The "inland port" proposed for southern Dallas represents to biggest potential infusion of jobs (more than 30,000) this part of Dallas has ever seen in one place. So perhaps it’s not surprising that politics is threatening to slow the project’s development, for better or worse. The Allen Group has acquired 6,000 acres of property crossing city borders of Dallas, Lancaster, Wilmer and Hutchins and seems to have a pretty good idea about what it intends to do with the land; Dallas County commissioner John Wiley Price, Mayor Tom Leppert and the North Central Texas Council of Governments want to spend more money and time creating a master plan for the 75,000 acres surrounding Allen’s land — on the face of it, both sides’ positions make sense.

But here’s where things seem to break down: Allen is ready to move forward today, without further study or a master plan, while Price, Leppert and NCTCOG want to stop and spend some money studyng the project. Allen says stopping and waiting will cost him money; the other side claims that a master plan is necessary to handle the development properly.

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Jim Schutze with the Observer has written extensively about this project and the controversy. His conclusion, from what I can tell, is that Price is subtly trying to slow down the Allen Group and Leppert is looking out for the Perot development at Alliance Airport, at the possible expense of Allen’s project.

Your assignment for today: Read the Observer stories here and here, and the DMN editorial here. Then let me know if you’ve got it all figured out.