Today I Decided To Bike Through Viridian Rather Than The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle

I don't remember when it was I was last at Arlington's River Legacy Park, but I am fairly certain today was the first time I've been at this location this summer.

Due to it currently being the HOT time of the year the snake warning signs are up. Along with a new sign I've not seen before, as in "ATTENTION: We share the park with bobcats and other wildlife. Please use caution while in the park."

It has been years since I've had a bobcat encounter in River Legacy Park. I have had a bobcat encounter this summer in Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

This morning I read that Tarrant County and the D/FW  Metroplex zone has been experiencing a home buying boom, with there being more people wanting to buy than the supply of homes available to buy.

The Formerly Blocked Trail To Viridian

Reading about the home buying boom caused me to wonder how much the Viridian development adjacent to River Legacy Park was booming. I last saw the Viridian development after reading that homes were now being built on the long stalled project. That was, maybe, 6 months ago, maybe longer, that I pedaled to check on Viridian.

Several years ago a paved trail was installed (and blocked) that led from the Gateway Park trail to Viridian. Today I was pleased to find that this trail is no longer blocked and one can now bike the trail to Viridian.

The paved trail entry to Viridian is quite welcoming. The entry is well landscaped. The completed parts of the Viridian development are all well landscaped.

A Viridian art installation overlooking one of the Viridian development's lakes. Is the above lake Lake Viridian? I have no idea. I do know that years ago, before the 2008 economic collapse that brought the Viridian development to a stall, I talked to a guy who was surveying the border with River Legacy Park and he told me the lake you see above was going to be developed into a public use swimming lake with a beach.

Today I saw no signs of a beach being installed around "Lake Viridian" but I did see plenty of landscaping around the lake. In the above photo my handlebars are on a bridge overlooking the lake.

Looking at "Lake Viridian" had me wondering how this lake compares in size to the shrinking proposed Pond Granger that is part of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle? In the middle of "Lake Viridian" there is a small island. Unlike the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle imaginary island, Viridian could actually name an actual island, Panther Island. Then put a pavilion on it and call it Panther Island Pavilion and Viridian would have created something that the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle only pretends to have created.

Above is another view of "Lake Viridian" and the paved trails one can use to bike the lake. Or if one is walking there are plenty of benches on which to have oneself a sit down.

Unlike the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, Viridian is a private development. When first announced, sometime around the time the Dallas Cowboy stadium started getting constructed, the plans were quite elaborate, including restaurants, retail and an island with very expensive homes. Prior to the 2008 financial meltdown a lot of infrastructure work had been done. And then, after the meltdown, work on the Viridian project slowed to a crawl.

The Viridian crawl now seems to be sped way up.

Now, what I'm thinking is how interesting it is that something like the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle has been limping along for well over a decade, with Fort Worth still waiting for that much needed flood control project to start protecting Fort Worth, with the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle really not having all that much to show for itself after all this time.

Not much to show, unless one is impressed with the TRVB's creation of the world's premiere urban wakeboard lake, the world's first drive-in movie theater of the 21st century, the world's first inner tube happy hour floats in a polluted river and the world's premiere island-free polluted waterfront music venue.

Oh, and abusing eminent domain to steal, I mean, buy a lot of people's property. No eminent domain abuse has occurred to create Viridian. No businesses were destroyed. No lives were left in chaos.

Where the paved trail exits Viridian I was surprised to see what looked like a small mountain, of the sort of brown, grass covered hills one sees in Eastern Washington. I have no clue whether nor not this mountain is part of the Viridian development.

If such a mountain appeared in the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle zone I would expect to be reading breathless reports about the mountain becoming the world's premiere year round ski resort with the world's biggest artificial snow maker and the world's fastest open air ski lift, with a Tim Love restaurant at the summit, commanding a view of the Panther Island Pavilion music venue and those world famous Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats, along with the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth....