Dallas will pay a downtown developer $11.3 million to keep plans for its new convention center on track.
The City Council voted Wednesday to pay the money to settle a 2025 condemnation lawsuit to acquire land near the old Dallas Morning News campus from a company owned by developer Ray Washburne. The settlement is meant to resolve the city’s attempt to use eminent domain to get the land for its convention center rebuild, estimated at more than $3 billion.
The council approved the deal without discussion.
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Washburne, through Charter DMN Holdings LP, owns more than 36,000 square feet of land near Young and Houston streets, which includes part of TV station WFAA’s parking lot. The City Council initially authorized up to $6.55 million for the property in April 2025, but after the bid was rejected, the city filed a condemnation lawsuit in September.
The News’ former parent company was among the groups named with Washburne’s company as defendants in the case.
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Dallas County District Court filings show city attorneys requested that a judge appoint special commissioners to evaluate the land’s fair market value Jan. 15. The judge ordered the appointments nearly two weeks later.
City officials say the land is critical for the new downtown convention center, which has to accommodate Texas Department of Transportation’s Interstate 30 widening project and avoid building over nearby Union Pacific Railroad tracks.
Washburne, who purchased The News’ old campus in 2019 for $28 million, retains ownership of the front portion of the property. The city previously acquired the larger parcel, including the former newspaper’s headquarters and parking garage, for up to $45.1 million in June 2025.
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Meanwhile, demolition of Halls D, E and F in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center started Wednesday, with most work expected to finish by late 2026. City officials say the new facility is still set to be finished and open by 2029.
The convention center revamp has supporters excited about its potential to revitalize downtown, with a renovated arena for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings and a new entertainment district among the plans in the works. But critics have raised concerns over the convention center’s costs still not being finalized and whether the city should prioritize other needs that more directly benefit residents.
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