Each month, we will spotlight a city in the DART Service Area and the service that DART provides.
Farmers Branch is along the I-35E Stemmons Freeway corridor in the northwest corner of the DART Service Area. The city has retained its small-town feel while offering direct big city access, an extensive parks system, a strong business community, and a growing restaurant scene.
The city has been part of the DART Service Area since the agency’s beginning in August 1983. By September 1984, DART was operating express bus service between Farmers Branch and downtown Dallas.
Farmers Branch Station opened in December 2010 as part of the Green Line Phase II. Two bus routes and a GoLink zone also anchor at the station.
When the light rail station opened, there was little nearby beyond the Famers Branch Historical Park and the Children’s Health StarCenter ice-skating rink. The city has capitalized on DART’s investment and attracted mixed-use development to the area.
Today, the area is known as the Mustang Station Arts & Culture District, which includes The Grove at Mustang Crossing special events area, restaurants and retail at The Shops at Mustang Station, and the Mustang Station apartments. Historically, Farmers Branch was known as Mustang Branch in connection with the mustang grapes grown in this region’s fertile soil before the 20th century.
The area also includes and a small neighborhood of single-family homes within a block from the station. Nearby, The Firehouse Theatre now operates in a historic fire station. The city recently opened the JOYA glow-in-the-dark playground at Oran Good Park. A new city-owned event space, Venue 1842, is under construction in the Farmers Branch Historical Park.
The city of Farmers Branch’s Economic Development department estimates that $83 million in new development has been built since the opening of the DART station. Additional multifamily housing is set to start construction in 2025.
M. Nathan Barbera represents the City of Farmers Branch on the DART Board of Directors.