Dallas Arboretum In Parking Fight

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The Dallas Arboretum is a peaceful place -- now caught up in a nasty fight.

The problem? Parking.

The need for more is pitting the Arboretum against its neighbors, environmentalists, and even those loyal to the gardens.

At the heart of the dispute is Winfrey Point, near the Dallas Arboretum right off White Rock Lake.

It's perhaps one of the few if not only places left in Dallas, where you can actually hear the sounds of birds chirping, as they hop on the tall prairie grasses blowing in the wind.

But under short and long-term plans, which were only discovered Tuesday, the prairie grass wildflower area designated by the state -- would be mowed over to become a paid parking lot for the Arboretum.
"I wrote no, no, no, no parking.")

Robin Turner is among 1,300 people who've signed petitions to keep the Arboretum and city from turning the grassy field and ball field from becoming a parking lot.  "I wrote no, no, no, no parking. They grow things there, they grow things here. It just boggles my mind they would think this is a logical solution to the problem."

At least one neighboring homeowner filed suit against the city Tuesday to try and put the brakes on the parking plan.

The parking lot backs up right to residents' yards. The Arboretum is gaining in popularity - 700,000 people visit each year. That will likely increase to 1 million after a new Children's Park is completed.

They need more parking. On Wednesday, the Arboretum's CEO showed Dallas City Council members what the park will look like. But she made no mention of the parking controversy.

City Manager Mary Suhm told council members they are still working on a long-term solution, but said there is no solution for the short-term.

One council member, Dwaine Caraway, seemed to back the parking plan.  "Sure there may be some inconvenience, but this is going to be more convenient."

After her presentation, the Arboretum's CEO, Mary Brinegar, defended the parking plan.  "Everyone says we have a good plan. We think we can handle it."

Hal Barker says he was the one who first discovered the parking plans -- and that he notified homeowners -- not the city. "It's pretty obvious they were not interested in telling the people."

A Dallas County Judge will hold a hearing on the lawsuit May 14. More people may express their concerns during a regularly scheduled Park Board meeting at the Arboretum Thursday morning.