Jefferson Boulevard May Get a Taste of Barcelona

Wednesday, Councilwoman Delia Jasso pitched development ideas to property owners of Jefferson Boulevard. The meeting revealed a seven-point blueprint for Planned Development District No. 316, which is generally bounded by South Polk Street, West Tenth Street, Beckley Avenue, and Twelfth Street.

“No one has opened this in 50 years,” Jasso said of the PDD 316 zoning plans.

The plans include streetcar extensions, bicycle facilities, road completions, and something exciting: a “las ramblas” feature for Jefferson Boulevard. “Las ramblas” involves widening the existing median for two blocks (bound by South Zang Boulevard and South Bishop Street). With that space, visitors are free to walk about, and vendors can open up kiosks, small shops, or restaurants. The most famous “las ramblas” strip is in Barcelona.

Design plans must be nailed down and go through the city council, so construction would not start this year. But Shawn Williams, deputy chief of staff to Mayor Rawlings, pointed out that thousands of visitors will come to Dallas for the JFK assassination anniversary in November. Some Oak Cliff spots are related to the event, such as the Texas Theatre, where Lee Harvey Oswald was apprehended.

“One thing the mayor has asked is that Jefferson Boulevard is presented in a way that’s ready for the thousands upon thousands of people who come to Dallas,” he said.

What do you think? Would you be in favor of a walkable median on Jefferson, or would it make the spot too congested?