Dallas city staff may get the green light to look for new city hall locations on Wednesday — despite pushback from some residents.
At the same time, City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert would be directed to explore real estate and economic development opportunities for the current site of city hall. This evaluation would be presented no later than February next year.
Speculation about what could replace Dallas city hall is already in motion and wide ranging — everything from a casino to a new Mavericks stadium. But for now, it appears to be just speculation.
Dallas City Hall is a cast-in-place concrete structure designed by renowned Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei, with a distinct modern style. The building officially opened in 1978 and later appeared in the backdrop of the 1987 movie 'Robocop.'
City council members were told that repairs to city hall could cost more than $345 million after years of deferred maintenance and were presented three options to either maintain, repair, or relocate its city hall.
Water infiltration, garage structural repairs, HVAC and freight elevator upgrades, emergency generators, and upgrades to comply with the American Disabilities Act are part of the deferred maintenance that could cost the city millions.
Council member Chad West said the discussion to defer city hall maintenance has dated back since at least 2012. During last week's joint meeting between the Economic Development committee and the committee on finance, West said the city has discussed maintenance and its real estate portfolio for years.
"Just last year, this council — many of whom are still serving today, myself included — chose to prioritize other urgent city needs and remove funding for city hall improvements," West said during the meeting.
Donzell Gipson, assistant city manager, told council members that the city has historically prioritized other initiatives over facility maintenance needs.
The 2012 bond program set aside $400 million for city facilities that would have included city hall, Gipson said. But flood control and drainage, economic development, and streets and roadway improvements took priority for the bond that year.
Gipson said the 2017 bond program set aside $7 million for city hall. The 2024 bond program initially requested $61 million for city hall, but $28 million was advanced and later reallocated to other priorities.
After going through bond notes and past town halls, Council Member Gay Donnell Willis said the needs of city hall faded into the background compared to more public-facing needs like police and fire stations, recreation centers, and libraries.
"It's been brought before bond committees, it's been ignored by bond committees, and, in a way, it's been ignored by people as well because they see other things that they would rather have than taking care of this space," Willis said.
But residents have been vocal against the proposal since talks of relocating city hall became public last month. A petition to "save Dallas city hall" had more than 3,200 signatures as of Tuesday.
Residents also spoke out during a city hall preservation meeting, including former city staff and council members who acknowledged the amount of needed maintenance in the building but still want it preserved.
“This building sends a message,” Chris Bowers, a former city employee, said during the meeting. “It sends a message that Dallas is a cutting edge city, a dynamic city, and in fact, one of the great cities of our country.”
The fate of city hall is not unanimous among council members. Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno is among those who have spoken in favor of relocating city hall to a high-rise in downtown.
Moreno said he wanted to see a side-by-side comparison between the cost of modernizing city hall and moving into a new office space. He said the private business sector makes investments when the city makes big decisions.
"Downtown is at a turning point, huge opportunities before us," Moreno said.
But others, like Council Member Paul Ridley, are in favor of assessing repair costs and staying at 1500 Marilla Street. Ridley said a full assessment from registered, Texas engineers of city hall was needed before making any decision.
"Lack of data, lack of knowledge leads to poor decision-making," Ridley said.
He added that the council owed Dallas residents to at least obtain data before making any decisions and "waste city staff time" in talking to landlords about moving.
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