Good evening:
Members of the public will get a chance to speak directly to City Council members on the future of Dallas City Hall at least twice in coming days ahead of a historic vote on Wednesday afternoon.
The push to potentially relocate City Hall and redevelop the site at 1500 Marilla Street gained momentum last week after members of the City Council Committee on Finance voted unanimously to recommend pursuing options to relocate City Hall and redevelop the site. Their direction put special emphasis on finding a new location for 311, 911, and emergency operations — long buried in the City Hall basement — “as quickly as possible.”
Mayor Eric Johnson followed that vote by scheduling a special meeting for this Wednesday at noon so that City Council members could vote before a two-week recess that begins next Monday, March 9. A public hearing is also set for tomorrow during the 1 p.m. Economic Development Committee meeting.
Meanwhile, in recent days Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI), former Mayor Mike Rawlings, and Southwest Airlines Chairman Emeritus Gary Kelly joined a steady drumbeat of business and civic leaders advocating for possible relocation and redevelopment.
“Dream on this,” Rawlings writes in today’s Dallas Morning News. “The new convention center and the possibility of a new arena would mean 50 acres downtown where over $6 billion is going to be invested, with public and private money. We could end up, easily, with a $40-50 billion economic impact in the coming decades for our city. That’s real money with a hell of a return. This will spur a rebirth in downtown like we have never seen before.”
DDI’s Jennifer Scripps announced at the nonprofit’s annual meeting on Friday that board members unanimously backed the City Council Finance Committee’s resolution.
“DDI believes this is a generational opportunity to modernize and elevate how Dallas delivers public services,” Scripps said. “But we must be equally clear: Any future City Hall belongs within the highway loop in downtown.”
Kelly’s letter to the mayor and City Council members noted the “47-year-old City Hall fails to meet modern standards in plumbing, electrical systems, etc. and will require extensive repairs and maintenance… It would be wise to look at ALL options including leasing, purchasing, or new construction to have a suitable workspace for our City of Dallas employees that meets the standards of our fantastic, vibrant and ever-changing city!”
Not to be outdone, The Dallas Morning News editorial board also weighed in today, echoing Rawlings’ argument that this debate is really about the future of the Mavericks.
“We urge city officials to do what the rest of us have been doing for months, talking about what is really at stake,” the editorial board wrote. “This is about whether Dallas residents believe the Mavericks should remain downtown. It’s about whether we can cast a new vision for the southeast side of downtown that creates greater value and beauty than what we have now. It’s about whether we can come together as a city to see downtown differently.”
Opposition to abandoning the brutalist structure is also fierce, with architects and preservationists pushing back on what they say are inflated or unreliable cost estimates. Council members Adam Bazaldua, Paula Blackmon, Paul E. Ridley, and Cara Mendelsohn have been the staunchest critics of a potential move and the process that has gotten us here.
Among my favorite subplots of this debate is the renewed spotlight on the deep, dark, damp underbelly of City Hall. Officially, Dallas City Hall has two underground floors, L1 and L2.
But those of us who have been around for a minute have heard about the third basement level that never was. Well over a decade ago, the City’s Public Information Office produced a playful video about L3, which I’ve posted below. According to that piece, the level was once intended to be a new city jail. Others have suggested it may have been planned to be a future rail connection.
In recent days, Council Member Maxie Johnson got a look for himself, which he shared on his Facebook page, also linked below.
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
Dallas Love Field and Dallas Executive Airport are getting a rebrand that appears to include an airplane flying right through the “Big D” in Dallas. Read more, including a neat history of airport branding through the years.
The cities of Plano, Farmers Branch, and Irving canceled Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) pullout elections, a remarkable turnaround from just a few months ago when compromise seemed all but impossible. Addison council members, however, voted to keep a May election to let voters decide whether to end transit services. University Park and Highland Park are also still expected to hold withdrawal elections.
On Wednesday, February 25, Dallas City Council members voted to:
Approve Item 36, 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.
Approve Item 38, 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.
Approve Item 60, 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.
Approve Item 65, 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.
Bounce Item 71 to the Ad Hoc Committee on Professional Sports Recruitment and Retention. The item 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. Learn more from NBC 5.
Approve Item 72, 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.
Approve Item 74, an $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.
Approve Item 75, to appoint a nominating commission and hire POLIHIRE search firm to fill the City Auditor position. Current Auditor Mark Swann is retiring this month after nearly seven years in one of only five positions that reports directly to City Council members.
