Heritage Park North

Beginning in February 2025, the Community Enhancement Department facilitated a Neighborhood Stabilization Initiative in Heritage Park North that included a neighborhood survey, meeting, and workday. This launched our enhancement efforts including entryway features and screening options along the Bethany Dr. corridor. Tab #1 is dedicated to that process.

** Note: The block party had to be postponed to 2026 because of weather, and we look forward to planning that with you soon.

** Note: Updates are posted from most recent to oldest. Go to the bottom of the page and scroll up to view the updates in chronological order.

Project Updates: Heritage Pkwy Redesign

A BIG thank you to the 70+ residents who took to the streets on Saturday November 8, 2025, to discuss and provide feedback on a potential redesign of Heritage Parkway. In the coming weeks, City Staff from multiple departments will review all comments and concerns before making a final decision on the roadway design.

The Opportunity

• Heritage Parkway is scheduled for repair/reconstruction in 2026-2027
• The current roadway is wider than current traffic volumes require
• The Parkway (adjacent to the pavement) could be widened to make room for enhancements

Making the parkway wider would:

• Provide room for wider sidewalks: 5-6 ft. meandering, avoiding utility poles
• Help reduce speeds: Reduce the roadway width by 10ft (still wider than a typical residential street)
• Increase greenspace: More area for grass, optional small trees
• Reduce long-term costs: Less pavement = less maintenance costs

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: Why are the parkway improvements only proposed from Monroe Ct. to Park Place Dr. instead of the full length of Heritage Parkway?
• A: The concrete between Monroe Ct. and Bethany Dr. is still in good condition in many areas. Spot repairs may be needed, but not full reconstruction at this time. If the parkway is extended as proposed, it will allow a similar design to be considered when the time comes to reconstruct the rest of the roadway in the future.
• Q: Will all the sidewalks be repaired along Heritage Parkway?
• A: If the parkway is extended, then the sidewalks in that area and directly across the street will be improved. Beyond that area, they will be improved as funding allows.
• If the parkway is not extended, then the sidewalks (beyond those directly impacted by the roadway project) will not be repaired at this time and will remain on a future improvement list.
• Q: Will on-street parking be prohibited if the parkway is extended and street narrowed?
• A: Yes, the intent is that no parking will be permitted in that area. However, the city will likely wait and see if it becomes a problem before taking further action. Often the narrowing itself deters on street parking. If not, the city is prepared to clearly designate that area as “no parking” through striping the curb or placing signs.
• Q: Specific questions were asked about turn lanes and width of the street at Park Place Dr. during peak school traffic, as well as concerns about CWD accessing alleys for trash service, and large vehicles such as travel trailers and fire engines having room to navigate the narrowed section of Heritage Parkway.
• A: At this time, these concerns have been noted and will be vetted through the design process. The Fire Chief was consulted prior to the neighborhood meeting and did not express concerns about fire engines accessing the area. As noted above, even if narrowed, Heritage Parkway will be wider than a standard neighborhood street.

Please direct questions or comments to enhancement@allentx.gov or call 214-509-4180.

Neighborhood Block Party - Canceled

Update: Friday, October 24, 2025

The block party is CANCELED due to the forecasted weather. We'll regroup in the coming months and try again in the Spring! Stay Safe!

Update: Thursday, October 23, 2025

We are keeping an eye on the weather forecast for this weekend. In the event we postpone the block party, we will post it here on this site. Check back here for the latest update.

Neighborhood Block Party - October 25, 2025

Heritage Park North's neighborhood block party is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25 from 3-5 p.m. at the small parking lot / field at Whitman Dr & Yale Dr.

Come meet your neighbors and play some giant yard games and cornhole. We'll have Kona Ice onsite (the first 100 are free to the neighborhood), and the Bubble Vibez truck for the kids is always a success. Oh, and don't forget about Nine Square In The Air! Bring your own frisbee or ball to play catch, or just bring your lawn chairs & picnic blankets to relax. See you there!

