It's more than three days into the new year, which means I'll follow the mantra of Larry David and refrain from wishing you a happy one. But it's good to be back in your inbox! I hope you had a restful break with family and loved ones and probably too much food. Now we're back to it. 

In the last newsletter of 2023, I highlighted a few stories that I believe will shape Dallas in the coming year. Today, I'd like to explore two neighborhoods at either end of the city that are poised to have big years: South Dallas and the International District. 

First, South Dallas. Bethany Erickson went long on the changes coming to the front door of Fair Park in South Dallas. Over the history of the neighborhood, which sits less than three miles southeast of downtown, it has been mistreated by local government by way of eminent domain, redlined by the federal government, and physically separated from its northern neighbors by railroads and a highway.

Change is once again afoot, as apartment buildings and new private investment comes to Exposition Park, near the fairgrounds. The private operators of Fair Park are tearing down fences and transforming empty parking lots into a new community park, promising to connect the amenity to its neighbors.

Further into South Dallas, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard has received nearly $22 million in federal funding to make it safer for pedestrians and encourage more street-level retail. The nonprofit Forest Forward is continuing its effort to renovate the historic Forest Theater. And its neighbor, the elevated SM Wright Freeway, has been pulled down and is being transformed into a boulevard.

The question for South Dallas is the question in many neighborhoods that have historically been ignored by City Hall—until it suddenly isn’t. Can the longtime residents afford the inevitable property tax increases that this type of investment so often brings?

Next, the International District. Valley View Mall in 2023, after years of sitting lonely in squalor, went from an eyesore into a flammable public safety hazard in a matter of weeks. The last of its concrete shell was torn down after two firefighters were injured putting out a blaze. The land upon which it sat is part of one of the city’s most ambitious future master plans, something it is calling the International District. The 450-acre development just north of Interstate 635 between the Dallas North Tollway and Preston Road, would include a new park, housing, retail, and a mix of other uses. The owner of the old Valley View, Scott Beck, says he’ll begin moving dirt soon. But Beck has said that before, and vowed that it would begin in the first quarter of 2024.

Its future is on pause until the bond gets sorted out. Original recommendations included $40 million for that park, $20 million in “economic development” dollars that could be used to acquire land and another $20 million to get the park moving. Councilwoman Jaynie Schultz, who has been integral in keeping this front and center in the discourse at City Hall, says developers are waiting to see what the city is willing to put up. Dallas bought the Prism Center office complex, but hasn’t made many other investments.

“Developers are saying, ‘where is the city in this? I guess it’s nice you bought an office building, but where’s the real money?’” Schultz said in an interview. “We are definitely waiting to see what happens in the bond, because it is going to be a huge make-or-break.”

She’s watching as land prices rise, and worries that missing the funding here could crater the ultimate vision: towers with a mixed-income housing, retail, and other uses that reflect the international diversity of this part of North Dallas. In the meantime, the night markets and other pop-up events will continue. But all eyes are on how much bond money it gets.

The district will also include Dallas ISD’s first vertical school on LBJ Freeway. The K-12 STEAM school will be the district’s first all-inclusive campus and will take over a 12-story office building. It will also house a joint Dallas ISD and city library branch. The district says it’s on track to open in 2025.

These are just two of the 11 stories that will change where we live in the next year. Head here to read about the rest.