Dallas real estate broker Randall Turner wants to shutdown Dallas Love Field and build the "Texas Riviera" in its place, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Turner put together a plan that calls for the land at the airport to be transformed into housing, office parks, a river walk, minor league baseball park and other entertainment venues.
"The Texas Riviera could be one of the greatest projects in Texas of all time," Turner told the Dallas Morning News. Turner is chief executive of Dallas-based Harvard Companies. "I see no negatives whatsoever. Sure, it would be painful to move Southwest Airlines. But in the long term, it'd benefit everybody."
Under the plan, Southwest Airlines would relocate its operations to Dallas Executive Airport in the city's southern sector.
Turner wrote Mayor Tom Leppert that he has interested parties and is pursuing a partnership with the Walt Disney company. Turner said the Texas Riviera would add more than $100 million in new revenue to the city and create 30,000 new jobs.
Council member Angela Hunt gave a flat out "no" when asked if the city considered closing Love Field. "I don't see this riviera idea as viable. The city is investing too much money in Love Field. We're too far down the road," Hunt said in the report.
"Every issue can be overcome. We need to be willing to work together. And we're looking for the support of the public in doing this," Turner said. "It's a process. But we're envisioning this as a project for the masses, which is why we're appealing to the masses to get behind us."
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