Lancaster Corridor Initiative

Through better interdepartmental coordination and enhanced service delivery, the Lancaster Corridor Initiative aims to build upon a clustering of great assets along one of southern Dallas' most important commercial streets.  The Lancaster Corridor includes:

• Four DART Blue Line light rail stations, which provide mobility enhancements for residents and opportunities for transit-oriented development (TOD);
• The Dallas VA Medical Center, home to 3,000 workers and millions of annual patient visits, provides a substantial economic base;
• Cedar Crest Golf Course, one of the city's oldest public courses and host of the 1929 PGA Championship;
• The headquarters of the Urban League of Greater Dallas and North Central Texas;
• Lancaster-Kiest Shopping Center, one of Oak Cliff's iconic retail hubs.

In 2008, the Office of Economic Development created the TOD Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District, spanning from the Lovers Lane Station in north Dallas to the VA Medical Center Station in the Lancaster Corridor.  The district is designed to provide incentives for mixed-use, transit-oriented development and create a balance in development along DART's Red & Blue Lines.  In 2009, a completed public-private partnership with Califco led to renovations and a new Save-A-Lot grocery store at the Crest Plaza Shopping Center.

In 2010, Economic Development continues to partner with the Urban League of Greater Dallas to expand its headquarters at 4315 Lancaster Road, adding additional space for workforce training and services. In May, the TOD TIF District was expanded to include the Ledbetter DART Station area.  In June, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban announced Wonderview, a multi-phase mixed-use development east of the Cedar Crest Golf Course.

The Department of Housing designated the Lancaster Corridor a Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP) area in 2008, focusing a package of incentives to improve existing single-family homes and infill single-family development on vacant lots.

Future efforts will bring an enhanced pedestrian environment for DART riders and aesthetic improvements to retail areas.