The strategy calls for more residents, trees, sidewalks and bike lanes in the downtown core. NBC 5’s David Goins has the details.
Dallas leaders are laying out a new vision for the city's downtown core, with a goal of doubling the number of people who live there over the next decade.
Downtown Dallas Inc. shared its Downtown Vision 2036 plan Thursday during the State of Downtown. The strategy focuses on growth and economic development, including connecting popular areas such as the Farmers Market and Arts District with more walkability and green space.
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WATCH HERE“This is about big ideas; it is about bold action,” Chris Beynon of IMG said.
Jennifer Scripps said the plan provides a starting point for work in the years ahead.
“No plan is ever perfect, but it gives a really great first wave of work for the next couple of years,” Scripps said.
Scripps said work on the future of downtown began a few weeks after AT&T announced last January that it would move its headquarters to Plano.
“That was definitely the kick in the pants to get it started,” Scripps said.
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The vision also calls for continued improvements to key north-south corridors, including St. Paul and Harwood streets.
“We need to go in and plant more trees, and make more gracious sidewalks and bike lanes – and make that a place people want to make that walk, and connect it,” Scripps said.
For Gino Batala, who has spent 30 years at the corner of San Jacinto and Harwood as the owner of Carmine’s Pizza, change is nothing new.
“Downtown Dallas has changed a lot,” Batala said.
Batala welcomed the ideas outlined in the new plan.
“It’s a good idea that’s good for the community. They think about improving this area,” Batala said.
The key now, Batala said, is turning those plans into action. He hopes to see at least some of the improvements before he retires from serving slices, likely sometime in the next decade.
“That’s what life is about: progress and new things, new ideas,” Batala said.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.
