Philip Neeley is a senior landscape architect with the urban design and planning office of Carter & Burgess.

Public-Private Partnerships Can Accelerate Project Development

By Philip Neeley

The revitalization of downtown Dallas offers an example of how public-private partnerships can allow the development of projects that otherwise might not be feasible.

Public-private partnerships have experienced a renewed interest from local, state and federal governments. City officials and private developers are realizing, more than ever, that these partnerships can offer a way to develop projects that would otherwise not be feasible using separate resources.

The key to success, however, is well-coordinated planning. Private-public partnerships don't just happen overnight; all participants must share common goals and be willing to compromise to achieve those goals. Therefore, having both parties committed to making the partnership work is critical, and that commitment must come from all sides.

While many public-private partnerships are typically generated by a public agency, some, such as the city of Dallas Downtown Parks Master Plan, originate within the private sector.

Dallas is in the process of trying to reestablish its downtown as an active economic engine drawing businesses, residents and tourists. Downtown assets include the West End, Farmer's Market, a renowned Arts District, historic hotels, the largest convention center in the region and dozens of corporate headquarters. Given these resources, city leaders and private corporations such as Belo Corp. are working together to revitalize the downtown area and make it more pedestrian friendly.

The original concept involved Belo Corp. founder George Bannerman Dealey, who possessed a real passion for urban planning.

Dealey, along with other Dallas leaders, was instrumental in recruiting George Kessler, a nationally renowned landscape architect, to develop a long-range plan for the city.

The plan envisioned straightening crooked and narrow downtown streets, providing floodway improvements along the Trinity River and creating a network of parkways and boulevards across Dallas. But like so many plans, it sat on the shelf-thought to be too aggressive and futuristic at the time of its conception. But that didn't stop Dealey and other city leaders who contracted with Dahl to design Union Station and Ferris Plaza.

Then when the Dallas Morning News moved in across from Union Station, Dealey again had Dahl come in and design the new façade to continue the vision established with the railroad station and park design.

The Dallas Morning News and its parent company, Belo Corp., have maintained a sense of civic pride and have continued to promote urban planning.

The company has helped to build parks and plazas, which house major pieces of outdoor art and maintains those properties after donating them to the city. Belo has also converted some of its surface parking areas to parks while enhancing the streetscape environment of others.

When the city of Dallas Park and Recreation Department developed the Renaissance Plan, a long-range plan for its park system, downtown was targeted for another "signature" park.

The city worked with Carter & Burgess for a year and a half to create the Renaissance Plan. To prepare the Downtown Parks Master Plan, Carter & Burgess brought in Hargreaves Associates and Chan Krieger & Associates as recognized design firms for projects in urban settings. The city also brought in a leading economist to study economic impacts of the downtown parks and determine which sites would be most likely to accelerate renovation and new development. Based on the overall study, the design team and the steering committee chose three core park sites, ranging from 1.5 to 3 acres.

A longer-term development within the master plan was a Central Park of sorts for Dallas, ranging between 20 to 40 acres. This larger park will include ball fields, meadows, trees and other park amenities while attracting events and downtown celebrations.

If the Cowboys win another Super Bowl, for example, that large park would be the perfect place for the city to celebrate. Dallas anticipates the large park will encourage even more development of residential units downtown and indicates that they already have a corporate partner considering investing $5 to $7 million to match the city.

The city should have one park completed within the next two or three years. Once the first park is finished, the city will seek funding for the next one. The total cost for the four smaller parks is estimated at about $40 to $50 million including acquisition, demolition and development of urban parks space.

Only a few weeks after presenting the master plan, the city of Dallas had partners in both the public and private sectors stepping forward with proposals.