The Dallas City Council will vote Wednesday on whether to move forward with a plan to relocate some emergency departments from City Hall and explore redevelopment options for the site, as the debate continues over a $1 billion price tag to restore the ailing downtown building.
Mayor Eric Johnson requested a noon special-called meeting to vote on a resolution directing City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert to:
Relocate 311, 911 and emergency operations to a new government center as soon as possibleExplore moving all other City Hall staff and functions to new locationsPursue redevelopment options for the current City Hall site
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The meeting was on the council’s public calendar as of Thursday morning. It would follow a 9 a.m. briefing Wednesday where the Dallas Economic Development Corp., along with firms like CBRE and AECOM, will present their findings on City Hall’s condition to the full City Council. Their reports, released last week, concluded that urgent repairs would cost $329 million to fix while a full modernization could cost more than $1 billion over 20 years.
Johnson’s office didn’t immediately respond Thursday to requests for comment on the timing of the vote. If a special meeting wasn’t put on the council’s calendar, the earliest the group could have voted on the resolution would have been March 25. The City Council is on spring break recess during the second and third weeks of March.
Political Points
The resolution was recommended Monday by the council’s seven-member Finance Committee amid some debate and a crowd that included people wearing pins urging leaders to “Save Dallas City Hall.”
Some council members questioned the credibility of the analysis, suggesting the firms involved could benefit financially from a move or redevelopment of the prime downtown site. Others argued the reports justified the need for action.
The Dallas Economic Development Corp., a city-affiliated nonprofit, oversaw the assessment, which found that City Hall’s plumbing, heating, mechanical, electrical and air conditioning systems no longer meet modern standards.
Inside City Hall: A close look at the cracks, leaks and aging systems
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According to the new reports, the city has received “dozens of proposals” for a new City Hall, including options to lease, buy or build, but they didn’t say from who or where.
While the exact cost of moving remains unclear, consultants estimated during Monday’s meeting that leasing Class A or B office space in Dallas could cost $15 to $30 per square foot. This estimate does not include operating expenses, which would be another $10 to $15 per square foot, or parking costs, another $5 to $9 per square foot.
The consultants recommended a 140,000- to 165,000-square-foot facility for a safety communications and emergency operations center. They also recommended 500,000 square feet of space to support the majority of current City Hall functions.
The current City Hall building is 771,000 square feet, but the total size increases to 1.5 million square feet with its underground parking.
The special-called meeting will allow the council to vote on the resolution, while the 9 a.m. briefing will provide further details on the building’s condition and potential alternatives.
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