Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation
HR&A conducted economic impact analysis for the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation to support expansion of Klyde Warren Park, Dallas’ acclaimed 5.2-acre deck park. Our analysis demonstrated $1.3 billion in existing park impact and projected $870 million in additional economic benefits from expansion, helping secure $30 million in public and private funding and catalyzing construction of enhanced park amenities.
ollowing the success of Klyde Warren Park, which spans over the Woodall Rodgers Freeway, the Foundation considered expanding the park by an additional block to improve functionality, activate new development parcels, strengthen connectivity with the city’s arts district, and create opportunities for new attractions. The Foundation needed rigorous economic analysis to demonstrate value to potential funders and implementation collaborators. HR&A analyzed incremental benefits across three distinct scenarios: the park’s economic baseline since opening, future benefits of the existing park without improvements, and future benefits of an enhanced expanded park.
Our assessment examined park-oriented real estate development increases, property value appreciation from enhanced amenities, downtown tourism growth, and multiplier impacts of capital and operating investment.
The analysis revealed the park’s existing $1.3 billion economic impact and projected an additional $870 million in future impact from the expansion. The Foundation used these findings to successfully secure $10 million in bond funding from the City of Dallas, $20 million from a private donor, and additional funding from the North Central Texas Council of Governments. In 2018, the park finalized collaboration with VisitDallas to create a best-in-class visitor center in the expanded space, solidifying the park’s role as the central hub of Downtown Dallas’ visitor experience and setting the stage for construction.
