Carrollton will officially reopen Woodlake Lake tomorrow, with a 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of a $2.5 million renovation eight years in the making. Mayor Steve Babick and the City Council will join Parks and Recreation Director Jonathan Scheu for remarks on the new features, which include a lakeside pavilion and an ADA-accessible watercraft launch built for kayakers of all abilities.
The project traces back to a $22.4 million Parks and Recreation bond package that Carrollton voters approved in 2018, with roughly $2.5 million of that total set aside specifically for upgrades at Woodlake Lake, according to the City of Carrollton. Physical construction began in August 2024 and wrapped in late July 2026, extending well past the city's original early-2025 completion target. The lake sits on East Peters Colony Road between Josey Lane and Paxton Drive, a stretch of one of Carrollton's busier residential corridors.
The city announced the ribbon-cutting in a City of Carrollton post that tagged the Carrollton Parks and Recreation Department and pointed residents to details on the renovation's new features. Beyond the pavilion and kayak launch, the finished park includes terraced lawn seating, expanded trail connections, native landscaping, improved parking, and dedicated space for food trucks, per reporting from the Branch Herald.
Blending Active Recreation With a Quiet Neighborhood Setting
Woodlake Lake connects to the Furneaux Creek Blue Trail, a 6.5-mile paved trail system that links several of Carrollton's neighborhood parks, according to TrailLink. The renovation's design was shaped in part by concerns from nearby residents and churches, who pushed the city to preserve the lake's quiet character even as it added more active gathering space. City documents show Carrollton Engineering Director Jonathan Wheat described the goal during design planning as encouraging residents to gather and pause during runs while still protecting the lake's natural setting.
That balancing act earned outside recognition before a single shovel hit the ground. MESA Design Group, the Dallas-based firm the city selected in early 2021 to design the project, received a 2023 Texas American Society of Landscape Architects Merit Award in the Design Unrealized category for its Woodlake Trail Park layout, according to MESA Design Group. The city awarded the construction contract to Mills Development and Construction – Dallas, LLC in January 2024, roughly three years after the design work began.
Saturday's Celebration and What Comes Next
Saturday's grand opening will feature live music, guided tours of the renovated park, and complimentary coffee and pastries from a mobile café while supplies last, the Branch Herald reports. City staff also plan to use the event to share information on future park improvements, continuing a pattern of municipal investment that predates this project.
That momentum was visible earlier this year, when Carrollton placed a May 2026 bond election on the ballot that included $26.53 million for additional citywide parks and recreation capital projects, part of a broader $235 million bond referendum covering five propositions, as Hoodline previously reported. Woodlake Lake's completion effectively closes out one chapter of the city's 2018 bond commitments even as new funding sets the stage for the next round of park upgrades.
