Anchoring a large storefront at the Bruton Masters Village Shopping Center in Pleasant Grove, the Inspired Vision Compassion Center serves thousands of families each week. It provides food, clothing, medical care, job training, school supplies, and uniforms. Sometimes it even gives out prom dresses. Families bake in the heat waiting for their turn to come in.
A line of people frequently stretches out into the expansive parking lot. It offered little shade or comfort for those families as they waited. A new partnership between the city of Dallas, the Center, and the Better Block Foundation is aimed at solving that problem, organizers said this week.
Founded by pastor Karen Belknap and now run by her daughter Teadran White, the Inspired Vision Compassion Center launched in 2014 in the parking lot of Belknap’s Inspired Vision Church. By 2019, the Center moved to its current location. Through the pandemic and its aftermath, the organization has seen the number of families needing assistance grow exponentially. It serves nearly 2,000 people each day.
Belknap said she is “very excited” about the prospect of improving their experience while they wait.
“We hope that this project will build on our efforts, and the efforts of Councilmember Jaime Resendez, to bring new energy and vitality to the neighborhood,” she said.
Resendez contacted Better Block about potential placemaking projects in his district, especially around the area near Bruton and Masters roads. Better Block executive director Krista Nightengale said he has been instrumental in providing “big picture insight,” forging essential community connections, and navigating the permitting process with the city.
Nightengale said the Pleasant Grove project is a departure for her organization, which usually focuses on removing parking lots to show how a community can use the often empty area for recreation.
“We’re keeping the parking lot element in the final design because it’s crucial for the Inspired Vision Compassion Center,” Nightengale said. “They serve over 1,800 people a day throughout the Dallas area, and many visitors drive to the area. However, once they exit the car, they then line up in a space that often has them overflowing into the parking lot.”
Better Block surveyed residents first to understand what they needed and also what they’d like. The organization typically spends 120 days on its placemaking projects, which includes soliciting community input.
“We worked with (the nonprofit advocacy group) Somos Tejas on not only getting the surveys out into the community but ensuring we got plenty of responses,” Nightingale said. “From there, we are able to take the results and create a design that best fits the community.”
Based on those requests, Better Block will add shade, seating, a basketball court, and flex space, which is common in its projects. But Nightengale said they’d also be doing things the organization hasn’t done before, like repainting parking stripes and adding speed bumps. As the community uses the space, it can be adapted.
“Everything is meant to be tested, moved around, and commented on,” Nightingale said. “So, this Saturday, we’re going to have a large event with musicians, vendors, and kids’ activities so folks can give feedback on the changes.”
Volunteers attended workshops this week to paint, assemble furniture, and set up the space. Better Block, Resendez, and Inspired Vision will unveil the transformed lot at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
But Nightengale also hopes that this project will change how developers—and the city—approach parking. A recent analysis found that almost a quarter of the land in downtown Dallas is devoted to parking. This project maintains what is needed, makes it safer, and transforms the rest into a gathering space.
“We hope that both commercial property owners and city leaders note that there are other ways we can be using all these parking spaces,” she said. “And we can create better parking spaces that are more human-friendly. Dallas is overparked. We need to address parking minimums and understand that these spaces could be rethought into plazas, parks, and even housing.”
If parking is necessary, Nightengale said, “it can be done better,” like adding traffic calming measures to slow down motorists and create safer and more comfortable pedestrian spaces.
“We have a saying that it’s hard to find parking in great places, meaning that the places we love are designed for us, not our cars,” she said. “What if we applied that same equation to parking lots and started putting more of an emphasis on the people getting in and out of the cars in those parking lots rather than their cars?”
Recent discussions in Dallas about eliminating parking minimums and designing spaces with people in mind are encouraging. The City Council is expected to take up the matter at some point early next year.
Nightengale said that in more and more cases, communities have explicitly stated they don’t want more parking. She hopes projects like the Inspired Vision Compassion Center will help policymakers get creative.
“We hope that with projects like this, the city pays attention. People are starting to ask for more public spaces and less concrete,” she said. “They want spots where they can bump into a stranger and walk away neighbors. As we see other cities reexamine parking minimums and take action, we have to ensure Dallas doesn’t fall behind.”
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