Tyler’s Parkside Development: Here’s What’s Happening Now

TYLER, Texas -- Tyler's massive Parkside development is taking shape along South Broadway, and developers are now giving us a better idea of what they hope the 92-acre project will actually feel like when it's finished. And apparently, the land itself played a pretty big role in the plan.

We've already shared plenty about the 92-acre development planned across from The Village at Cumberland Park, including the shopping, dining, entertainment, and green spaces expected to eventually fill the property.

READ MORE: Parkside Update: What We Know About Tyler’s Big New Development

But apparently, the location itself played a pretty big role in the plan.

Parkside Developers Say the Land Shaped the Plan

In recent updates, Parkside said The Genecov Group acquired the property in 2022 and brought in a landscape architect before construction began to figure out how to make the most of what was already there.

The property includes a creek winding through the property and neighboring Faulkner Park.

Rather than envisioning another place where we park, shop, and leave, developers say the goal is somewhere people might actually hang around, moving between restaurants, shopping, green space, and community gathering areas without constantly getting back in the car.

Parkside's current plans also call for walking trails and a direct connection to Faulkner Park.

There's a Lot Happening Underneath Parkside, Too

Before the buildings, restaurants, and gathering spaces can come to fruition, a lot of work has to happen beneath the surface. Developers say the property fronts roughly 50 feet from Broadway to the middle of the creek, so the land has had to be carefully reshaped to accommodate future roads, buildings, and public spaces while making water flow where it needs to, ya know...flow.

In this arduous process, more than 192,000 cubic yards of dirt have been excavated (my gosh, can you imagine), moved, and placed. Infrastructure work is also underway, including roads, power, and sewer.

Because this isn't the most glamorous phase of the project, people driving by can't see how much is happening behind the scenes.

Parkside Under Development, Photo courtesy of Parkside

Parkside Won't Open All at Once

Parkside also shared another update on September 5, explaining that we shouldn't expect the entire 92-acre development to suddenly open its doors on one big grand-opening day.

Instead, Parkside will open in phases, with Centennial Drive dividing the development into Parkside North and Parkside South. Developers say the North side is what we're currently seeing under construction, while the South side is planned around the creek, park, tree canopy, and much of the green space we've seen in those renderings.

And for those of us waiting rather impatiently to hear exactly which restaurants and businesses are coming, well...we're apparently going to have to keep waiting a little longer. Parkside says businesses are interested in the development, but they won't announce names until agreements are finalized.

That phased approach also fits with Parkside's existing plans, which show Centennial Parkway being extended across Broadway to serve as a northern entrance to the development.

Tyler Residents Have Plenty of Opinions About Parkside

Based on the response to the latest update, many Tyler residents are excited. Others worry about losing trees and want developers to preserve as much of the natural landscape as possible.

And, naturally, somebody still just wants a Costco. Some keep complaining that these updates don't provide the full explanation they're looking for, but here's the thing: these things take time.

We still don't have the complete list of restaurants and retailers coming to Parkside, but we're getting a clearer picture of what developers hope it will feel like once it's finished:

Less giant parking lot. More actual place we wanna be.

And frankly, I'm very much looking forward to it. Also, I do hope they preserve as much of the natural environment as possible.

Your thoughts on the Parkside Development? Send them over to tara.holley@townsquaremedia.com.