A $1.5-million streetcar plaza is coming to Bishop Arts.
Alamo Manhattan now owns a little piece of Zang Boulevard, since City Council voted to “abandon” just under 2,500 feet of it, meaning the the developer is now responsible for taxes and maintenance on the property.
A public plaza serving the Bishop Arts streetcar stop is planned for the reclaimed piece of road, with shade, seating and landscaping.
The Oak Cliff Gateway TIF board last month approved a $1.5-million agreement with developer Alamo Manhattan to design and build the plaza.
Alamo Manhattan in 2016 received $11.25 million to develop the Victor Prosper mixed-use apartments, which it still owns.
The developer plans to build more apartments on the south side of West 7th between Zang and Madison soon. That’s why Ten Bells Tavern is moving, with plans to relocate nearby, and the Local Oak restaurant closed in December.
The city also abandoned a portion of 9th Street recently to Bishop Arts developer Exxir Capital for a planned “woonerf,” but that project didn’t receive or request any public funding.
“As part of this, the city will push unused roadway off its books and reallocate it to a private party who will maintain it and activate it,” Mayor Pro Tem Chad West said in an email update.
“Please note that if you or a colleague has a project that involves a conversion/modification of a city roadway to something more friendly to pedestrians/cyclists, know that I’m all in and will vocally advocate and support such a move. We need to rethink the way this city uses roads.”
