Five Mile Creek Greenbelt

Five Mile Creek Greenbelt is a big, bold vision for Dallas parks. The greenbelt will create healthier and better connected communities with three new parks and 17 miles of trail stretching across southern Dallas.

A young boy and girl run across a grassy lawn at a small park edged with trees.

“There’s one place that we all belong and that’s outside.”

— Taylor Toynes, founder of For Oak Cliff, TPL National Board Member

The outdoors belongs to all of us, but for residents in southern Dallas, access to these vital green spaces isn’t created equally. Only 54 percent of residents that live within the Five Mile Creek watershed area have a park or trail within a 10-minute walk of home, far below the citywide average of 73 percent.

That’s why Trust for Public Land is leading the charge to create the Five Mile Creek Greenbelt, a bold vision for three new parks and a 17-mile trail stretching across southern Dallas. Once complete, the greenbelt will connect to 17 city parks, three hospitals, two colleges, two light rail stations, and provide close-to-home access to the outdoors for the nearly 200,000 residents who call the Five Mile Creek area of Dallas home.

Data from the city’s safety and economic reports showed poor health and high crime rates in this area too. “We were shocked to find out that our zip code, 75216, had one of the least amounts of green space within a 10-minute walk of residents nationwide,” says Derrick Battie, a former NBA player and leader within the southern Dallas community who serves as the community liaison for South Oak Cliff High School.

We envision of future where every Dallas neighborhood, regardless of zip code, has equitable access to a park. The Five Mile Creek Greenbelt will help fulfill that vision for southern Dallas with safe, close-to-home parks and trails that reflect the needs and identity of the neighborhoods they serve.

TPL is working closely with southern Dallas residents to design outdoor spaces along Five Mile Creek that address the community’s health, safety, and accessibility concerns. We are developing a 17-mile trail and three keystone park projects—South Oak Cliff Renaissance Park, Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park, and Woody Branch Park—that will connect people to the benefits of nature, to their community, and to each other.

Together, we can make parks a power catalyst for transformation. Where some see unused space, we see unlimited potential. With your support, we can renew the power of public land to serve a greater public good: from idle to active, from closed to open, from alone to all together.

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17 Miles of Trail. 3 Beautiful Parks. 1 Bold Vision.

There are few projects that will have as big of an impact across southern Dallas as the completion of the Five Mile Creek Greenbelt. With miles of trails, new parks, and connectivity to shops, schools, hospitals, and public transit, this project will have the power to make Dallas safer, stronger, and more connected.

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Explore the Projects along Five Mile Creek

Completed

South Oak Cliff Renaissance Park

Texas

Lands, Local Parks, Trails

Completed

Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park

Texas

Local Parks

Coming Soon

Woody Branch Park

Texas

Lands, Local Parks, Trails

Meet the Community

We work alongside community members to build green spaces with them, not just for them. Get to know some of the community members that will benefit from Five Mile Creek Greenbelt and why they support this bold vision for southern Dallas.

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Taylor Toynes

Organization: Founder, For Oak Cliff

In His Words: Toynes, who joined TPL’s National Board of Directors in 2021, sees green spaces as essential to well-being. “Everyone, no matter the age or person, race, creed, whatever, there’s one place that we all belong and that’s outside,” he says. “It’s the most natural space for you to be in. It provides you everything that you need to be in harmony, to be healthy.”

A woman carrying a child on her back in a wooded area.

Rios Family

Community: Oak Cliff

Their Experience: Coombs Creek Drive is a narrow road with sharp turns. It’s the future site of the Five Mile Creek Greenbelt, but it’s hard to navigate, especially when cars are whizzing by at 40 MPH. The Rios Family—a mom, dad, and their young kids—must wait long stretches of time before safely crossing the busy road and arriving at the grocery store. Their experience isn’t uncommon for many residents. Everyone deserves a space that connects to their local community, one that’s safe and doesn’t require a vehicle.

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Randy Bowman

Organization: Founder, At Last!

In Their Words: Bowman knows the superpowers of the outdoors, especially for children. At Last! provides kids from less prosperous families with resources, academic coaching, and a nurturing environment—and their boarding facility, where kids live during the school week, neighbors South Oak Cliff Renaissance Park. “[I] can say ‘All right, tablets down, pencils down. We’re going to walk over to the park, and we’re going to take 15 minutes. And I want you to have as much fun as you can in that 15 minutes. Then we’re going to come back and get back on our stuff.’”

Project Timeline

Five Mile Creek In the News