Voters could decide whether to ‘save Dallas City Hall.’ Here’s what you need to know about it.

A group says it’ll start collecting signatures to force a vote on whether to give citizens the power to decide whether to move the seat of city government.

DALLAS — The decision whether to stay in Dallas City Hall or move out has been a hotly debated topic for nearly a year — and now voters could have a say. 

On Thursday, a coalition of current and former elected officials, neighbors, business leaders and preservationists announced plans to start collecting 20,000 signatures to force a vote on changing the city’s charter — essentially the city’s “constitution.” The proposed change would take the decision of whether to stay at the current City Hall or move to a new location of the hands of the elected officials and instead require a vote of the public. 

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“This is the people’s house. The people have invested not only their tax dollars in this building, but their time and their effort.” said Council member Paul Ridley, who supports the change. “They need to speak up and tell us what they want to see happen with the people’s house. And I’m hopeful that they will do that when we get on the ballot next May.

A Dallas spokesperson said the city has no comment on the petition drive. 

Where is Dallas City Hall now?

Dallas City Hall has stood on the southern side of downtown since it opened in 1978. The building was designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei and is known for its distinctive inverted-pyramid design, considered a prominent example of Modernist and Brutalist civic architecture. It was also famously featured in the movie “Robocop.” 

The Dallas City Council previously voted to authorize roughly $2 million for city staff to conduct advance work and due diligence on relocating City Hall. That came after the council voted not to move forward with repairs to the existing building and instead directed the city manager to use remaining eligible funds to explore relocating city operations.

Separately, the Dallas Landmark Commission voted to begin the process of designating City Hall a historic landmark.

If it moves, where would it go?

City staff has told the council they are evaluating four potential sites, all located within the Dallas Central Business District, according to city agenda notes. The exact locations have not been publicly disclosed. City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert’s office has described the work as pre-development agreements and due diligence on prospective sites, including reimbursement of property owners’ expenses.

The City Hall site itself has been discussed as a possible redevelopment opportunity. The city previously had been rumored to be courting the Dallas Mavericks to the site as a potential home for a new arena. However, the Mavericks since announced plans to build a new arena and mixed-use entertainment district at the former Valley View Mall site in North Dallas, effectively ending speculation that the team would relocate to the City Hall property. 

What are the arguments for keeping it?

Supporters of preserving City Hall, including members of the Save Dallas City Hall Coalition, have argued the city is inflating repair cost estimates and say the building’s architectural and historic significance make it worth preserving. 

Others have raised concerns that redevelopment could later extend to other public assets, such as the central library across the street.

The Save Dallas City Hall Coalition has filed a lawsuit against the city alleging the city has violated its own demolition-by-neglect ordinance by allowing the building to deteriorate, including through recurring water infiltration, cracking and concrete spalling, and problems with the emergency backup generator system. 

What are the arguments for leaving? 

City-commissioned estimates of repair costs have varied but have consistently run into the hundreds of millions to more than a billion dollars. The city’s Economic Development Corporation has cited issues including a failing roof, water intrusion, parking garage problems, electrical issues and asbestos.

Mayor Eric Johnson has supported relocation, saying the alternative could cost taxpayers over $1 billion to remain in what he called “an obsolete building.” Downtown Dallas Inc., a downtown economic development advocacy group, has also backed relocating City Hall and redeveloping the current 10.5-acre site. The organization’s CEO, Jennifer Scripps, said relocating would mean the city was “acting as responsible stewards of our tax dollars” and could help “restitch downtown to southern Dallas.” Scripps has also said the current building is “no longer serving its intended purpose” and is inefficient for city operations.

Do voters get to decide?

The Save Dallas City Hall coalition announced Thursday it will need to gather 20,000 signatures to force a public vote on amending the city charter to require voter approval of any decision to relocate City Hall. If it gets the required signatures, the measure would be on the ballot in May. 

The council itself has not set a final vote on relocation. A late August deadline was previously set for the city manager to return to the council with options for the City Hall site, but any such briefing has not yet happened. City officials have said additional council votes will be required before any final decision on a move.