Uptown Love

This hardworking organization ensures Uptown Dallas stays awesome

Imagine your favorite Uptown Dallas activity. Is it brunch in West Village? Window-shopping while strolling through Dallas’ most walkable neighborhood? Chances are you regularly enjoy aspects of this enclave, but do you know who maintains those 30,000 blooming flowers, 42 trash cans, and 4.5 miles of track for the McKinney Avenue Trolley?

The City of Dallas does its part, but it’s the nonprofit management organization Uptown Dallas Inc. that goes above and beyond to make sure the neighborhood is as safe and beautiful as possible.

Nearly 19,000 people call Uptown home, and that number swells every day as people flood in to work, eat, shop, and play. The Public Improvement District known as Uptown Dallas Inc. helps out the city in ways which you’re probably not even aware.

For example, those off-duty police officers strolling and biking around the area to head off any disturbances? That’s UDI. Beautifying and maintaining Uptown’s 58 acres of green space? UDI again. Sidewalk repair and public art installations? Yup, you guessed it.

Close to 600 acres comprise Uptown, less than a square mile that’s bordered by North Central Expressway and Turtle Creek. Among its popular entertainment destinations can be counted West Village, the Quadrangle, and the Crescent, as well as a significant portion of the Katy Trail.

UDI hosts a variety of events as well, bringing the Uptown community together with everything from outdoor movie screenings to happy hours to festive holiday get-togethers.

Nature-filled enclaves also exist, in the form of the recently refurbished Griggs Park and charming Anita Phelps Park. Those pretty medians on Cedar Spring Road are also under UDI’s jurisdiction, which explains why they always look so fresh.

If it seems like this magical service is too good to be true, take a moment and pat yourself on the back. You’re responsible if you’re an Uptown property owner, as you opt to pay a special assessment that funds UDI. So congrats, Uptown, and keep up the good work.

Uptown Dallas Inc. works hard to keep the neighborhood safe, clean, and looking its best.

Photo courtesy of Uptown Dallas Inc.

Uptown Dallas Inc. works hard to keep the neighborhood safe, clean, and looking its best.

promoted uptown

Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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