Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson wants City Council members to work together in making a decision about City Hall.
Johnson told council members that the "knives are out" for the city following a series of big name departure announcements this year, impacting downtown and the city in general.
This week the Dallas Mavericks revealed the team chose the Valley View mall area in northern Dallas for its new arena. The next day the Dallas Stars announced plans to move the team to Plano. The same day of the Stars' announcement, Neiman Marcus announced plans to close its historic downtown store in the fall.
And earlier this year AT&T announced plans to relocate its headquarters from downtown to Plano.
"The wolf is at the door and the wolf is not in this room," Johnson said on Wednesday. "The wolf is not in this room, the wolf is up the tollway."
Johnson's comments followed a briefing on a new study estimating it could cost up to $610 million to repair Dallas City Hall.
That figure nearly doubles the report conducted by the Dallas Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and engineering consultant AECOM earlier this year.
It comes as council members weigh whether to stay at 1500 Marilla Street or move elsewhere — and possibly sell the property. It's a topic that has council members and residents split on whether to stay or go.
City Hall costs have fluctuated since staff originally reported years of deferred maintenance in the building. Initially it ranged from $152 million to more than $300 million.
Facility condition assessment repairs were estimated to be $329 million in the AECOM report. However, the study found asbestos containing materials throughout the building, which would require the building to be unoccupied during a five-year renovation period.
Overall, AECOM estimated a full update to stay in the building for 20 years would range from $906 million to $1.14 billion.
Some council members were skeptical of that report, so an independent consultant team was brought in to find alternatives.
Consultants with Gresham Smith and the WM2 company presented a total of four options for City Hall repair. All four options include ADA and code upgrades, which the AECOM estimate did not include.
Gresham Smith Option 1:
Repair estimate: $531.6 million
Time: 6.4 years, phased
Gresham Smith Option 2:
Repair estimate: $556.8 million
Time: 10 years, phased
WM2 Option 1:
Repair estimate: $591.2 million
Time: 5 years, phased
WM2 Option 2:
Repair estimate: $610.8 million
Time: 10 years, phased
Some council members pushed back on the estimates.
Council Member Cara Mendelsohn said the consultants were tasked with looking to address repairs, not renovations. Council Member Paul Ridley said he felt the consultants — who started working mid-April — needed more time.
But Johnson urged the council to stop questioning the integrity of data and who was presenting it.
"I'm telling you we need to just make out decisions and move forward," Johnson said. "So let's stop with that."
Dallas EDC CEO Linda McMahon told KERA in a statement that their report in partnership with AECOM stated that if the city chose to make repairs over time, costs would increase. She said the latest report validates that conclusion.
"I appreciate the hard work of the team and the exceptional professionals who contributed to our comprehensive report," McMahon said in the statement. "I also respect the work of the independent team that identified many of the same issues and presented its findings today."
She added that the decision now rests with the City Council.
Council members are not the only ones split on the City Hall decision. The debate has divided residents for months as well, with vocal supporters wanting to stay at the current I.M. Pei designed building and others wanting to use the space to grow downtown business.
Sana Syed, president of the Farmers Market Stakeholders Association, was one of several speakers at Wednesday's briefing. She said this week was "painful and embarrassing" for the city.
Syed told council members that civic groups attacked neighbors instead of building consensus.
"And while the city was fighting, Plano was plotting, and Plano won," Syed said. "They will reap the benefits of the stars and Mavs for decades, and our taxes will have to go up to make up for the catastrophic economic loss that we are about to face."
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