Developers push new plan for roads to encircle arena Houston Street extension, more lanes could ease access
06/14/98
By Robert Ingrassia / The Dallas Morning NewsDevelopers of Dallas' planned sports arena are pitching a new road plan intended to provide easier access to the site from the West End and Uptown. They propose encircling the arena and a nearby plaza with two four-lane roads rather than sandwiching the facility between a six-lane divided road and Stemmons Freeway, as originally planned.
"We want to create a very pedestrian-friendly environment," said arena architect David Schwarz, who suggested the couplet idea in his design bid. City officials, who learned of the plan just days ago, said they don't yet know how much the couplet would cost or how well it would handle the arena's traffic needs or those of the surrounding neighborhood. "We do think there's some real possibilities," said public works director David Dybala. "Certainly, traffic circulation for the rest of the neighborhood would have to be provided for, and there are ways of doing that."
Officials also said the couplet idea would delay the road plan several months, but they added that the city still plans to meet its goal of completing Houston Street by June 2000. The City Council will hear about the plan Wednesday. On June 24, the council is scheduled to approve a bond sale that will raise the city's $125 million share of the $230 million arena, raise hotel taxes to help pay the debt and begin condemning land for parking. The road plan would extend Houston Street north from Ross Avenue, under Woodall Rodgers Freeway and past the arena site, to Hi Line Drive. Initial plans called for a six-lane divided road along the arena's east side. Last week, however, arena developers approached the city with the couplet concept, which would have Houston Street split just north of Woodall Rodgers into two one-way roads that would rejoin north of the arena. Dallas attorney Tom Luce, who helped negotiate the arena deal on behalf of Dallas Mavericks owner Ross Perot Jr., said the couplet would present less of a barrier to pedestrians. Mr. Luce said that developers are not asking the council to approve the new plan, only consider it. The Houston Street extension and related roadwork have been a controversial part of the arena deal between the city and the Arena Group, a partnership between the Mavericks, Dallas Stars, Mr. Perot's Hillwood Development Corp. and an investment firm controlled by Stars owner Tom Hicks.
The city's master plan previously called for the extension to be a four-lane road that would cost about $12 million. But to serve an arena, planners said, the road would have to be six lanes, which would cost about $20 million. In the arena deal, the city agreed to pay for the four lanes it originally planned, and Hillwood Development agreed to pay for the rest. The deal called for the city to reimburse Hillwood through a special tax district that funnels increased property taxes to public improvements. Arena documents sent to the council this weekend don't include a cost estimate for the couplet idea. But city officials state that even if the road's costs increase, the city's contribution to Houston Street will remain $12.5 million. That total includes the $11.2 million that voters approved in a May 2 bond election, plus 1995 bond money and Dallas Water Utilities funds.
Mr. Dybala said the couplet's cost could be "slightly higher" than the original six-lane Houston Street plan. Arena officials said they have not developed a cost estimate. Central Dallas Association president Larry Fonts said he has not seen the Arena Group's new idea for Houston Street. But he expressed support for any plan that would tie downtown to the arena site. Arena officials have said they hope to complete the arena by fall 2000, though Mr. Perot has warned that the Arena Group will not cut corners to meet that goal.
Preliminary plans that arena officials developed put a proposed DART rail line along the west side of the site. Some city leaders and DART officials have said a rail line along the east side could better serve the neighborhood.
The city plans to repay its $125 million arena debt with higher car-rental and hotel-room taxes that voters approved Jan. 17 and $3.4 million in annual rent that the Arena Group will pay. Council members levied the 5 percentage point increase in car-rental taxes in February. The council is set to put the 2 percentage point hike in hotel taxes in effect June 24.
Council members also are scheduled to authorize the condemnation of 7.5 acres of land near the arena on June 24. City appraisals put the land's value at $4.2 million. Hillwood Development, which has bought 56 acres in the area, has been unable to reach a deal for the remaining tracts, which include a grain-elevator structure and a recycling plant. The properties are under contract to Invervest Companies. Under the arena deal, Hillwood has agreed to reimburse the city for the price of the land and any legal costs associated with the condemnation.
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