Did you know Dallas is considered a skatepark desert?
As a city of 1.2 million, there's only one skatepark across the entire city. For context, San Antonio has 16, Houston has eight and even Fort Worth has four.
As popularity in skateboarding grows and more families move to the city, Dallas city leaders are working to meet demands.
Plans for a 12,000 square foot skatepark are in the works in the crucial neighborhood of Oak Cliff, which has a rapidly growing skate community.
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"In my last year of doing a little bit of research for skateparks, I found out there's tons of skaters in Oak Cliff, which we didn't know,” said JR Huerta, Dallas Park and Recreation board member for District 1.
He’s part of the driving force for the new skatepark, teaming up with the city councilman Chad West of District 1 to make it happen.
“Staff told us that there's a need for up to 15 skate parks in the city because of the demand for it,” said West. “We came out to the community first. We want to make sure the Oak Cliff community wanted it. And when we heard overwhelmingly that they did, we we're like, well where do we want to put it?”
Westmoreland Park, in the heart of Oak Cliff, is a targeted location for the project. The park is near multiple bus stops, a 10-minute walk from the nearest DART station and at the end of the Five-Mile Creek trail. It will be designed for “all-wheels” which means those on bikes, scooters and roller skates can use it as well.
"This park has several acres but it's also a park that has been neglected and really not had any money put into it really since its inception in the 1950s. We have a pavilion over here that came in the 80s, but other than that, not a lot has been done to this park,” said West. “This is an opportunity for us to do something really special down here and meet a need that the city has yet to meet."
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He added that skateparks in particular can help keep kids focused on a meaningful hobby and out of trouble for trespassing.
"When you talk to commercial property owners, a lot of people complain about skateboarders messing up the railings on staircases or planting beds,” said West. “And the reason why is they don't have anywhere to go. They have one park in the entire city and it's in East Dallas."
Currently, Lakeland Hills Skatepark in East Dallas is the only designated public skatepark in the entire city for skaters. That’s a good 30 minute or more commute by car for anyone from other corners of the city. And while there are skateparks in other cities like Grand Prairie, Addison or even further north in Collin County – it’s not easy for kids or teenagers to safely access without a vehicle or a long train commute.
Aside from the Oak Cliff project, there is a huge, 45,650 square foot skatepark being built at Bachman Lake near Love Field. This project is further along and construction is slated to begin this year but there is no set date on when it will open. This particular location has a history of being the center of the Dallas skate scene in the 1980s when it featured the “Clown Ramp”— known for its pinball machine-like light up features.
Oak Cliff’s skatepark is still in the very beginning stages and the biggest hurdle to clear right now is funding. The park is estimated to cost about $800,000.
Half of that is being privately fundraised by the city and other organizations while Dallas' Parks and Recreation department has committed to matching the rest.
"Our goal is just to get it built if the community wants it and is willing in getting behind it,” said Huerta. “And it's our goal for our kids to have something to do."
It could take a couple of years to get the project to groundbreaking but there's hope for a corporate sponsor to help bring this skatepark to a reality sooner than later.
“My hope is that we can raise up to $400,000 in this next year, ideally securing one sponsor to do most of that. In Fort Worth, they raised money from Dickies who came in as the naming rights sponsor for a brand new skate park and then matching funds from the city. I hope what we have a corporate entity here in Dallas that's willing to step up and do that for this park, to discuss naming rights, and to help us with the design work.”
West said when the 2024 bond election comes up next year, there could also be more possible funding sources for this project and potentially more funding for skateparks in the years to come in Dallas.
Huerta helped host a recent design input session with the community through the help of two designers from design and construction firm New Line Skateparks, which has helped build several across DFW.
Several skaters and community members showed up to give their ideas, as seen in pictures posted by the nonprofit Skateparks for Dallas. The organization currently has a donation link on its website to support the Oak Cliff Project.
“It was surprising to me how many people came to the community meeting passionate about it, even people who weren't skateboarders, but they realized that this is a growing industry for kids, a growing sport,” he said. “We actually had 15 middle school kids show up with their skateboards actively participated. They were excited about it. And that's just, that's just really special, you know?”
The next step is to go over design pitches from the consultant and for the city to host more community meetings.
