Hunt Realty opposes high-speed rail plans near Reunion Tower

A proposed high-speed rail line connecting Dallas and Fort Worth is in the works, and Hunt Realty Investments has oppositions. 

The envisioned rail line, spanning approximately 30 miles with stops in Arlington, is estimated to cost upwards of $6 billion. However, public and private sector opposition is threatening to derail the plans, particularly surrounding a proposed elevated station in downtown Dallas, the Dallas Business Journal reported. 

Dallas-based Hunt said the elevated train could disrupt its $5 billion plan to redevelop 20 acres surrounding the iconic Reunion Tower, which would yield the construction of 3,000 apartments, a hotel, 150,000 square feet of retail, up to 2 million square feet of office and a 3- to 4-acre park.

Hunt Realty president Colin Fitzgibbons said the elevated station could negatively impact neighborhoods, parks, businesses and “all of the other activities required to support a strong and vibrant downtown.”

The firm commissioned renderings that show the train passing inches from windows of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, WFAA reported.

That would force it to lose 1,000 hotel rooms, the iconic Reunion Tower and the affordable component of its residential development plans, the TV station said.

Some Dallas City Council members briefed on the plan this week, including Chad West and Gay Donnell Willis, worry the high-speed train plans would impact downtown development initiatives, including the planned redevelopment of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

Still, the high-speed rail plans have garnered support from advocates who highlight the potential for development around stations and increased economic connectivity. 

“The benefits we would gain could impact the educational sector, preparing our youth for new options and new career paths,” council member Carolyn King Arnold said. “Local businesses will benefit just from the tourism that will begin to come in and placement of certain restaurants where they can actually see high above the rail as it’s moving.”

Council Member Omar Narvaez touted the project as positioning Dallas at the forefront of high-speed rail in the United States, foreseeing significant development and property value increases along the rail lines.

—Quinn Donoghue

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