Texas is set to lose one of its state parks after landowner Vistra Corp. terminated the lease ahead of plans to sell the property to a real-estate developer.
(Bloomberg) — Texas is set to lose one of its state parks after landowner Vistra Corp. terminated the lease ahead of plans to sell the property to a real-estate developer.
Fairfield Lake State Park, a 90-minute drive southeast of Dallas, will close to the public Feb. 28, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said Tuesday. Vistra, an electricity provider, is in the process of selling the property to Dallas-based Todd Interests, which has plans to build luxury residential homes in a development that will envelop the former park. The lake is known among anglers for an abundance of big large-mouth bass, and the park drew about 80,000 visitors a year to enjoy camping and 10 miles of hiking and biking trails.
Vistra leased the property to the state at zero cost since the early 1970s. The company originally purchased 5,000 acres to build a coal-fired power plant and a lake as a cooling reservoir. The plant shut down in 2018 for economic reasons, and Vista notified the state it would be selling the land. Vistra listed the property for sale in 2021, and the state never submitted a bid, saying it didn’t have the funds to pay for it.
The loss of a public recreation area is an especially brutal blow in Texas, where a population surge has put pressure on a park system that was already among the smallest in the US when measured on a per-capita basis. Fairfield is one of 15 parks at which the state leases the land. About 95% of Texas is privately-owned and only about 2.4% is protected as state and national park land.
Vistra, one of the largest power generators in Texas, said the company has valued working with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and looks forward to continuing its partnerships on other conservation projects. Todd Interests, which has real estate projects in Texas and Virginia, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
A Texas lawmaker filed a bill in a last-ditch effort to save the park. The measure from Angelia Orr, a Republican in the house, would allow the parks department to use eminent domain authority to acquire any property necessary to preserve the site.
“Fairfield Lake State Park has been treasured by the local community and park lovers across the state for decades, and I am proud to do my part to help preserve it,” Orr, who is serving her first term in the legislature, said in a statement. The state kicked off it’s 88th legislative session in January and it runs through the end of May.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.