Trinity River development project is praised, panned 300 attend 1st day of forum on $1.2 billion plan The Dallas Morning News October 29, 1999 Author: Robert Ingrassia; Staff Writer of The Dallas Morning News Estimated printed pages: 3 More than 300 people navigated the twists and turns of Dallas' Trinity River project at a public conference Thursday, diving into the endeavor's details and suggesting ways to make the plan work for their neighborhoods. The forum drew business owners, social service advocates, environmentalists, community leaders and residents curious about the proposed $1.2 billion plan to develop the river and to improve downtown traffic. "You can feel the momentum building for the Trinity River," said conference participant Hector Garcia, chairman of Dallas' City Plan Commission. The conference, which continues Friday at the Bronco Bowl in Oak Cliff, reflected the divisions that have dogged the river plan for years. Supporters said they were eager to see the project move forward, while people who oppose parts of it - particularly a proposed toll highway along the river - questioned city planners and other officials about potential environmental damage. The Dallas Plan, a civic group that helped develop parts of the Trinity plan and endorsed a $246 million river bond issue in May 1998, organized the conference. During the next 15 years, the city intends to extend flood-control levees into southern and northwest Dallas, build a 10-mile toll road along the river, create at least one recreational lake near downtown and open a forest preserve. An extension of Woodall Rodgers Freeway over the river and projects to improve the downtown freeway hub also are included in the plan. Support for opposition Opponents found a kindred spirit in Lou Verner, an urban biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department who was one of the conference's featured speakers. Mr. Verner said a proposed series of lakes and promenades along the river near downtown would do nothing to restore the river's natural environment. "They're talking about a chain of lakes, but what do you see? A highway and turf and trees," he said. "It's the traditional urban pond. Is that going to solve the problem? No." Joanne Hill, who helped found the community group Friends of the Trinity River, said she wished city officials had heard that message. "But it's not even on their radar screen," she said. The officials Ms. Hill wanted to influence were across the hall in another conference room. As Mr. Verner spoke, the city's Trinity River director and a city-hired consultant were outlining plans for lakes, suspension bridges, trails and a forest preserve along the river. Consultant Jim Carrillo, planning director for the Dallas engineering and planning firm Halff Associates, said the Trinity project includes the type of environmental restoration and preservation that Mr. Verner advocated. "There are 20 miles of corridor, and well over half of it is a forest preserve," he said. "But we do have a floodway near downtown and you can't just go in and re-create a forest in a floodway." History's important, too Some of the conference attendees looked back to gain a perspective on the river's future. Mamie McKnight, chairwoman of the city's Landmark Commission, said the stories behind communities along the river should be gathered and preserved. "If we don't document the history of the communities, then the history of this city will always be incomplete," she said. Denise Fowler, a resident of the Joppa neighborhood in east Oak Cliff, said her predominantly black community enjoys a rich history but has many needs. "We need park and recreation," she said. "We need basketball goals. We need housing. We need better code enforcement." Keynote speaker Andrew Sansom, the Texas park agency's executive director, said Dallas can develop nature-based tourism through the proposed Great Trinity Forest preserve in southern Dallas. He urged the city to take advantage of a new state law allowing some sales taxes on sporting goods to be diverted to environmental projects. "That's an opportunity you must not lose as you move forward," Mr. Sansom said. Mr. Sansom said Dallas shouldn't expect the state to declare the forest a state park, an idea that city officials have favored in recent years as a way to pay for the preserve. "By assuming it's someone else's job, then it'll never get done," he said. Friday's sessions will focus on community revitalization, economic development and transit issues. Small work groups will suggest short-term projects to aid their communities. The conference, which runs from 9:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., is open to the public. It is free, although the Dallas Plan is asking for a $25 donation from those who can afford it. The A.H. Belo Corp. Foundation, an entity founded by Dallas Morning News publisher Belo Corp., is a lead financial sponsor of the forum. Other lead sponsors include Adam's Mark Hotel, Bronco Bowl Entertainment Center and Neiman Marcus. Caption: PHOTO(S): (The Dallas Morning News: Randy Eli Grothe) Mamie McKnight, the chairwoman of the city's Landmark Commission, says the history of the communities along the Trinity River should be gathered and preserved. Edition: THIRD Section: NEWS Page: 36A Copyright 1999 The Dallas Morning News Record Number: 4095761