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A rendering for the proposed new development for the reimagined El\u00a0Centro Campus downtown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Matthews Development<\/p>\n
Dallas College has chosen Matthews Development, a firm that has led several large projects in Dallas, to oversee its planned $500 million campus and mixed-use development\u00a0downtown.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n The 800,000-square-foot project will significantly expand the school\u2019s three-acre campus into a \u201cknowledge district\u201d along the Austin Street corridor. The development will house an all-new El\u00a0Centro campus, administrative offices and training centers to foster collaboration between academia and industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related<\/strong>: What to know about Dallas College\u2019s new downtown El Centro project<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe are building a model for the college of the future, deeply connected to the economy, embedded in the life of the city and designed to drive talent and innovation at scale,\u201d Dallas College Chancellor Justin Lonon said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n The firm selection marks the latest update in Dallas College\u2019s yearslong plan to bolster its downtown footprint \u2014 a project that school leaders have cast as a potential driver of growth in Dallas\u2019 faltering urban core.<\/a><\/p>\n The development will use funds from a\u00a0$1.1 billion bond voters approved in 2019<\/a> to construct and renovate facilities across Dallas College’s seven campuses.<\/p>\n Designed to better integrate into downtown Dallas<\/p>\n The project is designed to serve as a \u201cconnected urban corridor\u201d that anchors five surrounding areas downtown: the West End, Arts District, Central Business District, Union Station and the emerging Convention Center and Entertainment District, according to a release. The campus will connect the West End DART Station to the Kay Bailey\u00a0Hutchison Convention Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A rendering for the proposed new development for the reimagined El Centro Campus downtown.\u00a0<\/p>\n Courtesy of Matthews Development<\/p>\n The campus will prioritize transit-oriented,\u00a0walkable design that integrates into downtown Dallas, school officials said in a release. Renderings feature a pedestrian thoroughfare on North and South Austin Street that starts at the West End DART Station and runs multiple blocks through the campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal is maximum flexibility,\u201d Bradford Williams, vice chancellor of operations at Dallas College and president of El\u00a0Centro, said at a board of trustees meeting Wednesday. \u201cHow do we do something that really draws the community in?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The new El Centro campus will be more consolidated and better integrated with downtown Dallas, according to the release. The current campus, which serves around 30,000 students, is scattered across several buildings at and near 801 Main St.\u00a0<\/p>\n The project will also build training centers, spaces that are intended to encourage collaboration among entrepreneurs, employers and academia to develop new technologies and businesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Dallas College officials say a bolstered downtown presence will allow for deeper employer engagement with the campus, increased access for students to internships, jobs and apprenticeships and encourage entrepreneurship.\u00a0<\/p>\n School officials anticipate the project to be completed around 2032, Williams said at Wednesday\u2019s meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n Investing in downtown Dallas as others leave<\/p>\n Progress on the development comes as\u00a0downtown Dallas loses a number of key tenants<\/a> and city leaders scramble to revitalize the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n Multiple major employers and institutions have announced plans to leave downtown, including\u00a0Neiman Marcus<\/a>, AT&T<\/a> and Fifth Third Bank<\/a>. The Stars and Mavericks also announced plans to move to arena sites out of downtown Dallas.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Dallas College’s El\u00a0Centro Campus in downtown Dallas on Nov. 14, 2025.<\/p>\n Juan Figueroa\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Lonon, however, has said the school is committed to investing in its downtown footprint.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not just staying, we\u2019re deepening that commitment for generations to come,\u201d Lonon said in a statement last year when Dallas College selected its developer finalists.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Downtown Dallas, Inc. President and CEO Jennifer Scripps has described the project<\/a> as central to the city’s future and an opportunity to bring more students, talent and economic activity into downtown.<\/p>\n Lonon has said that he believes building a stronger higher education ecosystem and talent pipelines could attract more companies to the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He has referred to Amazon\u2019s 2018 decision to base its second headquarters in northern Virginia, passing over 19 other\u00a0cities, including\u00a0Dallas, due to the state\u2019s emphasis on education and the fact that a college campus was planned near the location.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s when we said, \u2018Let\u2019s think about how we reimagine what El Centro could be,\u2019\u201d Lonon said at a Dallas Morning News editorial board meeting in November.\u00a0<\/p>\n A reimagined campus and expanded programs in business and finance, for example, could build the next workforce for the rapidly-growing finance-related industries in the area, Lonon said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related<\/strong>: 5 things to know about El Centro, Dallas College’s flagship campus<\/a><\/p>\n Dallas College selected real estate firm Matthews Development, led by Dallas-based developer Jack Matthews<\/a>, from three finalists who submitted proposals earlier this year, school officials said at the meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Matthews has made several major investments in and around downtown Dallas.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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