More than 300 city officials and leaders from across the Metroplex convened at UTD Jan. 24 to show support for the local Smart for DART coalition proposal to convert the Cotton Belt freight line to DART light rail and provide east-west transit for the North Texas region.
President David Daniel was the keynote speaker and is a member of the SMART for DART steering committee, which provides the vision for the coalition.
The Cotton Belt proposal includes using 52-miles of land along the freight railroad, owned by DART since 1990, for east-west transit from Wylie to Fort Worth, also connecting DFW airport, Coppell, Carrollton, Addison, North Dallas, Richardson and UTD, Plano and Rowlett.
Included in the Cotton Belt line proposal is a station on campus. The university has had vacant property along the Cotton Belt line at the north end of the campus planned for a DART light-rail station for the last four years.
"The DART station itself would provide a great anchor point for places of access and interaction between UTD and the community," Daniel said. "So, it's a great location for continuing education, K-12 outreach programs and even restaurants and bookstores - places where UTD people could interface with the rest of the community."
The station could also service traffic to the nearly-complete 92-acre Texas Instruments chip fabrication plant being constructed on Renner Road between Alma and Custer Roads.
Daniel has emphasized since his start at UTD last June that Dallas can not prosper without a Tier-1 university. Adding a major transportation hub on the UTD campus would benefit students, employees and research.
"It's all about connections and accessibility, especially for people that don't have cars. I think that is particularly relevant for a public university because … we have an important role in helping people in the lower economic tier get the education they need to advance their lives," Daniel said.
Richardson city officials planned to deliver a presentation to DART board members following the
coalition meeting.
"We want to make sure that the decision-makers know what we want to do," said Richardson City Manager Bill Keffler. "A final decision will probably not be made until this summer."
The coalition, comprised of elected officials, local community leaders and residents, was formed during the summer to promote the Cotton Belt line proposal. Groups have surfaced to vocalize route preferences since the DART Board of Trustees is re-evaluating routes in the transit organization's year 2030 plan.
Invitations to the kick-off were mailed to 1,000 people who joined SMART for DART, according to Allyn & Company, the company that orchestrated the event. Allyn & Co. served as the public relations agency that initially represented DART's approval in the metroplex.
Two other routes being considered for a North Crosstown Corridor include tunneling under LBJ and using the Kansas City Southern railroad.
The Cotton Belt proposal has met opposition, though, with residents who live near the rail line in North Dallas forming "The Right Track" group, in favor of an LBJ route. North Dallas councilman Ron Natinsky has also said he doesn't believe the Cotton Belt proposal offers enough economic benefits compared to a rail line near LBJ.
But supporters of the Cotton Belt line argue using existing resources is more cost-effective.
"DART doesn't have to build new lines, condemn property or buy new property. Using existing resources makes a lot of sense. DART has an investment in the Cotton Belt. I want DART to use the investment," said Plano Deputy Mayor Scott Johnson.
DART officials won't make any decision on the routes location for a couple months, though.
"We've made no decisions about an alignment in the North Crosstown Corridor or about the mode, whether it will be commuter bus or light rail," said Morgan Lyons, DART spokesperson. "It's a few months until we would make any decision about our system plan for 2030."
Three thousand voters in the North Dallas region signed petitions during the 2005 November election, which Richardson Mayor Gary Slagel said affirms support for the project.
"This is a unique opportunity to connect large masses of people, particularly in the business areas, to include Richardson, Plano and Addison, as well as other cities," Keffler said. "And, a rail terminal is a tremendous economic generator for UTD."
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