Neighborhood Workday - April 26, 2025

A big THANK YOU to all the neighbors who came out Saturday, April 26th. We had eighteen Heritage Park North residents helping seven other households who requested help to clean up around their homes. Several brought water and/or snacks, as well as their trucks to help haul items and brush. We had five neighbors stop by and put items in the dumpster while we were there. After the event, Code Compliance completed a post-workday sweep, and of the thirty-eight homes that received courtesy notifications, only three remained.

You know it's a success when everyone asks, "When are we going to do this again?" Let's plan on it!

Update: Mark Your Calendars

There's still time to sign up! Join us for a neighborhood workday Saturday, April 26, 2025 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The Community Enhancement Department is actively partnering with the residents of Heritage Park North for a neighborhood workday on Saturday, April 26, 2025 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

A large percentage of homes in your area have visible outdoor storage, trash/debris and/or overgrown landscaping. Since this is a “neighbors helping neighbors” style workday, we want to help facilitate connections between residents who need help and those who can help. We will be providing dumpsters for easy disposal of those items (see map below).

Residents Committee - March 24

The team focused on planning for April 26th Workday event to help residents with open storage issues and provide dumpsters for residents to dispose of unwanted items (Bulk trash and Brush, but not Hazardous Waste ). The attendees discussed the logistics of the event, the distribution of packets to neighbors, and the distribution of doorhangers. There will be some neighborhood outreach performed by committee, as well as canvassing the entire neighborhood with doorhangers inviting residents to sign up and participate.

The following issues/decisions were agreed upon at the Residents Committee Meeting:

• Bonnie & Melissa responsible for delivering Residents Packet to those on short list
• Doorhanger outreach was divided up into six areas with 4 of the 6 being assigned to those in attendance (Craig-2, Bonnie-3, Melissa-5, Gavin-6)
• As of the end of the meeting, areas 1 and 4 still need to be adopted.

Residents Committee - March 10

The team discussed the progress of the project, focusing on workday options and neighborhood involvement. They discussed strategies for engaging residents in neighborhood improvement projects, potential dates for an upcoming event, and ways to sustain and expand their community improvement efforts if the neighborhood shows interest. The conversation ended with a discussion on the importance of clear communication and engagement with volunteers, and the need for due diligence in approaching residents.

The following issues/decisions were agreed upon at the Residents Committee Meeting:

• Focus on the "neighbors helping neighbors" initiative rather than the median projects (with possibility of median projects happening in the future).
• City staff will finalize workday projects, help with communication & develop a strategy using a combination of flyers and emails for outreach, coordinate with other departments, and ensure compliance regarding citywide requirements.
• Residents will make contact with those in need of help, promote the event and recruit other volunteers.
• Next Residents Committee meeting is scheduled for March 24th at 7:30 p.m.
• Workday scheduled for April 26, 2025 from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. (with May 3rd as a backup).
• Heritage Park North Workday is scheduled for April 26 from 8 a.m.-12 p.m.

Neighborhood Meeting - February 20, 2025

Thank you to those who attended the neighborhood meeting. With 31 residents braving the cold, the turnout was great. If you were not able to attend or want a refresher, the presentation is attached below.

In summary, Staff from the Community Enhancement Department gave a brief presentation explaining what the department does, past neighborhood stabilization projects, and potential projects to be completed in the Heritage Park North area including screening concepts to enhance the Bethany Dr. corridor.

