Not for nothing that downtown has been dominating the news cycle. Some years of high-profile business relocations and bad headlines about crime and homelessness appear to have set the stage for what sometimes feels like impending doom.
Not one but two of the Big D’s major sport franchises are mulling alternative locations for new arenas, and who knows, maybe even city staff will find a lease too good to pass up outside downtown.
It’s still too soon to tell which way the wind’s going to blow, though. Moves are being made to revitalize the city center commercially, and the neighborhood’s been seeing a significant influx of new housing and residents.
Anyway, here’s some of the downtown news to come out of City Hall this past week.
Should We Pay or Should We Go?
Council members on the Finance Committee got a sense of how much it could cost to fix up City Hall on Tuesday, with staff estimating the final bill could run as high as $345 million.
As reported first by CandysDirt.com, Mayor Eric Johnson tasked the Finance Committee with identifying “the most fiscally responsible course to address the mounting deferred maintenance and carrying costs of Dallas City Hall” when he commissioned the body back in August.
The deferred maintenance issues are numerous. They include water leaks, failing plumbing, roof damage, outdated electrical and HVAC systems, and structural problems in the parking garage. And staff caught plenty of flak for failing to allocate anywhere near enough to maintenance in the annual budget, as well as presenting estimates not based on a comprehensive inspection by outside professionals.
“I submit that these are not the kinds of figures that we can base our decisions on,” Council Member Paul Ridley (District 14) said, sitting in on the meeting despite his not being on the committee.
“We need to wait until there is a comprehensive survey of the building to determine exactly what work needs to be done, what the priority for that work is, and an educated idea of what the cost is going to be,” he said.
Officials were presented with three options: continue operating the building and make repairs as problems arise, develop a phased approach to address all maintenance needs, or relocate to an existing downtown office tower. Some options laid out by staff include Comerica Bank Tower, Bank of America Plaza, Harwood Center, and One Main.
In a preview of discussions to come, 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) voiced openness to exploring relocation options.
“There’s just so many demands on this budget and on our finances, and it’s very difficult for me to look at residents and prioritize our HVAC system over the library in my district or the library in somebody else’s district,” Stewart said.
Ridley and Mendelsohn, however, expressed 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’s happened. I think staff is steering us to get rid of this building and I think you want it for other uses.”
Speaking of other uses, City Hall has been mentioned a number of times in reporting on a future site for the Dallas Mavericks’ new stadium. So, there’s that. Regardless, we’ll all know more next year when a full inspection of the building is expected to start.
City Backs Bank of America Plaza Redevelopment With $103M in Incentives
In a bid to help revitalize downtown, the city council is throwing up to $103 million in economic incentives at the redevelopment of Bank of America Plaza. Council members voted on Wednesday to expand the Downtown Connection Tax Increment Financing District so it could direct the funding to the project.
“The Bank of America Tower project showcases an innovative way to stimulate development Downtown,” said Council Member Paul Ridley (District 14), who represents the area. “This project reinvigorates our city center 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 surrounding 901 Main St. into a new financial district anchored by the iconic 72-story tower. They’re 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 trimming the existing 1.8 million square feet of office space by 300,000 and modernizing the remainder, adding upscale hospitality operations totaling 280 rooms, and building a new parking garage with more than 1,000 spaces. The redevelopment will also introduce at least 10,000 square feet of new street-level retail and restaurant space.
Bank of America Plaza redevelopment renderings. Credit: Hoefer Welker
With the green-trimmed tower clocking a vacancy rate of around 70%, officials and developers both hope a facelift and new amenities will put the central business district back on the map as a desirable place to office following years of relocations to the suburbs and neighborhoods like Uptown.
“Through this vote today, the building will not only see improved vacancy rates, it will also make the building more accessible to the public with a high quality hotel, retail, and restaurant developments,” said Council Member Jesse Moreno (District 2), who like Ridley represents about half of downtown.
Homeless Services Model Hints at Importance of Downtown Proximity
Members of the Housing & Homelessness Solutions Committee heard a presentation from a representative from the San Antonio-based homeless services provider Haven for Hope on Tuesday.
Haven for Hope’s service model was a topic of discussion during the controversial meeting in which Council Member Zarin Gracey (District 3) was pitched on relocating The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center out of 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 leveraged city-owned property just outside downtown to build a 22-acre campus that serves as a main base for homeless services and shelter. He said there are 75 partner agencies involved in some capacity, with 43 officing at the campus.
“This is just part of that approach from day one of bringing in all of the agencies that would normally assist individuals with their barriers into housing and out of homelessness under one roof,” Rodriguez said. “This is why Haven for Hope is so successful, because our clients can receive all or most of the services here within the same campus.”
Apparently, Haven for Hope has reduced downtown homelessness by about 75%.
Council Member Adam Bazaldua (District 7) asked Rodriguez if he thought Haven for Hope would be as successful if it was situated on the outskirts of San Antonio, away from where many homeless people tend to congregate and where a number of critical governmental and medical services are located.
“The city of San Antonio doesn’t have a robust bus system just yet in the outskirt areas, so we would definitely be struggling with that,” Rodriguez said, noting that most of their clients don’t have access to vehicles to get them to a job, off-site service, or housing opportunity.
“I do think we would be able to then have to increase our outreach … but as far as them being able to connect with those services, connect with the other partner agencies, I think it would make it difficult and not as successful,” he said.
Rodriguez noted that Haven for Hope is just a 5-minute drive from downtown in traffic. According to Google Maps, public transit could get someone from Haven for Hope to the city center in less than 20 minutes.
While it pales in comparison as far as size, The Bridge is currently the biggest provider of emergency shelter to the homeless of Dallas. It is located at 1818 Corsicana St. If it were moved to Dallas Executive Airport, it would take someone about 90 minutes to get from there to the city center via public transit, according to Google Maps.