The Valley View-Galleria Area Plan will go before the Dallas City Plan Commission tomorrow, and District 11 commissioner Bruce Bernbaum says Dallas Midtown is a tremendous opportunity for all of District 11 and all of Dallas.

Bernbaum is one of the members that will consider the 430 acres from Preston to the east, the toll road to the west, LBJ to the south and a line along Southern Street to the north, that has come to be known as Dallas Midtown.

The document is roughly 84 pages long, and contains the history of the Valley View/Galleria area. It details existing conditions, the vision for the whole development, different districts it will contain and open spaces including a “central park,” Bernbaum says. Bernbaum says the “broad based document” will set the groundwork for the area’s future development, which is designed within its boundaries.

Bernbaum say it needs higher density because it creates a place for people to live and walk. “The idea is to increase the density to create a fairly significant neighborhood,” he says.

Bernbaum says though the plan will complement neighboring businesses and be something they can take advantage of, property owners are justified in their concerns over their property rights. In previous public meetings property owners expressed concerns that the central park is in place of their current property.

“No property is being taken away. This will upgrade the opportunity for businesses being developed. As far as traffic there is already a thoroughfare plan being developed that will be adopted by city,” he says. Not to mention traffic will be pushed on main arteries like the toll way and LBJ (which obviously won’t be as horrendous when Dallas Midtown is complete anywhere from 20–30 years from now).

“If we look at the success of Klyde Warren Park and what’s that done to the downtown community, this is a great opportunity for North Dallas in an area that has been underused,” Bernbaum says. If the plan is approved it will go before city council May 22.