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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.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
It\u2019s time for Fair Park to start generating revenue<\/a>, Dallas park department leaders say, with a new hotel, retail or restaurants. On Monday, they made their case to people in South Dallas.\u00a0 The meeting\u00a0was\u00a0the first of two, with a second expected\u00a0May 12\u00a0at Vista Bank on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.\u00a0Dallas\u00a0has been\u00a0working to improve<\/a> the 277-acre, city-owned fairgrounds after taking over management responsibilities in September and scrambling to secure new contracts after a\u00a0tense split from\u00a0the\u00a0previous operator<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Fair Park also has tens of millions in\u00a0deferred maintenance<\/a>\u00a0costs. 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\u00a0a\u00a0multimillion-dollar shortfall<\/a>. This development would be privately funded, officials said.\u00a0 Dallas leaders look to the future<\/p>\n Jenkins said when the opportunity came for the city to manage Fair Park, the team understood how much the site means to Dallas.\u00a0 Related:\u00a0Dallas moves to curb impact of Fair Park concert noise after complaints<\/a>\u00a0 \u201cWe have momentum built for things that are already going on,\u201d\u00a0Bazaldua said,\u00a0\u201cbut we have a clear plan for how we can elevate this even more.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Related: Fair Park gets green light for community park in South Dallas in Dallas City Council vote<\/a>\u00a0 Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Dallas Park and Recreation Senior Deputy Director Ryan O\u2019Connor 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.<\/p>\n Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n \u00a0 Community questions effort<\/p>\n At the meeting Monday, attendees shared their memories of when they felt Fair Park\u00a0was well\u00a0cared for. They also aired their concerns about increased traffic or how the State\u00a0Fair would\u00a0function without as many parking spaces. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Related: Fair Park\u2019s former operator seeking $5 million in damages, says Dallas breached contract<\/a>\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re focusing a lot on the inside of Fair Park. What about around?\u201d asked\u00a0Gisela Vasquez, who lives nearby. \u201cAs soon as that community park was announced, people were like \u2018Oh, hell no. I\u2019m not going,\u2019 because we know what\u2019s around here.\u201d<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Having more people at Fair Park would positively\u00a0impact\u00a0security, O\u2019Connor said,\u00a0adding\u00a0that\u00a0\u201cthere\u2019s\u00a0a better opportunity for some of those elements that you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0find\u00a0desirable\u00a0to\u00a0kind of move\u00a0on.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
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Neighbors\u00a0drove through\u00a0areas\u00a0that\u00a0fill up with\u00a0picnic tables and\u00a0crowds\u00a0during the State Fair of Texas, parked\u00a0beside the Midway and headed up to the\u00a0sixth\u00a0floor of the\u00a0newly renovated Cotton Bowl<\/a>\u00a0to weigh\u00a0in.\u00a0They wanted to know how new development\u00a0will\u00a0impact\u00a0the area.\u00a0
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\u201cOne thing that we\u2019re going to get right this time, we\u2019re not going to leave the surrounding community behind,\u201d said John Jenkins, the city\u2019s park department director.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\u201cWho is managing the evergreen strategy for the venue and the surrounding area?\u201d asked Christopher Weiss, the former Cedars Neighborhood Association<\/a> president. \u201cI\u2019ll say this bluntly. I feel the city of Dallas has no ability to do long-term planning, hasn\u2019t shown a skill for doing so, and it\u2019s desperately needed.\u201d\u00a0
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Park department leaders said this time, they want to get it right with Fair Park.<\/p>\n
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\u201cSometimes 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,\u201d Jenkins said.<\/p>\n
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In recent months, park department leaders have\u00a0touted the improvements to the fairgrounds<\/a>, including launching a weekly market, performing major repairs to HVAC systems\u00a0and upgrading landscaping.
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Though\u00a0Fair Park has\u00a0faced turbulence,\u00a0there is optimism,\u00a0said Adam Bazaldua, the City Council representative for the area.<\/p>\n
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The new development would go\u00a0alongside\u00a0a\u00a0long-awaited community park<\/a> 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\u00a0Fitzhugh\u00a0Avenue,\u00a0largely utilized\u00a0during the State Fair.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\u2019Connor, senior deputy park department director.\u00a0\u00a0
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He added that after its meeting next week, the\u00a0city would have a \u201ccall for concepts,\u201d\u00a0like the\u00a0one for\u00a0City Hall.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n
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