It's not for nothing that the city center dominates the news. A few years of high-profile corporate relocations and bad headlines about crime and homelessness seem to have set the stage for what sometimes feels like impending doom.
Two of the Big D's major sports franchises are considering alternative locations for new arenas, and who knows, even city staff might find a lease too good to pass up outside of downtown.
However, it is still too early to say which direction the wind will blow. Steps are being taken to commercially revitalize the city center and the area is seeing a significant influx of new homes and residents.
Anyway, here's some downtown news that came out of City Hall last week.
Should we pay or should we leave?
Council members on the Finance Committee got an idea Tuesday of how much the renovation of City Hall could cost. Staff estimated the final bill could be as high as $345 million.
As CandysDirt.com first reported, Mayor Eric Johnson tasked the Finance Committee at the panel's commissioning in August with determining “the most financially responsible way to address Dallas City Hall's increasing deferred maintenance and transportation costs.”
There are numerous problems with deferred maintenance. These include water leaks, broken plumbing, roof damage, outdated electrical and HVAC systems, and structural problems in the parking garage. And staff received a lot of criticism for not providing nearly enough funding for maintenance in the annual budget and for providing estimates that were not based on a comprehensive inspection by outside experts.
“I submit that these are not the kind of numbers on which we can base our decisions,” said Councilman Paul Ridley (District 14), who attended the meeting although he was not on the committee.
“We need to wait until there is a full assessment of the building to determine exactly what work needs to be done, what the priority of that work is and a solid idea of what the cost will be,” he said.
Officials were given three options: continue to operate the building and make repairs as problems arise, develop a phased approach to meet all maintenance needs, or move to an existing downtown office tower. Options suggested by staff include Comerica Bank Tower, Bank of America Plaza, Harwood Center and One Main.
In a preview of upcoming discussions, Council members Chad West (District 1), Zarin Gracey (District 3), Maxie Johnson (District 4), Jaime Resendez (District 5), Kathy Stewart (District 10) and Gay Donnell Willis (District 13) expressed openness to exploring relocation options.
“There are just so many demands on this budget and on our finances, and it's very difficult for me to look out for the residents and prioritize our HVAC system over the library in my district or the library in another district,” Stewart said.
However, Ridley and Mendelsohn expressed their disapproval of leaving 1500 Marilla St.
“Now we're talking about over $300 million? We don't have that kind of inflation,” Mendelsohn said, casting doubt on the estimates. “So something happened. I think the staff is pushing us to get rid of this building and I think they want to use it for other purposes.”
Speaking of other possible uses, City Hall has been mentioned several times in news coverage of a future location for the Dallas Mavericks' new stadium. So there is that. Regardless, we will all know more next year when a full inspection of the building is expected to begin.
City supports Bank of America Plaza redevelopment with $103 million in incentives
To help revitalize downtown, the City Council is providing up to $103 million in economic incentives for the redevelopment of Bank of America Plaza. Council members voted Wednesday to expand the Downtown Connection Tax Increment Financing District to provide funding for the project.
“The Bank of America Tower project represents an innovative opportunity to spur development downtown,” said Councilman Paul Ridley (District 14), who represents the area. “This project revitalizes our downtown while advancing the goals of the Downtown 360 plan and creating hundreds of construction and hospitality jobs.”
Hoque Global and PegasusAblon want to transform the area around 901 Main St. into a new financial district anchored by the iconic 72-story tower. They are betting big on the Big D's rising star in the financial sector and a back-to-office push by employers. The project is valued at $409 million.
Plans include reducing the existing 1.8 million square feet of office space by 300,000 and modernizing the remainder, adding high-end hotel operations totaling 280 rooms, and building a new parking garage with more than 1,000 spaces. The redevelopment will also create at least 10,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space at street level.
With the green-trimmed tower having a vacancy rate of around 70%, both officials and developers are hoping a facelift and new amenities will make the central business district a desirable office location again after years of moves to the suburbs and neighborhoods like Uptown.
“With this vote today, the building will not only see an improvement in vacancy rates, but it will also make the building more accessible to the public and allow for high-quality hotel, retail and restaurant development,” said Councilmember Jesse Moreno (Ward 2), who, like Ridley, represents about half of downtown.
Homeless Services Model Points to Importance of Proximity to Downtown
Members of the Housing & Homelessness Solutions Committee heard a presentation Tuesday from a representative of San Antonio-based homeless services provider Haven for Hope.
Haven for Hope's service model was a topic of discussion during the contentious meeting where Councilmember Zarin Gracey (District 3) discussed moving the Bridge Homeless Recovery Center from the central business district to Dallas Executive Airport.
Alberto Rodriguez, vice president of operations at Haven for Hope, explained how city leaders and stakeholders in San Antonio used city-owned land just outside of downtown to build a 22-acre campus that will serve as the primary site for homeless services and shelter. He said there are 75 partner agencies involved in some capacity, 43 of which operate on campus.
“This is just part of that approach from day one to bring together under one roof all the agencies that would normally support individuals through their hurdles in finding housing and exiting homelessness,” Rodriguez said. “That’s why Haven for Hope is so successful, because our clients can receive all or most services here on the same campus.”
Apparently, Haven for Hope has reduced downtown homelessness by about 75%.
Councilman Adam Bazaldua (District 7) asked Rodriguez if he thought Haven for Hope would be as successful if it were located on the outskirts of San Antonio, away from places where many homeless people congregate and where a number of important government and medical services are located.
“The city of San Antonio doesn’t have a robust bus system in the outskirts yet, so we would definitely have issues with that,” Rodriguez said, pointing out that most of her customers don’t have access to vehicles to get them to a job, outside service or housing option.
“I do think that we would then have to increase our reach… but in terms of being able to connect with those services and the other partner agencies, I think it would be difficult and not as successful,” he said.
Rodriguez noted that Haven for Hope is just a five-minute drive from downtown during traffic jams. According to Google Maps, public transportation could get someone from Haven for Hope to downtown in less than 20 minutes.
Although The Bridge pales in comparison to its size, it is currently the largest provider of emergency homeless shelter in Dallas. It's located at 1818 Corsicana St. If it were moved to Dallas Executive Airport, it would take about 90 minutes to get from there to downtown using public transportation, according to Google Maps.