Back to Little Elm

Downtown Dallas Deck Park Announces Major Expansion with New Pavilion and Playground

Dallas city leaders announced a $121 million expansion of Klyde Warren Park that will add 1.7 acres, a 24,000-square-foot indoor pavilion, and an extended children's playground, with construction starting later this year.

Tessa Cho

June 29, 20262 min read

Klyde Warren Park expansion — illustration, Jake Team LLC
Klyde Warren Park expansion — illustration, Jake Team LLC

DALLAS, Texas — City leaders announced a $121 million expansion of Klyde Warren Park on Monday, a project that will extend the celebrated deck park nearly two acres westward and add its first indoor event space.

The expansion, dubbed Klyde Warren Park 2.0, will stretch the park from Saint Paul Street to Akard Street with construction expected to begin later this year and wrap up by 2029. The project grew from an original $65 million estimate after bids came in well over budget, reflecting the complexity of building over the Woodall Rodgers Freeway.

At the center of the plan is a 24,000-square-foot indoor pavilion topped with an 8,000-square-foot rooftop terrace offering views toward the Design District and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Park officials said the enclosed space addresses a long-standing problem: roughly 150 days a year of inclement weather — extreme heat or rain — that leaves the park underutilized.

The expansion also includes an extended children's playground, more shaded space for dogs, additional greenspace, an outdoor event plaza west of Akard Street, and room for a winter ice-skating rink.

Funding comes from a mix of public and private sources, including federal, state, and local partners. The park is privately run and self-sustaining, and the indoor pavilion is expected to generate new revenue to support ongoing operations.

"From the very beginning, this space proved that we could take a physical barrier, a literal sunken highway, and turn it into a bridge," Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said. "By expanding this park, we're going to be strengthening our city center, driving economic growth that will generate hundreds of millions in additional tax revenue over time."

Little Elm is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, approximately 35 miles north of downtown Dallas along the Lewisville Lake shoreline.

Sources

NBC 5 DFW — https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-to-share-update-on-klyde-warren-2-0-expansion-project/4041272/

Share

Tessa Cho

Tessa Cho writes about community life, schools, public safety, and local events in Little Elm.

Related Stories

Little Elm

Little Elm Hill Lane Expansion Project Begins

The Town of Little Elm has started the Hill Lane Expansion Project, implementing phased traffic control measures near Oak Grove and Eldorado Parkways.

Tessa ChoJune 29, 20261 min read