Dallas wants to build its own Central Park

A planned 20-acre park will be a centerpiece of a massive tourist attraction at the Valley View mall site in North Dallas.

• City officials refer to the new hypothetical area as an "international district."

Why it matters: The park would increase access to green space for residents in the area and serve as a tourist draw, city staff told council members during an economic development committee briefing Monday.

What they’re saying: "Think Chicago and Millennium Park or Central Park in New York City," Social Impact Architects CEO Suzanne Smith told committee members during the briefing.

Driving the news: The city purchased a property on Peterson Lane last year as part of the plan to buy five parcels of land for the park development.

• "This is a really exciting thing that’s gonna happen," council member Omar Narvaez said at the time, according to People Newspapers.

Flashback: Dallas City Council adopted a strategic plan for the redevelopment of the mall and the surrounding area in 2013.

• But those plans stalled with the delay of the final demolition of the mall, which was left partially torn down in 2017. The mall was demolished in 2019.

The big picture: The planned park would be just one part of a larger redevelopment stretching from the Galleria to the Valley View site, north of Interstate 635.

• Only 14% of North Dallas residents currently have a park within a 10-minute walk from their homes.

Yes, but: The project, which has been planned since Iron Man 3 was in theaters, is still a long way away from being completed. And there are still properties yet to be bought to make way for the development.