The years-long battle over a Kessler Park passageway is over, according to City Councilman Scott Griggs.
A settlement has been reached in the lawsuit between property owners and the City of Dallas, and that will allow the steps to be rebuilt, Griggs says. We don’t yet have all the details of the settlement, which is expected to be final in 30 days.
Property owners adjacent to the Kessler Steps sued the city of Dallas a year ago, claiming the city has no right to the property, which was built in the early 1920s as a pedestrian passage between Edgefield and the higher elevation of Canterbury Court.
Neighbors rediscovered the passageway a couple of years ago and considered restoration of the steps before encountering resistance from property owners. Kessler Park neighbors recently raised $71,000 and donated it to the city to restore the steps. That cash would allow the city to design the restoration to about 60 percent, according to Griggs. Estimates to restore them have gone as high as $200,000.
Kessler Neighbors United has been behind the push to restore the steps. Their big fundraiser, Kessler Krawl, is April 8.
