A deeply divided Dallas City Council is hedging its bets on City Hall, exploring relocation while also ordering plans to repair the aging building.
After hours of scrutiny, debate and amendments, the council voted 9-6 to approve a compromise resolution that forces the city to pursue those two tracks and bars consultants that recently assessed the building’s conditions bidding on contracts related to the project.
The action came just after 1 a.m. Thursday, a major step in deciding the fate of the nearly 50-year-old City Hall and the prime downtown site developers covet but preservationists want to keep.
The nine council members who supported it said Dallas needs more concrete information before deciding whether to repair the aging building or abandon it.
Political Points
The backers were Mayor Eric Johnson and council members Gay Donnell Willis, Chad West, Jesse Moreno, Zarin Gracey, Maxie Johnson, Jaime Resendez, Lorie Blair and Kathy Stewart, a coalition spanning North Dallas, Oak Cliff and southern sectors of the city.
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Several said studying both paths at once protects taxpayers and positions the city to make a clearer long-term decision about the future of the I.M. Pei-designed building and the valuable downtown land it occupies.
Shawn Todd speaks about the City Hall building during the open mic of a city council meeting on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at City Hall in Dallas. The council prepared to consider a resolution directing the city manager to move emergency operations out of City Hall.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
Six council members opposed the approach, warning the city is moving too quickly toward a costly and uncertain relocation strategy.
Adam Bazaldua, Laura Cadena, Paula Blackmon, Bill Roth, Cara Mendelsohn and Paul Ridley argued the city has not fully vetted repair costs or considered the budget impact of leasing new office space while Dallas is already facing fiscal pressures.
Some also criticized the process that produced the estimates, saying the council should slow down and focus first on determining whether the building can be responsibly repaired and modernized.
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Cautious reactions
Outside City Hall, the decision drew cautious reactions from those on both sides of the debate. Some business and development interests have urged the city to relocate, arguing the City Hall site could anchor major redevelopment and spark investment in the southern edge of downtown.
Preservationists and architects counter that the building remains an important civic landmark and say repairing and modernizing it would protect a signature piece of Dallas architecture while avoiding the disruption and cost of abandoning the site.
For now, both camps viewed the council’s dual-track vote as a chance to press their case as the city prepares competing plans.
The rift in the City Council is likely to grow as pressure develops on all sides. Business interests favor relocating City Hall, using that prime real estate to propel development downtown. Preservationists say the building remains a civic landmark and should be repaired rather than demolished.
Some of the nine council members have previously indicated they would likely favor relocating City Hall, but said the vote allows the city to gather the financial and logistical details needed before making a final decision.
“This is about building a stronger Dallas for those who call Dallas home today and for our children, grandchildren and future residents,” said Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno, who represents parts of downtown where City Hall sits and was among the nine that voted in favor of the dual-track resolution.
Martha Heimberg speaks about the City Hall building during the open mic of a city council meeting on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at City Hall in Dallas. The council prepared to consider a resolution directing the city manager to move emergency operations out of City Hall.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
He argued the potential redevelopment of the City Hall site presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to unlock growth in southern Dallas and strengthen the city’s core.
But those who tried to block the measure said city officials have mishandled the research of City Hall’s future.
Council member Paula Blackmon criticized the speed of the process, comparing it to the city’s slow decision-making on smaller issues that have gone on for years like whether to continue trash pickup from alleyways.
Council member Adam Bazaldua proposed the conflict-of-interest amendment against companies that could benefit from the City Hall site’s redevelopment.
“One thing that I can’t continue to ignore is the incestuous nature of Dallas being Dallas,” Bazaldua said. “And if we are going to act as if the information we are given is being given to us to make decisions objectively, then I would like to know that those who are giving me the information are not seeking to benefit financially in the future.”
The final measure requires the city to:
Create a repair plan for City Hall’s most critical maintenance needs, including at least two options for phased repairs over 10 years.Develop two funding strategies: one for staying in City Hall and one for leaving.Ban companies involved in the building’s recent assessment, estimated at more than $1 billion over 20 years for full modernization, from bidding on future contracts related to the project.Provide at least two lease or purchase options for new locations for 311, 911 and emergency operations as well as all other City Hall staffing functions.Outside City Hall
Outsiders watching the debate said the council’s vote was a cautious step forward.
It’s a “win for Dallas residents,” said Sarah Crain, executive director of Preservation Dallas said. “It allows the City Council to take more time, it allows them to get more information, and the ability to get more information and take time with this process.”
Members of the audience show support to a speaker who spoke in favor of keeping Dallas City Hall during the open mic of a city council meeting on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at City Hall in Dallas. The council prepared to consider a resolution directing the city manager to move emergency operations out of City Hall.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
Antong Lucky, president of Urban Specialists who has pushed for relocating City Hall, said the roughly $1 billion repair estimate raises legitimate questions about whether preserving the building is the best use of taxpayer dollars or simply nostalgia.
“The skepticism of the amount should not prevent us from going forward with giving us something that we need. That’s all I’m saying,” Lucky said.
Architects and preservation advocates also welcomed the council’s call for deeper analysis of the building’s future.
“The council’s action wisely calls for a more complete, apples-to-apples analysis of City Hall’s future,” the American Institute of Architects Dallas and 10 past presidents said in a statement.
The architects said developing side-by-side financial strategies for staying or leaving, including phased repair options over ten years, was a step in the right direction, but stressed the plans must be built on equivalent detail and assumptions.
The council will reconvene in the last week of March after returning from spring break. The resolution also directs the city manager to update council members regularly but it is unclear when the council will be briefed next.
City Hall split
The Dallas City Council voted 9 – 6 to direct the city manager to study relocating key operations from City Hall and redeveloping the downtown site while also preparing plans to repair the aging building.
For:
Mayor Eric Johnson, citywide representative
Gay Donnell Willis, neighborhoods around Preston Road and Royal Lane
Chad West, North Oak Cliff
Jesse Moreno, Cedars, downtown Dallas and Elm thicket
Zarin Gracey, Southwest Dallas
Maxie Johnson, South Oak Cliff
Jaime Resendez, Pleasant Grove
Lorie Blair, South Oak Cliff and areas Kleberg-Rylie
Kathy Stewart, Northeast Dallas, including Lake Highlands
Against:
Adam Bazaldua, South Dallas and neighborhoods in southeast Dallas
Laura Cadena, West and northwest Dallas
Paula Blackmon, East Dallas and neighborhoods near White Rock Lake
Bill Roth, North Dallas, including neighborhoods near Hillcrest Road and I-635
Cara Mendelsohn, Far North Dallas
Paul Ridley, downtown Dallas, Oak Lawn, Uptown, Old East Dallas
What the council action requires:
Study moving 911, 311 and emergency operations out of City HallDevelop two funding strategies: repairing the building or leaving it Create phased repair plans for critical maintenance over 10 years Identify lease or purchase options for relocating city operations Bar consultants involved in the building assessment from bidding on related future work