Trinity River Development plans

The Trinity River Project has stirred up enough controversy--especially on the subjects of the riverside freeway and the expense of three Calatrava signature bridges--to occupy its own full-time blog. The aims of the $1.2 billion project include erection of the new bridge crossings at I-30, I-35 and Woodall Rodger Freeway, development of a combination of parks and wetlands in the basin, improved flood water management mechanisms, a nature center, hiking and biking trails, an equestrian center, and a new tollway. One of the anticipated benefits of the overhaul of the Trinity River basin is increased development on both sides of the levees. A special article in D Magazine last year outlined the significant expectations linked to the project.

"This project is a life-changing event for the City of Dallas," says Dallas City Councilman Ed Oakley, who chairs the Council's Trinity River Committee. "We're taking what is a drainage ditch that moves our storm water, our sanitary sewer, our electric, our gas, and making it into an amenity that improves our safety and connects us back to Oak Cliff and West Dallas. If you do it right, 20 years from today people will look back and say, 'Gosh, this really did change Dallas."'

Already Oak Cliff has seen the opening of the well-received Belmont Hotel, an influx of restaurants and new boutiques into the Bishop Arts district. New projects offering a mix of residential and commercial spaces have been announced near Methodist Hospital. Two of the first new wave developments are now nearing completion: the Lake Cliff Tower condominiums and the Trinity Townhomes. Both boast upscale modern aesthetics and are sited close to the action with downtown views to kill for.