I am back from the Park Road development. When reading about this thing, I was under the impression that it was a TOD (Transit Oriented Development). I now realize that the term is used loosely. A couple of the articles that I read, including one from DART, celebrated this new 750 million dollar development, stating that it would be a catylist for change in the Five Points area and along Park Road. Some readers posting on 'Unfair Park' were quick to remind readers that the area has had the greatest number of violent crimes in Dallas for the last couple of years. The areas on the other side of the tracks (literally) from the development thus far look unchanged. Of course, the development is new and change takes time.
I had read that there would be some kind of connection between the Park Lane station and this new development, that some kind of walkway would connect directly to a plaza or mezzanine. No such connection exists, and there was no sign of a connection being built. Instead, pedestrians get to cross Park Lane on foot, and walk back under the tracks to a drive in front of a parking garage.
The development seems to diminish its' own presence, and the interior where most of the shops and restaraunts will be is not directly accessible. As an anecdote, when I was leaving the office to travel to the location, my coworker asked me where this development was, to which I replied "the big parking garage with apartments across from the mall."Initially I found my self wandering the art school campus that was left in tact, which was private and unassuming. There were no straight paths or views out to the surrounding area. After walking through pleasantly shaded plazas on the campus, I finnaly arrived at the main street of the development.
The buildings are handsome, a kind of post modern style with a splash of Texas Hill Country chic. from every building and frontage rose the tops of parking structures. Being a self-styled post modernist myself, I appreciated the honesty and dimantling of the myth that the store facades created. Most of the shops were vacant, though the Dick's Sporting Goods was open, as well as a Nordstrom Rack. The steet scape was very nice, every detail seemed appropriate down to the benches, planters and street lights. The street plan is essentially a crucifix, with the long leg parallel to Highway 70, and the short leg dying abruptly at the dart rail. It was strange to see such a dense fabric stop dead at the tracks. It was almost like a clif's edge that you dare not cross.
With no shortage of parking available, it seems as though public transportation was the last thought on the developer's mind. Just about every acre not occupied by street housed a parking garage of some order. Also, I noticed no shuttles running between the Northpark Mall and PRD. Perhaps the service simply hasn't started yet, or maybe there isn't enough yet to see in PRD to justify the expense. Overall, the development was nice, but the pedestrian approach is uncerimonious to say the least. I suppose that a TOD is nothing more than something you wouldn't mind walking to from a train station. By that logic, the arts district could be considered a TOD, or any other number of developments.
Perhaps I am jaded, but judging by this development, 750 million dollars doesn't buy much in the way of a great development.
I had read that there would be some kind of connection between the Park Lane station and this new development, that some kind of walkway would connect directly to a plaza or mezzanine. No such connection exists, and there was no sign of a connection being built. Instead, pedestrians get to cross Park Lane on foot, and walk back under the tracks to a drive in front of a parking garage.
The development seems to diminish its' own presence, and the interior where most of the shops and restaraunts will be is not directly accessible. As an anecdote, when I was leaving the office to travel to the location, my coworker asked me where this development was, to which I replied "the big parking garage with apartments across from the mall."Initially I found my self wandering the art school campus that was left in tact, which was private and unassuming. There were no straight paths or views out to the surrounding area. After walking through pleasantly shaded plazas on the campus, I finnaly arrived at the main street of the development.
The buildings are handsome, a kind of post modern style with a splash of Texas Hill Country chic. from every building and frontage rose the tops of parking structures. Being a self-styled post modernist myself, I appreciated the honesty and dimantling of the myth that the store facades created. Most of the shops were vacant, though the Dick's Sporting Goods was open, as well as a Nordstrom Rack. The steet scape was very nice, every detail seemed appropriate down to the benches, planters and street lights. The street plan is essentially a crucifix, with the long leg parallel to Highway 70, and the short leg dying abruptly at the dart rail. It was strange to see such a dense fabric stop dead at the tracks. It was almost like a clif's edge that you dare not cross.
With no shortage of parking available, it seems as though public transportation was the last thought on the developer's mind. Just about every acre not occupied by street housed a parking garage of some order. Also, I noticed no shuttles running between the Northpark Mall and PRD. Perhaps the service simply hasn't started yet, or maybe there isn't enough yet to see in PRD to justify the expense. Overall, the development was nice, but the pedestrian approach is uncerimonious to say the least. I suppose that a TOD is nothing more than something you wouldn't mind walking to from a train station. By that logic, the arts district could be considered a TOD, or any other number of developments.
Perhaps I am jaded, but judging by this development, 750 million dollars doesn't buy much in the way of a great development.
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