About $390 million will be directed to the redevelopment of Hensley Field after Dallas officials have agreed to turn the hidden gem to a walkable community according to a Dallas Morning News article. They say,
“A 20-year plan to redevelop Hensley Field, a 738-acre site of a closed naval air station on Mountain Creek Lake in southwest Dallas, into a new mixed-use neighborhood received the green light from the City Council on Wednesday.
It’s estimated to cost around $390 million to turn the city-owned property into a new walkable community with more than 6,800 new homes, over 12,000 jobs, new parks and waterfront trails, a marina, a possible film studio and other amenities. The master plan, developed by the city’s planning and urban design office and Austin-based design firm McCann Adams Studio, calls for the work to be done in three phases and suggests tax-increment financing as a way to pay for public infrastructure and other improvement costs.
That’s estimated to raise between $198 million to $243 million in property tax revenue over 20 years. A combination of bond money, federal infrastructure grants, American Rescue Plan Act money and other financing methods are suggested as ways to make up the rest of the cost.
Both city officials and the planners of Hensley Field are quite excited to turn the place around according to a Dallas Innovates article which says,
“Peer Chacko, director of planning and urban design for the city of Dallas, said last year that the site could become more than just another development.
“This site represents a huge opportunity for creating what would really amount to a small town,” Chacko told D Magazine. “I don’t think its potential can be overstated. For Southern Dallas, which has been under-invested in for decades, this represents a huge opportunity if the city plays its cards right.”
With the master plan now approved, Dallas City Council members are excited about where it will all lead.
“This is one of the greatest projects that’s going to happen in the future of the city,” said Jaynie Schultz, a council member representing District 11, according to CBS DFW.
“Now we have an opportunity to make something beautiful of this location,” said Council Member Casey Thomas, whose district includes Hensley Field, according to the DMN. “It’s almost like a blank canvas.”
In the past, Hensley Field was utilized as an Army Air Corps training based and was known as the Dallas Naval Air Station until it was decommissioned back in 1998.
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