One specific topic that was discussed in the presentation pertained to brick screening walls. As seen on slide 10, when asked, “what could be done to make your neighborhood a better place to live”, 22% of survey respondents noted interest in a brick screening wall along Bethany Dr. Detailed reasons noted in the survey responses included noise mitigation, visual impact, and a physical barrier to protect children and pets living in the homes adjacent to Bethany Dr. Erin Jones, Planning Manager, addressed this feedback directly in her presentation. In summary, she noted that brick screening walls would not be installed as part of this project. Screening walls that exist in the City today fall into two categories: (1) they were built by a developer and are currently maintained by a HOA, or (2) they were built by a developer prior to the requirement for HOAs and are the responsibility of individual homeowners to maintain in perpetuity. However, recognizing the financial burden to maintain a brick wall is beyond the means of the average homeowner in a non-HOA neighborhood, and desiring to bring visual continuity, the Community Enhancement Department began the process to obtain easements from homeowners to repair, replace and maintain existing walls in non-HOA neighborhoods. The decision has been made not to build new screening walls in locations where they do not currently exist due to the cost to build and maintain. Instead, options as shown on slide 11, are proposed to help address visual impact and provide a physical barrier to open areas (cul-de-sac lots) along thoroughfares such as Bethany Dr.

After the presentation, residents were invited to (1) give their visual preference for signage options, (2) sign up to serve on the resident committee, and (3) point out future needs in the neighborhood.

Visual Preference

Three different styles of signage were displayed — engraved panel, modern cut-out, and rustic cut-out. Each resident was given three dots (votes) to indicate their visual preference. Of these three options, the overwhelming favorite at 42 votes was to keep the existing engraved panel style. This may be achieved by cleaning up and preserving the existing sign or recreating a new sign in the same style. The ultimate decision will depend on the condition of the signage and what additional brick repair is required. This initial input helps point staff in the right direction to research all possibly options. That research paired with input from the resident committee, will lead to the final selection.

Committee Volunteers

Fourteen residents volunteered to serve on the resident committee. These residents will meet with City staff at key points to help plan a workday, block party, and provide feedback for physical improvements as the project progresses. This is an open group, so please feel free to reach out to enhancement@cityofallen.org and join in at any time.

Future Needs

• Add tree or some nice landscaping to small median on Rockefeller (Livingston has one)
• Asphalt pothole repairs have turned into speed bumps (Victorian/Heritage Dr.), better repair work
• Car crash near bridge, no repairs have been made
• Enforce no cars near entrance/exit around median
• Enforce removal of junk vehicles
• Establish a community garden
• Flowers at Rockefeller/Bethany & Livingston/Bethany
• Lane marker (right/left turn) eastbound on Park Place Dr. @ S Allen Heights
• Mitigate speeding down Park Place
• More foliage with fence on Bethany to block view of the community street and block noise
• More lighting, trim trees
• Need lights for tunnel E. Bethany Dr
• Need mirror to see around corner in alleyway (773 Monticello), 2 accidents so far
• New speed limit signs in various locations Allen Heights
• New streets around Ford Park
• No parking signs are gone on Park Place & Victoria (used to be on the chain link fence)
• Overhanging dead limbs in Ford Park
• Park lights are on way too late and they are super bright
• Parking too close to corner of 733-734 Livingston
• Pothole on corner of Mustang/Whitman
• Remove trees from median on Livingston entrance and replace with bushes
• Retaining wall along the trail (just west of Whitman)
• Road issues along Victorian & Pulitzer
• Secure the nets that stop the balls
• Streetlamps needed at 914-918 Rutgers
• Street sunk in at 775 Whitman Place at alley
• Thin out trees and clean out brush on Shadow Lakes Park on corner of Bethany/Allen Heights. Same on N Allen Heights from Bethany to McDermott
• Trail is closed of Wandering Way behind Ford MS
• Victoria Dr/Park Place, double parking during soccer games

Next Steps

If you signed up to be on the Resident Committee, City staff will be in touch soon to schedule a kickoff meeting.

Neighborhood Survey (Pre-Public Meeting)

In January 2025, City staff invited all residents of Heritage Park North to take our online survey before our neighborhood meeting in February. The online survey including two open ended questions:

1. What is your neighborhood’s greatest asset?
2. What could be done to make your neighborhood a better place to live?