Community members gathered Tuesday evening at Vista Bank in South Dallas for a town hall meeting centered around the future of Fair Park, as Dallas Park and Recreation leadership unveiled a long-term revitalization strategy aimed at stabilizing the historic campus through private development, new revenue streams and increased community engagement.

The meeting, titled “Fair Park Revitalization Strategy,” focused heavily on what leadership described as the park’s largest ongoing challenge: sustainable funding.

“This time, we have it right,” John Jenkins, Dallas Park and Recreation Director of 33 years told attendees. “There is no more talking. There is time for action.”

According to Dallas Park and Recreation leadership, the strategy centers around activating underutilized portions of Fair Park — particularly large surface parking lots near the Cotton Bowl — through what the city calls “non-traditional revenue opportunities.”

Potential future uses discussed during the meeting included hotels, structured parking, retail, restaurants, sports venues and multi-purpose entertainment facilities designed to complement Fair Park’s existing cultural footprint.

Leadership emphasized that the proposed development model would rely on private investment rather than direct city funding, with future lease payments and revenue-sharing agreements intended to help fund Fair Park’s long-term maintenance and operations.

“We’ve got to identify new and different revenue sources. The revenues generated from this development would stay in Fair Park. We’re talking about putting those dollars directly back into the buildings, grounds and facilities.” – Ryan O’Connor, Senior Deputy Director for Dallas Park and Recreation

During the presentation, Dallas Park and Recreation leadership acknowledged the scale of Fair Park’s infrastructure needs. Fair Park currently faces approximately $45 million in critical deferred maintenance needs, while the full estimated need across the campus approaches $600 million.

Leadership also outlined several recent improvements already underway across the campus, including HVAC repairs, landscaping enhancements, fountain restoration and expanded event programming.

Throughout the evening, speakers repeatedly acknowledged the frustration many residents have carried over decades of stalled plans and inconsistent leadership surrounding Fair Park redevelopment efforts.

Still, leadership stressed that this latest approach is intended to prioritize both financial sustainability and community inclusion.

“For years, the surrounding community has been left out,” Jenkins said. “Whatever development moves forward, it has to include how it’s going to benefit the surrounding community. That’s not optional.”

Community benefit became one of the meeting’s central themes, with Dallas Park and Recreation leadership repeatedly stating that any future development proposal would be expected to include local hiring opportunities, workforce development initiatives and pathways for small business participation.

During the town hall, Dallas Weekly asked O’Connor directly about the City of Dallas’ long-discussed maintenance issues and how leadership plans to prevent Fair Park from falling back into disrepair.

O’Connor responded that maintenance remains one of the department’s highest priorities and pointed back to the beginning of the presentation, where leadership detailed ongoing repairs and infrastructure improvements already taking place throughout the campus.

However, he emphasized that identifying sustainable revenue is critical to maintaining those efforts long-term.

“We’ve got to identify those dollars in new ways to ensure we’re taking care of Fair Park,” O’Connor said during the discussion.

He also explained that the proposed revenue opportunities are intended to create additional pathways for community involvement beyond just large-scale development.

According to O’Connor, Dallas Park and Recreation leadership plans to launch a dedicated online portal tied to the upcoming “Call for Concepts” process, allowing developers, organizations and community stakeholders to submit proposals, ideas and feedback connected to Fair Park’s future.

Leadership said the portal will serve as both a submission platform for redevelopment concepts and a mechanism for continued community insight throughout the process.

Residents like in attendance also raised questions surrounding parking displacement, neighborhood traffic, pedestrian safety, communication with nearby communities and how future concepts would directly benefit South Dallas residents.

“There’s just never a plan for us. Sometimes I try to turn a corner and there’s an event at Fair Park, and it becomes difficult just to get through my own neighborhood. We need communication. We need notice. We need a way to not feel blocked from our own community every time there’s a major event.”— Shanay Wise, South Dallas resident at the Fair Park Revitalization Strategy town hall

Leadership responded by emphasizing that any future development would be required to complement — not contrast — Fair Park’s historic architecture and identity as a National Historic Landmark.

“It has to have the look and feel of Fair Park,” O’Connor explained. “Not some glass-and-steel structure completely out of place in a historic park.”

Another major focus of the conversation involved year-round activation of Fair Park beyond the annual run of the State Fair of Texas.

Leadership highlighted newer programming efforts, including recurring community markets and expanded event recruitment efforts, as part of a broader strategy to make Fair Park a more active destination throughout the year.

Dallas Park and Recreation leadership also confirmed a newly approved partnership with Visit Dallas aimed at increasing tourism activity, sponsorship opportunities and event bookings across Fair Park facilities.

During the discussion, leadership referenced models such as Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Rose Bowl as examples of public spaces successfully generating sustainable revenue through programming, sponsorships and strategic partnerships.

“We have to figure out the funding source for Fair Park,” Jenkins said. “If we don’t, it’s not going to become the potential that it can be for the next generation.”

Leadership said the next phase of the process will involve launching a public “Call for Concepts” webpage in the coming weeks. The platform will allow developers, organizations and community stakeholders to formally submit ideas for the designated development area.

According to leadership, the submission period is expected to remain open for roughly four weeks before concepts move into additional review and refinement discussions with the Dallas Park Board and Dallas City Council.

While questions and skepticism still remain among some residents, the overall tone of the evening reflected cautious optimism from leadership and community members alike — many of whom agreed that Fair Park can no longer afford another cycle of stalled momentum.

“We’re trying to think outside the box,” Jenkins said. “We’re not returning until we make sure this gets underway.”

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