Pan African Connection Bookstore and Art Gallery owner Akwete Tyehimba has been connected to the Oak Cliff neighborhood for a long time.
"It is a project that I think will be unique to Dallas,” Pan African Connection owner Akwete Tyehimba said. “I've never seen anything like it before."
She's excited to see plans for a 63-acre, mixed-use and affordable housing development. She's on the board of advisors making sure it includes residents’ input.
"With the cultural intentions and esthetics of the African American community,” Tyehimba said. It will not be exclusive of anyone, but it will definitely be designed with our culture, our needs and our future for our children."
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"We are building 300 homes, a cultural center, green space, we have plans for a boutique hotel, and a business retail commercial strip or center in there," Oak Cliff Community Investment Fund managing Partner Joe Estelle said.
Oak Cliff Community Investment Fund is the group behind the project called The Parks at Oak Cliff. It will be located off Simpson Stuart road just north of I-20 in southern Dallas.
He says the housing will be kept affordable through subsidies and down payment assistance programs. He added this will help build up the community.
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"We want to create long-term wealth within the underserved community,” Estelle said. “So, we are consistent about creating the opportunity for home ownership."
Estelle says community input includes other amenities for the area.
"We have green space that's in there so we can have outdoor activities,” Estelle said. “We have a walkable space. And then also we wanted to have a health clinic or healthcare facility included within this space."
Groundbreaking of the residential first phase could start by spring of 2023.
"I think it will set not just the community but Dallas apart in general,” Tyehimba said. “But it will show people that we can be in control of our own destiny."
To learn more about the project click here.
