Looks like this is the last we'll write of Chad Lacerte and his Dallas Watersports Complex, once slated to become a West Dallas destination on Fish Trap Lake till the Dallas Housing Authority stepped in and drowned the deal last summer. Lacerte's already said he's taking his wakeboarding operation to Allen, but even after he and DHA President Mary Ann Russ got crossways over a business plan in April, he told Unfair Park: "I'm still interested in doing something there."
But, no. In advance of the long-awaited West Dallas master plan DHA will formally debut this evening, housing authority senior veep Troy Broussard sent Lacerte a firm thanks-but-no-thanks, which says, in part:
Fish Trap Lake is a valuable community asset in an area with few public recreational resources. The use you are proposing is a specialized use that appeals to a niche group. The most beneficial use of Fish Trap Lake is one that is community centered, which open access, serving residents of all ages and fitness levels.There's more; the whole letter follows. So too does the entire so-called Lakewest Master Plan envisioned for DHA's more-or-less 100 acres in West Dallas, which will be revealed at 6 p.m. at the Lakewest Family YMCA a few blocks from the lake. It's a long read full of hopes ("additional retail and service businesses, enhanced community park features, and overall improved connectivity for residents to all areas within Lakewest"), dreams ("The vision for the east side of Kingbridge includes the community and cultural arts center and sculpture garden"), talk of bowling alleys and amphitheaters, and copious conceptual renderings, including the new look at Fish Trap Lake you see above. Jump, and prepare to settle in.
Additionally, the Authority is currently developing three residential properties in the area, each less than 150 feet away from Fish Trap Lake. One of the developments is a senior citizen, assisted living facility. The proposed wake-board park would be open for business until ten in the evening. The bright lights, noise and late hours of operation of the proposed wake-board park are not compatible for this residential community.
