Urban living

Private firm has big plans for flailing Dallas Farmers Market

The City of Dallas is considering handing off management of the struggling Dallas Farmers Market to a private company that includes a number of well-known restaurateurs. The Farmers Market Group won the right to redevelop the market through a lengthy public bid process, assistant city manager Ryan Evans announced on February 15.

Farmers Market Group has a detailed proposal to revitalize the venue, with plans to beef up the market's infrastructure and the surrounding community. The group aims to "establish an urban neighborhood for all income levels," including supporting tourist developments in renovations to the Statler Hilton and a $20 million investment to Holiday Inn.

"Dallas Farmers Market is simply too spread out, too impersonal and too auto-oriented to fit a downtown-type operation," assistant city manager Ryan Evans says.

The groups partners include architectural firm Good, Fulton & Farrell; marketing masters the Richards Group; restaurant veterans Phil and Janet Cobb; chef Kent Rathbun; and Jay Pack, formerly of Standard Fruit & Vegetable Co.

"Dallas Farmers Market is simply too spread out, too impersonal and too auto-oriented to fit a downtown-type operation," Evans presentation to the City Council says.

If approved by the City Council on February 27, the city will be on its way to ink a $3.2 million deal with the Farmers Market Group for three sheds and a host of surrounding property. The group wants to develop several buildings into a combination of apartments and retail.

The public hearing process will take the project through March, and the market could officially switch hands in July.

More important than initial transaction is the $64.3 million in development that the deal will bring, thanks to a combination of funds from the Farmers Market Group, a Public Private Partnership Grant from the city and a newly increased TIF district.

Dallas will retain ownership of one shed, which it will rent out to the group for $30,000 a year and a share of revenues.

The Dallas Farmers Market dates back to the 1940s but has recently fallen on hard times.

Wikipedia drumguy8800

The Dallas Farmers Market dates back to the 1940s but has recently fallen on hard times.

unspecified

santa's favorite city

Dallas dazzles as the No. 2 most festive city in America this year

Photo by Stevan Koye

undefined

Dallas' holiday spirit is shining extra bright: The city was just named the No. 2 most festive city in the nation according to a recently released annual report by home services provider Thumbtack.

This is the third year in a row that Dallas has prevailed, hanging onto the coveted No. 2 spot since 2022, with only Austin in its way for total list dominance.

The study compiled data from millions of holiday light installation requests across all 50 states between October 2023 to October 2024 to reveal their list of the most festive cities in the nation.

Dallas residents have plenty of citywide light displays to pull inspiration from for their own homes, including the new Coca-Cola Classic Christmas experience in Arlington, Dallas Zoo Lights, and many more.

Texas cities are far merrier than many other places in the country. Austin leads the nation as the No.1 most festive city for the third year in a row, but Houston ranks just behind Dallas in the No. 4 spot. Poor San Antonio saw a drop this year, coming in at No. 10, after previously ranking No. 5 in the 2023 report.

Texans living in Dallas-Fort Worth will have to get creative when it comes to their holiday decorating, as the weather doesn't always cooperate with the classic "White Christmas" theme. But that's to be expected from the No. 3 top warm-weather travel destination nationwide.

"In the milder climates, you probably won’t find a winter wonderland, but you might see plenty of twinkling lights, tinsel, and bold colors outside the traditional red, green, and white palette," the report's author wrote. "Neon baubles, vintage plastic Santa molds, and playful LED lights keep properties festive and bright. Native eucalyptus, olive branches, and succulents are used as greenery in place of traditional pine and fir."

Outsourcing that outdoor holiday decorating will cost a pretty penny, according to Thumbtack's analysts. The study said the average cost to hire a holiday lighting specialist can range from $168-$300, depending on the scope of the project and home size. Thumbtack also recommends Dallasites avoid hiring a lighting specialist during Thanksgiving weekend, which is the time period that sees the highest demand.

Thumbtack's top 10 most festive U.S. cities in 2024 are:

No. 1 – Austin, Texas
No. 2 – Dallas, Texas
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Houston, Texas
No. 5 – San Francisco, California
No. 6 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 7 – Sacramento, California
No. 8 – Charlotte, North Carolina
No. 9 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 10 – San Antonio, Texas

christmas citywide light displays dallas holidays rankings reports holiday attractions