Responding to numerous community concerns, DART established a community involvement process in February last year.
This process developed into a two-tier structure known as the Northeast Corridor Steering Committee and the Northeast Corridor Working Committees. (The DART Northeast Corridor extends from the existing Mockingbird Station to the existing Garland Center Transit Center.)
The steering committee consists of business, school and community leaders from the following segments of the proposed DART rail line: G-1 (Mockingbird Station to Northwest Highway); G-2 (Northwest Highway to LBJ Freeway), and G-3 (LBJ Freeway to Garland Central Transit Center). Since April 1997, the steering committee has met periodically to address issues that affect the entire Northeast Corridor.
The working committees focus on issues specific to the line segment adjacent to their neighborhoods. Meetings for each working committee are scheduled at various stages of the engineering design process. All interested corridor residents are welcome to participate on the working committees.
The G-1 committee has met more than 15 times and as a direct result of this community involvement process, DART staff recommended the implementation of a Residential Betterments Policy for residential areas along all current and future rail corridors. Betterments are features that exceed the standard requirements defined in the final environmental assessment report. On Oct. 28, 1997, the DART board of directors adopted the Northeast Corridor Residential Betterments Policy that created a budget of $70 per linear foot for betterments.
The betterments budget will be partially used to promote an aggressive landscape design. The G-1 Line Segment landscape design will focus on placing four-inch caliper evergreen trees every 40 feet along the rail line. This enhancement will cost $786,000 more than the minimum requirement. Additional betterment analysis is still underway.
An adjunct committee of the G-1 Working Committee comprised of residents near the proposed White Rock Station (located at the current Knights of Columbus Hall on Northwest Highway) met with DART staff to address concerns with the design of the station. Some of the designs would have enabled the Knights of Columbus to stay on the property. Unfortunately, the board member of the Knights of Columbus decided to sell the entire property and relocate.
Each rail station also has an art and design program and committee to create a unique visual identity reflecting the character of the surrounding community. The art and design committee for the White Rock Station has already met three times. The station’s proximity to White Rock Lake will have a tremendous impact on the overall station art design.
If you are interested in any of these committee meetings, please call Michael Mills at 214-749-3278. If you have any questions about any issue, please do not hesitate to call me at 214-670-4069 or 214-826-5100, the District 9 hot line.
