Large scale redevelopment projects take years—often decades—to go from concept to reality. For economic development organizations and community leaders, this presents a challenge. How do you plan for a 20- to 25-year effort in the context of a five-year economic development strategic plan? Big projects depend on significant public-private collaboration. Public infrastructure investments are often required to facilitate redevelopment. In some cases, major infrastructure projects are themselves the catalyst for redevelopment opportunities.

TIP has spent the past 30 years helping communities align near-term actions with long-term goals. As part of our work across Texas and the country, we’ve seen how transformative projects like highway deck parks and catalytic redevelopment sites have the ability to unlock economic potential when backed by vision, coordination, and patience.

Deck Parks and the Redevelopment Debate

Deck parks—plazas, green spaces, and public amenities built over sunken highways—can be a powerful strategy to reconnect neighborhoods and stimulate private investment. But with high costs and long timelines, they require a clear value proposition rooted in long-term economic development. Cities in Texas and beyond are increasingly viewing deck parks as catalysts for transformative redevelopment, though not without controversy.

• Austin, Texas. The I-35 Capital Express project is expanding the highway through central Austin. On May 22, 2025, the City of Austin committed $104 million to cover portions of the expanded and lowered I-35 corridor through the downtown area with “caps” (plazas and parks covering the highway) and “stitches” (bridges with extra pedestrian space). Inspired by Dallas’ successful Klyde Warren Park, this effort reflects Austin’s growing commitment to placemaking and reconnecting communities long divided by infrastructure. The I-35 expansion also positions the city for major downtown redevelopment, made more feasible through these public investments.
• Dallas, Texas. Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, a recent TIP client community, spans three blocks above the Woodall Rodgers Freeway, linking the core downtown district with Uptown. Klyde Warren Park has been such a success that Dallas is currently building another similar project—Halperin Park—spanning I-35E between Ewing and Marsalis Avenues and is planning for a third deck park covering portions of I-30. Other communities in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex are now also considering deck parks as a strategy for connecting neighborhoods divided by interstate highways constructed decades ago. North of Dallas, the City of McKinney has approved plans for up to $45 million in funding from the city, North Central Council of Governments, and Texas Department of Transportation for a deck park along SH 5 to connect its historic downtown with the new city hall complex, part of a mixed-use development area to the east.
• Irving, Texas. Our recent strategic plan for the City of Irving also called for long-term planning of potential deck parks, especially in the prime redevelopment site in Irving’s PUD 6 area (better known as the former Texas Stadium site where the Dallas Cowboys once played) linking a City-owned 80-acre site with a 200+ acre site across SH 114. While the redevelopment of this district will take decades, the long-term vision for the area is to rival Irving’s Las Colinas Urban Center and Downtown/Uptown Dallas in terms of jobs, investment, and tax value. A deck park linking the two key parcels could play a vital role in achieving that vision.
• San Antonio, Texas. The City of San Antonio, another recent TIP client, has just approved a conceptual $4 billion plan for a downtown sports and entertainment district that would include a new downtown Spurs arena, an expanded convention center and convention hotel, and a land bridge (deck park) over I-37 connecting the East Side to downtown and a redesigned Alamodome.
• Houston, Texas. The City of Houston is also advancing ambitious plans for a downtown deck park. The City’s planned expansion of the George R. Brown Convention Center will converge with a planned rebuilding and rerouting of Highway 59 which will depress the freeway below grade and clear the way for a 30-acre deck park to be constructed over the roadway.

Although prevalent, these trends are not unique to Texas. As other US cities grapple with the barriers created by highway infrastructure, deck parks have gained momentum as a compelling solution, particularly in areas where major roadways cut through dense urban neighborhoods. Phoenix’s Hance Park spans I-10 to connect downtown with Midtown. San Diego’s Teralta Park bridges I-15 in a dense residential neighborhood. Kansas City’s convention center stretches across I-670 downtown. Seattle’s Freeway Park and the Washington State Convention Center span I-5, reconnecting downtown with the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Yet for all their promise, deck parks have also drawn a lot of criticism, mostly because they are so expensive. A single park typically costs tens of millions of dollars and results in millions more for annual maintenance and operations costs. This is why the long-term economic development opportunities associated with such a project must be a central consideration for any deck park proposal. If a single deck park can be the linchpin that unlocks the redevelopment potential of two adjacent districts—each of which can support major new commercial, residential, and mixed-use development—then a deck park may be a good option. However, if the proposed deck park is not likely to generate significant private sector investment, then it may not be worth the public investment.

Lessons from 30 Years of Redevelopment Strategies

Through three decades of advising communities on economic development, TIP has identified several key lessons from major redevelopment projects. While this article focuses on the role of deck parks in redevelopment efforts, some of the takeaways apply more broadly to any large-scale redevelopment project. TIP has supported public-private partnership (P3) redevelopment efforts in Wisconsin, including the Titletown District in Greater Green Bay and the mall redevelopment in downtown Wausau (which involved the adaptive reuse of a former WPS PowerHouse building into a multi-use coworking and innovation space), in South Carolina (including Rock Hill’s former textile mill district which has been envisioned as the Knowledge Park innovation district), and in other communities.

Here are some of the lessons TIP has drawn from major redevelopment efforts involving P3 approaches (deck park or no deck park!):

• Think long-term. Rethink infrastructure investments with an eye toward long-term economic development. Will the investment open up new areas for economic growth or existing areas to higher value development? Will it make my community more competitive in the long run? Will it strengthen the tax base or burden the community with added costs?
• Leverage ownership. Control key sites through public sector or P3 approaches. The most effective way to ensure a redevelopment project achieves desired community outcomes is for the public sector to own the site, but that comes with increased costs, responsibilities, and risks. Where full public ownership isn’t feasible, strategic public-private partnerships can balance control with investment.
• Set realistic timelines. Big moves take time. Large-scale redevelopment rarely fits within a 5-year plan, and even a 10-year window can be optimistic. Success depends on setting milestones that reflect the scope and complexity of the effort.
• Start small. Early wins build momentum and generate support. Secure planning and design grants from state, federal, or philanthropic funding sources. Host a design workshop to invite residents, businesses, landowners, and design professionals to come up with options for future land use scenarios.
• Be willing to say no. Preventing development in the short-term may be necessary to keep your long-term options open. Sometimes it’s necessary to say no to an in-demand property type (such as multifamily, distribution centers, or data centers in recent years) to preserve a prime site for a higher and better use in the long run. That’s exactly what the City of Irving has done to preserve its prime 80-acre site in the PUD 6 area. Saying no might also mean saying no to a building being torn down, which is exactly what we helped Wausau’s leadership do by preventing the planned teardown of the WPS building in Wausau which is slated to become the PowerHouse.
• Create a plan. Redevelopment should connect to something bigger. Any successful redevelopment project needs a strong yet flexible master development plan to guide public and private investments through economic cycles. Having a publicly-supported economic development strategic plan for your community—with the redevelopment project prominently included—can help align support for both efforts.