STRATEGIC PRIORITY: Government Performance & Financial Management
AGENDA DATE: June 12, 2024
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S): 2, 7, 14
DEPARTMENT: Mayor and City Council Office
EXECUTIVE: Kimberly Bizor Tolbert
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SUBJECT
Title
A resolution stating that the City Council does not support construction of any aboveground rail lines through the Downtown, Uptown, and Victory Park areas of Dallas, except for streetcar expansion projects currently under consideration and that the City Council will reconsider the Dallas to Fort Worth high speed rail alignment upon completion of the economic impact study - Financing: No cost consideration to the City
Body
BACKGROUND
In 2016, the Regional Transportation Council passed a resolution supporting a one-seat ride connecting Fort Worth to Houston through Dallas. Based on that resolution, North Central Texas Council of Governments staff has been studying an alignment for high-speed rail between Dallas and Fort Worth that would connect with the proposed Dallas to Houston high speed rail station currently planned to be located in the Cedars neighborhood south of Downtown and would ensure a one-seat ride from Houston to Fort Worth.
On March 6, 2024 the Dallas City Council was briefed on a variety of downtown transportation projects including the Dallas to Houston high speed rail project and the proposed alignment for a Dallas to Fort Worth connection.
At the March briefing, City Council voiced strong support for the Dallas to Houston high-speed rail project, but they also expressed significant concerns about portions of the Dallas to Fort Worth potential alternative alignment(s), specifically the segment in downtown Dallas, its potential impact on construction of the new Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and potential adverse impacts to development opportunities on land near the alignment. As such, the City Council directed staff to complete an economic impact analysis of the Dallas to Fort Worth high speed rail project and the proposed alignment(s).
PRIOR ACTION/REVIEW (COUNCIL, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS)
On April 10, 2024, the City Council held a public hearing and, at the close of the public hearing, adopted a historic and cultural preservation plan to broaden the role of the city’s historical and cultural preservation efforts beyond the historic preservation program within the Department of Planning and Urban Design on by Resolution No. 24-0559.
The City Council was briefed on major downtown transportation initiatives including the Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station, high-speed rail, and expansion of the streetcar system on March 6, 2024.
FISCAL INFORMATION
No cost consideration to the City.