Mayor Eric Johnson lauds approval of Hensley Field master plan contract
DALLAS — Mayor Eric Johnson on Wednesday lauded the Dallas City Council's unanimous approval of a $2 million contract for the creation of a master plan that will guide the redevelopment of Hensley Field, the former site of the Naval Air Station - Dallas.
Mayor Johnson has been in talks for months with partner agencies to help move along the development and environmental remediation of the City-owned, 738-acre site along Mountain Creek Lake. The federal government previously designated Hensley Field as an Opportunity Zone, which means investors could be eligible for tax breaks.
“As mayor, I have made redeveloping Hensley Field a top priority. The site is a hidden gem — a waterfront blank slate with immense potential,” Mayor Johnson said. “I am thrilled that the City Council has decided to move forward with the master planning process, which will show us how we can add vibrancy to southern Dallas and contribute significantly to the tax base of our great city.”
Austin-based McCann Adams Studio won the competitive bid to create the master plan. The process, which will likely take up to 18 months, is considered a necessary step as the City of Dallas works to ensure the United States Navy remediates pollution at Hensley Field.
The Navy closed the base in 1998, but the military's decades of operations at Hensley Field had left the land contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS.
Remediation efforts have stalled for years, and Hensley Field has been used mostly for storage purposes.
But with the assistance of the Office of Strategic Partnerships and Government Affairs and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability, Mayor Johnson has been working on remediation plans with officials from the Navy, the White House, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
“I look forward to continuing to work with our partners to ensure that Hensley Field can become the incredible development that we all know it can be,” Mayor Johnson said.
Here are some of the letters exchanged between Mayor Johnson and federal and state officials regarding Hensley Field:
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