The Trinity Trust staff, working closely with the City of Dallas and a team of consultants, has developed the Balanced Vision Plan. Review this document to learn more about the long-range plans for the Trinity River.

 

The Trinity River has shaped Dallas throughout its history; today Dallas’ investments in and along the river are shaping its future. The current plans for revitalization of the Trinity River and its surrounding communities are the result of work that began in the early 1990’s. When the City of Dallas adopted its long-range plan in 1994, the Trinity River Corridor was identified as one of only six strategic initiatives that were critical to shaping the Dallas of the 21st century. The Dallas Plan’s policies emphasize the importance of addressing all key issues – flood protection, transportation, community and economic development, recreation and open space, and environmental restoration – in a coordinated way. These recommendations were supported by the work of the Trinity River Corridor Citizens Committee, a large group of citizens who made recommendations for action in each of these areas that were accepted by City Council in 1995. Since then, individual aspects of the Trinity’s revitalization have been the subject of detailed plans, including:

 

• The Trinity Parkway was evaluated through a Major Investment Study completed in 1997 and an Environmental Impact Statement process still underway.

• Improvements to the I-30 Canyon and the Mixmaster, also included in the Major Investment Study, are the subject of the Project Pegasus design study begun in 2001 and still underway.

• A Master Plan for the Great Trinity Forest was completed in 1997.

• A Lake and Recreational Amenities Master Implementation Plan was completed in 1998.

• A Moore Park Master Plan was completed in 2001.

• Flood protection issues have been examined through the Dallas Floodway Extension study, the Upper Trinity River Feasibility Study and the Elm Fork Floodplain Management Study.

• Community and economic development has been evaluated through Community Action Conferences in 1998 and 1999, an Urban Land Institute study of the Oak Cliff Gateway in 2001, and the Comprehensive Land Use and Urban Design Study begun in 2000 and soon to be adopted by the Dallas City Council.

 

Funding for these projects has come from a variety of sources. Importantly, under the leadership of Mayor Ron Kirk, the citizens of Dallas approved a $246 million bond proposition in 1998 for Trinity River projects. Additional state and federal funding, as well as private donations, have supported the projects noted above.

 

The desire to ensure that individual projects would contribute to the best possible overall Trinity revitalization effort led to the Trinity River Urban Design and Transportation Study in 2002. This privately-funded study reviewed past work and recommended a “Balanced Vision Plan” that would integrate and balance all the major objectives for the corridor. This plan was adopted by City Council in December 2003. It provides the overall framework for design and construction of capital projects as well as private investment and community initiatives. As this plan becomes reality, the Trinity River will again be a major identifying feature for Dallas – as the center of the area’s most desirable place to live, work and play.