Power play

2 Dallas neighbors plug into $1.6 billion solar project in Texas

Denton has agreed to buy nearly 6 percent of the power generated by the 1,310-megawatt project.

Photo courtesy of Denton Main St Association

Municipal utilities in Denton and Garland will draw power from what’s billed as the largest solar project in the United States.

Chicago-based Invenergy announced November 18 that work is underway on a $1.6 billion solar project in Northeast Texas that will be capable of supplying energy for 300,000 homes. The project, being built in Lamar, Red River, and Franklin counties, is set to begin producing power in 2023.

Among the customers of the Samson Solar Energy Center are Denton Municipal Electric and Garland Power & Light. Denton has agreed to buy nearly 6 percent of the power (75 megawatts) generated by the 1,310-megawatt project, and Garland has agreed to buy almost 2 percent (25 megawatts).

Denton Municipal Electric already is buying or has committed to buying more than 460 megawatts of power from renewable energy sources. In 2018, the city set a goal of achieving 100 percent renewable energy for all power customers by this year.

Two years ago, Garland Power & Light (GP&L) enabled customers to purchase 100 percent renewable energy from wind and solar sources in Texas.

“Customer interest in renewable energy has been growing because these power resources contribute to preserving the environment and are sustainable,” Jeff Janke, general manager and CEO of GP&L, said in 2018.

The solar project’s biggest customer is Dallas-based AT&T, which has committed to buying nearly 40 percent (500 megawatts) of the solar project’s generating capacity. AT&T’s deal is said to be biggest corporate purchase of solar power in the U.S.

“At AT&T, we believe renewable energy is good for the planet, for our business, and for the communities we serve,” Scott Mair, president of AT&T Technology & Operations, says in a release.

Other customers of the Samson Solar Energy Center are Honda, McDonald’s, Google, The Home Depot, and the City of Bryan. The project is roughly 100 miles northeast of Dallas.

sustainability

Park news

New I-35 deck park in southern Dallas moves closer to spring 2026 debut

Courtesy rendering

Renderings for Halperin Park.

A massive deck park spanning Interstate 35E in southern Dallas is set to open in late spring 2026. Called Halperin Park, the five-acre community space has been under construction since 2017 and will be completed in two phases:

Phase One (finishing in late spring) will include the section from Ewing Avenue to Lancaster Avenue and will feature a pavilion, amphitheater, playground area, interactive fountains, a second level overlooking the Dallas Zoo and the highway, and a large event room for every dining and special events.

Phase Two (to be completed over the next five years) will add the park section toward Marsalis Avenue, with an additional pavilion and extra gathering space.

The project is being developed by the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation and built by the Texas Department of Transportation. Funding comes from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, as well as the private Halperin Foundation, which donated $23 million in 2024 and secured naming rights.

In January, the Dallas City Council approved spending up to $8 million to complete Phase One for spring completion.

The public-private initiative will create $1 billion in economy impact over the next five years, according to a study by UNT Dallas.

Rendering of Halperin ParkCourtesy rendering

A park with purpose
Developers say the park aims to integrate the west side of Oak Cliff, which was somewhat segregated with the construction of I-35 in Oak Cliff in the 1960s, leading to low-income communities and generational poverty.

The project started nine years ago, when the Texas Department of transportation planned a reconstruction of I-35 and began gathering neighbors’ feedback. The result was a plan to widen bicycle and pedestrian lanes in the service roads alongside the highway, and to build a deck over the highway between Ewing and Marsalis avenues, adjacent to the Dallas Zoo. (Similar Klyde Warren Park's "deck park" concept.)

While the project faced some skepticism at first, it later gained momentum as private supporters continued to join.

“Forty percent of the Dallas population lives in South Dallas, yet this segment only accounts for 15 percent of the tax base,” says April Allen, President and CEO of the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation, citing the opportunity to address the economic equality in the area through the development of the park and all the business it can bring.

Rendering of Halperin Park.Courtesy rendering

Neighborhood pride
For Allen, this project is personal. The Toronto-born executive first moved to Dallas 22 years ago to work at Neiman Marcus, after getting her engineering degree in Canada and her MBA at Harvard. Oak Cliff felt like the right place for her as an intown neighborhood, with a confluency of cultures, local pride and an entrepreneurial spirit, as she describes it. Her first Realtor told her Oak Cliff was “not the right place for her." Instead of choosing a different neighborhood, Allen chose a new Realtor.

She has lived on the same street in North Cliff since, now raising her two kids with her husband, an Oak Cliff native, whom she credits for her further understanding of the neighborhood, its roots and civic dynamics.

Under Allen’s leadership, Halperin Park is focused on a community-first approach that provides support to the neighbors through programs around health and wellness, after-school activities, local food trucks and markets, and educational workshops to help expand homeownership and financial acumen.

To highlight the history and culture of Oak Cliff, they will feature an annual Walk of Fame, lifting up the stories of those who contributed to Oak Cliff history, with the first one happening as part of the inauguration of the park, organizers say.

They will provide their own 24-hour security team to ensure a safe place for families and kids, with clean and well-lit crosswalks.

Given their proximity with the zoo, parking will be available on the East side of the park at the zoo site, with a walkway to the park. They are working on parking options for the West side.

“We want to create a space for community growth and more business in the area," says Allen. "We are already seeing this come to life with projects such as East Dock, and we are excited for future investment that the park will bring."

parks