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Dallas Pastor Raphael Adebayo gestures as he gives a tour of The Winners Plaza complex on July 3, 2025, in Dallas. Adebayo is asking the zoning commission for permission to redevelop his church into a 25-story luxury tower with a 150-160 room hotel, 60 condos and ground floor retail.<\/p>\n
Shafkat Anowar\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
After months of delays, the Dallas City Council denied a zoning change that would\u2019ve made room for Winners Tower, a proposed 25-story high-rise in South Dallas.<\/p>\n
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The project has drawn support and criticism, with plans to bring a hotel, condos and retail to the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Colonial Avenue, an area surrounded by businesses and single-family homes.<\/p>\n
Supporters have said the project is a well-intentioned effort to create wealth in a neglected part<\/a> of the city. Those in opposition have said the tower <\/a>doesn\u2019t fit into a vision to bring balanced growth<\/a> to South Dallas.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n About a year ago, the city plan commission unanimously recommended denying the zoning change. Commissioners cited\u00a0concerns about the building\u2019s height<\/a>, lack of community engagement and incompatibility with the neighborhood\u2019s character.<\/p>\n When the zoning got to City Council, it was deferred three times starting in January. On Wednesday, council member Adam Bazaldua, who represents the area, introduced the denial for the zoning change.<\/p>\n \u201cI tried to do just about everything I could to find some middle ground,\u201d Bazaldua said, adding, \u201cI didn\u2019t have much to fight for, and I want to make it very clear that the group did not come with concrete plans.\u201d<\/p>\n Edward\u00a0Okpa, the lead consultant<\/a> on the project and a former mayoral candidate, said the estimated $250 million project would bring benefits to the community, like a grocery store, bank, jobs and condos that boost tax value,\u00a0without displacement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had good intentions,\u201d Okpa said in a phone interview.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Related: South Dallas plan crafted to protect community as needed development takes hold City records show the applicant asked for permission for the 25-story tower, but the zoning change being sought typically allows buildings up to 270 feet tall, which is about 20 stories.<\/p>\n Julie Saqueton, who leads community development work<\/a> at the nearby St. Philip\u2019s School and Community Center, was the only community member to speak on the issue. She was part of the group that spent years crafting a wide-ranging\u00a0plan for the area\u2019s zoning<\/a>, which codifies how the community would like to shape and attract future growth<\/a>.<\/p>\n The two available renderings of Winners Tower, which is the 25-story high-rise being proposed at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Colonial Avenue.<\/p>\n Winners Development Corporation<\/p>\n To make an individual zoning change so soon, she said, risks \u201cundermining the value of that planning process.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIt would dwarf important historic buildings such as the Forest Theater, which is currently being restored,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
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