Good evening:
Dallas City Hall is in terrible shape, with estimated costs to get the 47-year-old behemoth fully repaired topping $1 billion over 20 years, according to a highly anticipated report released Friday night at the behest of City Council.
For those of us who have worked in and visited the building over the years, the huge dollar figure is not shocking. Stepping inside the brutalist structure at 1500 Marilla Street today is like hopping in the DeLorean with Marty McFly and Doc Brown to journey all the way back to the year 1978.
“Great Scott — look at this carpeting! These bathroom stalls! This HVAC! These endless rows of depressing cubicles!” Doc might say.
That is what the building looks and feels like today, thanks to decades of reactive repairs made only after mechanical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and electrical systems had already failed, as the report notes. If this was some run-of-the-mill municipal building, the decision on whether to move on from it would be easy.
But Dallas City Hall was designed by a world-famous architect, the late I.M. Pei, and championed by our most consequential mayor, J. Erik Jonsson, at a time when Dallas was fighting desperately to shed a “City of Hate” moniker under the cloud of the Kennedy assassination.
Turning our backs on this building causes real angst, especially among preservationists and architects. They see it as the latest boondoggle in a city known to pour millions of dollars into what some say are vanity projects with minimal benefits for the people that live here.
There is something else at play. Opponents are also playing defense against what they perceive as a full-court press to clear the way for a new Dallas Mavericks arena and surrounding entertainment district.
And if they are right — would that be so wrong?
According to a report in this week’s City Council agenda, the area surrounding the American Airlines Center across town had a base taxable value of $16.4 million in 1998, the year voters narrowly approved public funding to develop the current home of the Mavericks and Stars on what was then an abandoned brownfield. As of last year, the taxable value of the area that includes the AAC was nearly $2 billion.
The AAC turbocharged development in the greater Downtown area, with restaurants, retail, housing, trails, and corporate headquarters. Today, we call the former brownfield “Victory Park.”
The Mavericks are planning to leave the AAC after their current lease expires in 2031. Organization leaders have said they want to build a new basketball-only arena either in Downtown or on the former Valley View Center property in North Dallas. They have also said they would like to select the site by July 1.
Dallas City Hall in its current form is also seen by many as a barrier to Downtown revitalization, especially as it relates to connecting the core to southern Dallas. A new arena development led by a Hall of Fame NBA executive, Mavericks CEO Rick Welts, can be the engine we need to transform Downtown alongside a new convention center. That is why many believe we should not be shy about pursuing that dream, even if it means tearing down a building that means more to people who admire it from the outside than it ever did to those who spend their days working inside it.
The City Council Committee on Finance will discuss the City Hall report during its meeting at noon today. Members of the public will have a chance to weigh in with public testimony during a meeting of the Economic Development Committee one week from today, on Monday, March 2. The full City Council will be briefed on the matter on Wednesday, March 4.
A note to readers: Meetings of Interest is an independent newsletter curated and authored by The GoldHam Group Managing Partner Scott Goldstein and edited by GoldHam Managing Partners Sam Goldstein and Vana Hammond. The content, perspectives, or commentary presented herein reflect the views of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of any other organization, institution, or individual, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Any affiliations are for identification purposes only and do not imply endorsement.
📖 Table of Contents
🗞️ Highlights From Last Week: Meetings, Memos, and Media of Interest
City Council members in Plano, Addison, Farmers Branch, and Irving are expected to vote this week on whether to cancel May elections that would have allowed voters to decide whether to leave DART. The positive development comes after months of negotiations led to a breakthrough agreement on future funding, governance, and service reforms. Read more — including a timeline of critical votes — here.
Dallas police have tracked 134 violent incidents at 22 sexually oriented businesses since 2022. Check out the breakdown by business here, including a map of all such businesses.
Check out the complete city manager memo packet for Friday, Feb. 20, 2026.
🔢 Number of Interest
$1.4 Billion
Potential cost over 20 years to repair City Hall, including temporary relocation, interest, and operating expenses.
