UP Address Focuses on Shopping Center Projects
University Park Mayor Tommy Stewart’s state of the city address featured a discussion about projects in major shopping centers in the city in the works for 2023.
The city recently wrapped up replacing water and sanitary sewer utilities in and around Snider Plaza and city officials are working on finalizing plans for new pavement, landscaping, pedestrian amenities, and more around the shopping center. Before construction on those projects can begin, Stewart said the city has to address right-of-way issues and parking management issues with property owners in Snider Plaza. He hopes that work will begin this summer.
“We’ve got some obstacles to overcome from some right-of-way issues that we need to get from some of the owners, and we’ve a public improvement district that we’d like to set up to handle the parking there in Snider Plaza,” Stewart said. “It’s something in progress and we think it’s a doable part of the project that needs to be done.”
Plans are also in the works for another local shopping destination – the stretch of Lovers Lane between the Dallas North Tollway and Douglas Avenue known as the Miracle Mile.
Construction plans are about 60% for road work, landscaping, intersection and traffic signal light improvements, and more. That project will be 50% funded by Dallas County. Stewart said he hopes that work can begin by the end of this year or the first quarter of next year.
As for stormwater projects, following the completion of large projects like a 3.5 million-gallon underground detention structure in Caruth Park, Stewart said the city will next turn its attention to an area at Lovers Lane along Turtle Creek.
“That section is going to be a problem section because of the flooding that goes on there, and to do that work and get that area … where it doesn’t flood it’s going to be about a $70 million project, so that’s one that we’re going to ask the engineers to break up into smaller projects,” Stewart said.
