DALLAS-The Dallas Morning News reports that on Sept. 16, the Dallas City Council's Economic Development Committee approved spending $750,000 in grant funds on pre-construction expenses related to a proposed project on 3.8 acres in the Vickery Meadow area of Dallas. The article indicates that the city owned site, which is close to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail line, could one day hold a library branch and up to 300 apartment units.

The acreage is on Park Lane near Greenville Avenue – and the article points out that, more than a decade ago, the city said it would build a library branch for the area. At the time, DMA Development Co. and Carleton Residential Properties stepped forward, but that wasn't enough for the city, which had paid close to $6 million to acquire and scrape the land.

The economic development committee's approval for pre-construction expenses will move to a full council vote on Sept. 25, with the proposed project including a possible health clinic and retail, along with the library and multifamily units. The project will likely cost approximately $41 million, and the city would like to see a ribbon-cutting within the next two years.