Residents Weigh In On Project For Old Texas Stadium Site
IRVING (CBSDFW.COM) - Residents of Irving get a say about what to do with what's left of an iconic landmark that was literally blown away. The city plans to hold a town hall meeting Monday night to discuss the land where Texas Stadium once stood.
"That site is obviously a jewel in the Metroplex," according to Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne. "It's got a lot of play right now because of what used to be there. But we want it to have a phenomenal future as well."
Mayor Van Duyne is excited about what is now merely a staging area for TX-DOT equipment. But its 78-acres of prime land sits halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth, halfway between the area's two major airports, along a DART rail line, and where a million cars pass by every day. Van Duyne believes the need is great. "We're supposed to double our population within the next 30 years. We're going to have to have some place for those people to live, eat, and shop," she told CBS 11 News.
Questions of what to put there were asked even before the walls came tumbling down. Last week 70 urban professionals and architects met with San Diego, California, developer OliverMcMillan with their pitches. Tonight the public gets to weigh in at Irving City Hall.
The closest residents are likely also the most influential neighbors. It's the University of Dallas: 220 acres on the core campus, but it owns another 500 acres nearby. Junior Economics major Jared Thorn says there's definitely a need.
"I'd like to see maybe, like, restaurants or other businesses that open to foot traffic."
The university's executive vice president outlines what the school would like to see. "Office would be ideal, retail, housing is needed in this area," according to Robert Galecke, who adds that providing needed housing and retail would also put new land on property tax rolls and more. "It will be an opportunity for some of our students to have jobs, internships with some of these businesses that might relocate here."
Development is still years away. The public gets input Monday night and at another meeting March 18.
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