April Allen

Black Founder Weekend 2025 to Drive $100K+ in Economic Impact for Black Entrepreneurs in North Texas

by | Jun 22, 2025
The inaugural three-day event lands in Dallas June 27–29 at Paul Quinn College, bringing together more than 40 speakers, curated activations, and a bold agenda built to move capital, spark deals, and support Black founders.
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Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation Names New COO
by | Apr 11, 2025
Chris Lyons has worked with some of the world’s most renowned brands in hospitality, zoos, parks and attractions. He'll now be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the planned Halperin Park in Southern Dallas (formerly known as Southern Gateway Park).
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Dallas Hip Hop Architecture Camp Brings Students’ Designs to Life for Southern Gateway Park
by | Jun 28, 2024
Dallas-based Corgan said that during the camp, which took place June 24-28, students presented designs to potentially be integrated into a facility at Southern Gateway Park, a deck park being built over I-35E near the Dallas Zoo and historic Oak Cliff.
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Construction Begins on Transformational Southern Gateway Park in Oak Cliff
by | Nov 10, 2023
The construction kickoff for the I-35 deck park was celebrated at a recent Public Green Foundation "groundmaking" event. More than 200 community and civic leaders, donors, and partners were on hand to mark the occasion.
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The Last Word: Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson on the Southern Gateway Deck Park in Oak Cliff

by | Oct 24, 2022
Southern Gateway Park, a planned $172 million, five-acre deck park over I-35 by the Dallas Zoo—just reached a big milestone. TxDOT has completed the foundation deck for Phase 1 of the deck park (seen in the right half of the image above). The park will literally and figuratively reconnect the Oak Cliff neighborhood that was divided by I-35 in the 1950s. The park promises to be an engineering marvel with five acres of wooded slopes, water features, rocky escarpments, a restaurant/retail complex hidden under a hilltop, and one of the most awesome kids' playgrounds in North Texas. But its greatest achievement may be to make Oak Cliff whole again—and to bring all of Dallas together.
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I-35 Deck Park by Dallas Zoo Will Have Major Wow Factor—and a Driving Mission
by | Nov 22, 2021
"It's not an idea—it's happening," says April Allen, president of the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation. 

Southern Gateway Park will be an engineering marvel over I-35E, with five acres of wooded slopes, water features, rocky escarpments, a restaurant/retail complex hidden under a hilltop, and one of the most awesome kids' playgrounds in North Texas. But its greatest achievement may be to make Oak Cliff whole again—and to bring all of Dallas together.
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