The Future of the Creek

5-Year Strategic Plan

In 1911, Landscape Architect George Kessler envisioned the Turtle Creek Corridor as a "Premiere Urban Green Space and Residential Neighborhood." Turtle Creek Association (TCA) wants to build on this vision and has created a 5-Year Strategic Plan to achieve it.

Our first step is updating the Turtle Creek Corridor Master Plan commissioned by TCA back in 2003. The cost associated with the master plan update is now fully funded by Lyda Hill Philanthropies. The engineering firm, Metropolitan Infrastructure, which previously partnered with TCA on the Bowen Street overlook project, will oversee plan development focusing on three main areas of opportunity:

1. Health of the Creek - including bank stabilization, enhancing the creek’s flow, and solving recurring trash and pollution issues.

2. Reversing Urban Decay - eliminating graffiti, restoring five historic bridges, and improving safety. The addition of lighting under the Lemmon Avenue bridge and to other areas along the corridor is a critical component of the safety plan, as is deterring unhoused encampments and hiring off-duty police to patrol the area.

3. Installation of Art throughout the Corridor - creating an equitable and connected community filled with public art will develop a sense of unity and shared pride while empowering the corridor to become a cultural art destination in Dallas.

Updating the Master Plan will specify the critical steps toward transforming the corridor into a healthy, beautiful, and safe urban green space. TCA President/CEO J. D. Trueblood empathized, "Being able to articulate a clear vision and strategy for the corridor is vital as we appeal for local, state, and federal funding opportunities to achieve our vision."

Urban Decay:

Graffiti is an early sign of urban decay and has become a severe issue at the Lemon Avenue Bridges. Approval from the city of Dallas has been granted for TCA to pursue adding lighting and having a mural painted on the undersides of the bridge. Although painting a mural doesn't guarantee vandalism will not reoccur, a clear coating on top of the mural will make it easier to clean off.

A private donation from Sara Wilkins and a generous grant from the Suzanne and Robert Kriscunas Charitable Fund at the Dallas Foundation will make the art installation possible. Installation is slated for March 2022.

Update on this initiative:

Turtle Creek Association is thrilled to announce the selection of Lauren Lewchuk for our Lemon Ave bridge mural. She is a Texas-based artist who is a self-taught creative, inspired by nature, wildlife, and scenic landscapes. Curating the project for us is Remains, Inc., our Project Consultants.

Since her emergence as an artist in 2019, Lewchuk has been selected to participate in several exhibitions throughout Dallas/Fort Worth. Her hyper-detailed space/seascape "Galaxsea" won first place at the Precious Metals Exhibition with Texas Visual Arts Association in 2019. In 2020 "Oceanic" was selected as a gallery pick for the New Texas Talent Exhibition with Craighead Green Gallery, and most recently, Lewchuk completed a 20' x 50' mural as part of an extension to Inspiration Alley in the Foundry District of Fort Worth.

Artist Statement:

"I have always been an admirer of the natural world. The shapes, colors, patterns, and textures. My art is a meticulous arrangement of all these components, like a puzzle. My process is unplanned and intuitive yet logical and sophisticated, a natural flow of consciousness full of color, organic shapes, and movement inspired by nature. My hope is for the viewer to get lost in my dreamlike works; that they spark wonder, curiosity, and contemplation."

The original “Turtle Creek Corridor Master plan”

Historical Context

Turtle Creek Association (TCA) saw a need for a Master Plan to serve as a framework to interlock the many plans into a holistic system of “whole.” Turtle Creek Association took a multi-stage process by initially commissioning a comprehensive study and conceptual plan of recommendations by Di Mambro & Associates in 2004; followed by community comment and input; resulting in the final edits and draft of the “Turtle Creek Corridor Master Plan” by Katherine Kosut, AIA, in 2009.

The original plan assessed Turtle Creek's existing conditions, defined a coordinated, integrated vision for the area, offered opportunities to create awareness, and provided a comprehensive fundraising effort.

The Turtle Creek Master Plan recommendations are organized into five categories:

1. Waterway and floodplain improvements to restore the ecological balance.

2. Urban design improvements to roadways, pathways; bridges; nodes and unique places; urban furniture; and lighting.

3. Landscape and vegetation improvements to reverse the decay and establish biodiversity within the Turtle Creek Corridor through various measures such as a reforestation and tree maintenance plan.

4. Maintain and upgrade multi-functional open green spaces with the parks.

5. Connect transit options such as the trolley system to the Turtle Creek Corridor.

An implementation plan was also outlined. The Turtle Creek Corridor Master Plan proposed development over a twenty-five-year period. In the end, the Turtle Creek Master Plan established a vision, defined standards, and identified projects designed to protect and manage an irreplaceable resource.

The hope was to continue to preserve a running creek and greenbelt of land; protect and restore a natural environment, and provide for an ecologically sensitive community that will be a continued source of pride and enjoyment. The Turtle Creek Corridor Master Plan was created to ensure the Turtle Creek Corridor would continue to be a crown jewel of the City of Dallas. The City of Dallas Park Board adopted the Turtle Creek Master Plan in December 2009.