Dallas City Council sinks redesign bid in convention center fight

Dallas officials on Wednesday rejected a proposal to redesign the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, opting instead to keep the project on its current course and avoid what they said could be costly delays.

The City Council’s vote settles a dispute over whether to raise the height of the convention center so Jefferson Boulevard could continue passing beneath the building and provide a direct route between Oak Cliff and downtown. 

The council had a choice: redesign the project to preserve the direct route into downtown or keep the current plan on schedule. The council voted 9-6 to keep the current design, which could alter Oak Cliff’s connection to downtown.

Council member Chad West, who joined North Oak Cliff residents in supporting a redesign, said city staff created unnecessary divisions by failing to fully explain the consequences of what would happen to the traffic route.

“We’re making a decision that cannot be undone and will impact Oak Cliff for decades,” West said.

Wednesday’s debate exposed frustrations over communication and decision-making on the broader $3.8 billion project years in the making. Several council members said they learned key details only in recent weeks, despite having reviewed convention center plans for years.

City officials on Wednesday acknowledged there were missteps. 

The issue arose after city officials lowered the convention center’s profile to trim roughly $500 million from the project, eliminating the clearance needed for Jefferson Boulevard to continue beneath the building — a problem that did not become widely understood until transportation discussions in the past few months. 

City staff said reopening the design could slow construction, increase costs and jeopardize the massive redevelopment project.

Others warned that additional delays could ripple through the city’s finances by postponing hotel tax revenue expected to support arts and tourism projects. 

Critics said that without design changes, drivers entering downtown from Oak Cliff would lose Jefferson Boulevard’s direct route and instead be diverted onto a more circuitous path that they said would increase congestion and travel times.

Instead, drivers may be routed onto a new bridge over the Union Pacific rail corridor before reconnecting to downtown streets.

Council members had been asking for months to get a clearer financial picture and budgeting for the project. They saw schematics of the convention center last year, and the proposal envisioned Jefferson traffic flowing beneath portions of the expanded facility. 

Eighty-eight speakers addressed the council Wednesday. Many urged the city to come up with a new plan that didn’t alter transit routes. Others worried about the impact on businesses and employees if more conventions were delayed. 

“I’m simply asking Dallas to deliver on time by continuing negotiations and not ceasing construction at the convention center,” said Craig Davis, who leads the nonprofit that’s responsible for booking conventions. 

Mayor Pro Tem Jaime Resendez apologized to residents “for not doing more to prevent inaccurate understandings about what is actually being proposed to fester.” He said the community’s legitimate concerns could be addressed without delays.

“I’m not convinced that responding to those shortcomings with a vote that would ultimately cause greater harm is the wisest part of action,” he said. 

The project includes an expanded convention center, a new deck park and renovations to Memorial Auditorium and the Black Academy of Arts and Letters. The City Council also authorized hiring a new consultant to fix the area’s traffic woes.