A large mixed-use development in the Dallas Riverfront District is getting back on track with the help of a former Dallas Cowboys player.

The development will include “a new and vibrant mixed-use neighborhood linking multiple adjacent districts. It will provide direct access to current and future improvements to the Trinity River trails and amenities,” according to project details.

The long-planned development is located at 505 South Riverfront Blvd. and is designed to link Downtown Dallas with the Trinity River trails and amenities.

Voters initially approved the broader development of Harold Simmons Trinity Park in 1998, but various engineering hurdles involving the area’s levee system left the project uncompleted.

Robert Shaw, former Dallas Cowboys center and managing partner of Columbus Realty Partners, Ltd., is now helping lead the project’s construction.

Shaw has developed apartments in West Plano’s Legacy business park, rental communities in the Trinity Groves development on Singleton Boulevard in Dallas, and in 2014, Shaw partnered with Roger Staubach to build the Trinity Groves apartments.

After years of delays, Columbus Realty is finally making progress on the site.

“Here we are, we’re finally seeing dirt turning,” City Councilman Omar Narvaez said. “This is going to be a big game changer for the entire city of Dallas.”

According to Narvaez, the biggest reason for the delay was the challenge of building something so large and close to the Trinity River levee.

“The levees are the most important thing we have, right? In order to build there, it took the structural engineers a lot of work and that became a huge expense,” said Narvaez. “Everything has to be checked in order to make sure the safety of these levees is the number one priority and is protected for everyone.”

The park, which will sit between the levees, was initially delayed by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to ensure public safety and flood control. In May, Tony Moore, director of the Trinity Park Conservancy, said the Corp would start levee construction further downstream.

“In the end, we got the right development. Once this all gets done and when we get to the other side with the park, it’s going to be even more exciting,” said Narvaez.

The second phase of the Dallas Riverfront development will involve a direct connection to the future park, according to the city council member.