategy for the venue and the surrounding area?” asked Christopher Weiss, the former Cedars Neighborhood Association president. “I’ll say this bluntly. I feel the city of Dallas has no ability to do long-term planning, hasn’t shown a skill for doing so, and it’s desperately needed.”
Park department leaders said this time, they want to get it right with Fair Park.
Dallas leaders look to the future
Jenkins said when the opportunity came for the city to manage Fair Park, the team understood how much the site means to Dallas.
“Sometimes you have to hit the bottom to see the real opportunities, and it gave us an opportunity to reset when it came to Fair Park,” Jenkins said.
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In recent months, park department leaders have touted the improvements to the fairgrounds, including launching a weekly market, performing major repairs to HVAC systems and upgrading landscaping.
Though Fair Park has faced turbulence, there is optimism, said Adam Bazaldua, the City Council representative for the area.
“We have momentum built for things that are already going on,” Bazaldua said, “but we have a clear plan for how we can elevate this even more.”
Related: Fair Park gets green light for community park in South Dallas in Dallas City Council vote
The new development would go alongside a long-awaited community park that faced uncertainty amid the management changes and scrutiny over millions in misspent donor funds. It would also help fill about 40 to 45 acres of space occupied by parking lots along South Fitzhugh Avenue, largely utilized during the State Fair.
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Dallas Park and Recreation Senior Deputy Director Ryan O’Connor speaks during a Fair Park community town hall to brief neighbors on next steps for Fair Park’s development, potential partner selection and upcoming plans for the city-owned site, at Cotton Bowl Stadium, on May 4, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
The city is eyeing a hotel, sports or entertainment venue, restaurants or retail, along with a parking garage. Though the plan is in its infancy, the city is focused on local hiring and small-business opportunities, said Ryan O’Connor, senior deputy park department director.
He added that after its meeting next week, the city would have a “call for concepts,” like the one for City Hall.
Community questions effort
At the meeting Monday, attendees shared their memories of when they felt Fair Park was well cared for. They also aired their concerns about increased traffic or how the State Fair would function without as many parking spaces.
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Related: Fair Park’s former operator seeking $5 million in damages, says Dallas breached contract
“We’re focusing a lot on the inside of Fair Park. What about around?” asked Gisela Vasquez, who lives nearby. “As soon as that community park was announced, people were like ‘Oh, hell no. I’m not going,’ because we know what’s around here.”
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Having more people at Fair Park would positively impact security, O’Connor said, adding that “there’s a better opportunity for some of those elements that you don’t find desirable to kind of move on.”
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People attend a Fair Park community town hall to brief neighbors on next steps for Fair Park’s development, potential partner selection and upcoming plans for the city-owned site, at Cotton Bowl Stadium, on May 4, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
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The community has faced an “economic embargo,” with areas blighted by a lack of development and opportunity, said Robert Pitre, one of the attendees. There should be a focus on change, he said.
“It’s important to us, too,” O’Connor said. “It needs to be a foundational piece baked into any sort of development that occurs.”
This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.