🤝 Meetings of Interest: February 23 - 27, 2026
Monday, February 23
City Council Housing and Homelessness Solutions Committee, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Briefing: Dallas Housing Finance Corporation and Dallas Public Facility Corporation Tax Exemption Summary
The Dallas Housing Finance Corporation (DHFC) and Dallas Public Facility Corporation (DPFC) are public entities established to provide affordable housing for lower and middle-income residents in Dallas through tax exemptions, subsidies, and other funding mechanisms. These programs have collectively supported the development and operation of thousands of affordable housing units, with significant oversight and compliance measures to ensure affordability and quality, according to this briefing.
759.03 KB • PDF File
Special Called City Council Committee on Finance, 12 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Tuesday, February 24
Special Called City Council Parks, Trails, and the Environment Committee, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Briefing: Fair Park Community Park Update & Development Agreement
Nonprofit Fair Park First is seeking an agreement with the City to develop a $40.6 million community park within Fair Park. The group says it has secured 82% of total funding and targets November 2027 for the park opening. City Council members are scheduled to vote on the agreement on Wednesday.
4.04 MB • PDF File
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Committee-of-the-Whole, 5 p.m., Board Meeting, 6 p.m., DART HQ, 1401 Pacific Ave., Dallas, TX 75202
Board members will vote on including agency governance changes as part of its 2027 state legislative priorities. The changes include granting every DART member city at least one board seat and barring any city from holding majority control of the board. These were key agreements that are expected to lead at least some of the six cities that have called May withdrawal elections to cancel those elections in coming days.
Wednesday, February 25
Dallas City Council Meeting, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Item 36 is a $655,377 construction services contract for bike lane safety improvements along sections of South Harwood and Commerce streets in Downtown, as shown in this map.
Item 38 is a $5 million professional services contract with Jacobs Project Management Co. for project management and owner’s representation services for the planned Dallas Police Department Law Enforcement Training Center at the University of North Texas at Dallas. Learn more about the project in this memo.
Item 60 is ratification of the latest meet and confer agreement with the Dallas police and fire associations. The $75.6 million agreement runs through September 30, the end of the fiscal year, and includes provisions for salary adjustments, education incentives, and procedures for restricted police officers. Learn more in this memo. Check out the draft agreement here.
Item 65 is a maintenance and use agreement with Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation for the maintenance, operation, and use of Halperin Park. A decade in the making, the deck park is set to open in southern Dallas this spring. Phase I construction is nearly complete, with a total cost of $122 million, funded by the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), City of Dallas 2017 Bond Funds, and Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation. Learn more here.
Item 71 is an economic development grant agreement worth up to $54 million with the Dallas Wings for the development of the WNBA team’s planned practice facility on west Oak Cliff park land.
Item 72 is a supplemental $3 million agreement with global architecture and design firm Perkins&Will for additional architectural and engineering services for the Downtown convention center redevelopment.
Item 74 is a proposed $11.3 million settlement for the City to acquire land near the old Dallas Morning News building for development of the new convention center. The City filed a lawsuit against property owners to acquire the land last year.
Item 75 is a resolution to appoint a nominating commission and hire a search firm to fill the City Auditor position. Current Auditor Mark Swann is retiring next month after nearly seven years in one of only five positions that reports directly to City Council members.
🗣️ Quote of Interest
The real estate market engagement revealed favorable conditions and cost-effective relocation solutions as compared to the renovation cost estimate.
This edition of Meetings of Interest is coming to you later than usual because The GoldHam Group was in Houston this weekend celebrating co-founder Vana Hammond’s selection as a “Top 50 Black Professionals & Entrepreneurs of Texas 2026” honoree. Congratulations to Vana and fellow Dallas-based honorees, including City of Dallas Chief of Public Safety Dominique Artis and DART Board Chair Randall Bryant.
Want to work with The GoldHam Group or sponsor this newsletter? Reach out to us directly.
Have a great week.
Best,
Scott Goldstein
Managing Partner
The GoldHam Group
Sam Goldstein, Scott Goldstein, and Vana Hammond are co-founders of The GoldHam Group, a southern Dallas-based boutique communications, events, and public affairs firm.