This heat map shows random gunfire calls by Dallas City Council district last year. District 4 in southern Dallas has had the most calls in each of the past three years, according to an accompanying chart.
The City is pushing ahead with another 30 proposed locations to erect digital advertising boards in the public right-of-way in Downtown, Uptown, Deep Ellum, and other high traffic areas around town. These “Phase II” locations follow an initial nine locations identified by memo last month. The digital kiosk vendor hired by the City last year, Ike Smart City, LLC, is seeking public input from nearby property owners by email and at meetings later this month.
The 2026 City of Dallas Community Survey is underway to gather residents’ feedback on city services and priorities. Respondents are randomly selected and receive the survey by mail.
A Dallas County task force is working to reduce jail overcrowding by exploring a Miami-Dade County model and expanding crisis stabilization centers. The centers aim to divert people with mental illness and substance use disorders from jail to treatment for low-level offenses. The Miami-Dade County model “emphasizes pre- and post-arrest diversion programs that connect individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders to treatment through partner agencies instead of incarceration.” Read more about the Miami-Dade model in this 2025 KERA News report.
Check out the complete city manager memo packet for Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
🔢 Number of Interest
101
Days until FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off in North Texas and in other cities in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
🤝 Meetings of Interest: March 2 - 6, 2026
Monday, March 2
📍City of Dallas - Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Board, 9 a.m., Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI), 1401 Elm St. #500, Dallas, TX 75202
Board members for the nonprofit will discuss the organization’s fiscal 2027 proposed operational budget and funding request to the City of Dallas. The EDC was created by the City of Dallas to support business development and serve as a public developer in the city.
📍City of Dallas - Parks, Trails, and the Environment Committee, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Briefing: The Dallas Zoo, A High-Value Public-Private Partnership
The Dallas Zoo is one of the city’s best financial bets. Since the current nonprofit management took over from the City in 2009, attendance is up 51%, revenues have more than doubled, and a new economic impact study finds that every $1 the City invests generates an $18 return — with a projected $3.2 billion in economic impact over the next 12 years.
1.09 MB • PDF File
Dallas Arboretum leaders are similarly delivering a briefing about the value and success of that institution.
📍City of Dallas - Landmark Commission, 9:30 a.m. Briefing, 1 p.m. Public Hearing; 6ES Briefing Room, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
The owner of Downtown’s One Main Place — the 33-story, 1968 tower at 1201 Main Street — is seeking two Certificates of Appropriateness: one to revamp the ground-floor entry on the Main Street facade, and a second to replace all existing revolving and swing doors with new glazed vestibules for security and energy efficiency reasons.
📍City of Dallas - Economic Development Committee, 1 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
This agenda includes the previously mentioned public hearing on the future of City Hall. Nearly 30 people are registered to speak.
Tuesday, March 3
📍City of Dallas - Committee on Government Efficiency, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
This agenda includes briefings on the Office of Risk Management and an overview of “partnerships and stipends across all city departments” (briefing not yet posted).
📍City of Dallas - Public Safety Committee, 1 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
This meeting agenda includes updates on:
Dallas Police Department hiring
The planned $185 million police academy
DPD’s use of license plate reader cameras
After-action report on the January winter storm
Wednesday, March 4
📍City of Dallas - Special Called Committee on Finance, 8:30 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Committee members will consider recommending the appointment of Deputy City Auditor Mamatha Sparks as interim city auditor.
📍City of Dallas - City Council Briefing, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Briefing: Update on the State of City Hall
Fixing all the issues at City Hall could cost up to $1.4 billion over 20 years, according to the findings of a recent City Council-backed assessment. The briefing highlights significant deferred maintenance issues, including outdated building systems, structural deterioration, and environmental concerns like asbestos. It includes potential options for renovation, relocation, or new construction.
22.71 MB • PDF File
City Council members will also vote on who to appoint as interim city auditor.
📍DFW Airport - Board Meeting, 11 a.m., Flight Deck, DFW Airport Grand Hyatt Building, 2337 South International Parkway, DFW Airport, TX 75261
This agenda includes presentations on the airport’s strategic and financial plan, capital projects, digital transformation, and more.
📍City of Dallas - Special Called City Council Meeting, 12 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
A vote is set on whether to pursue relocation and redevelopment of Dallas City Hall.
Thursday, March 5
📍DFW Airport - Board Meeting, 8:30 a.m., Board Room, DFW Airport HQ, 2400 Aviation Drive, DFW Airport, TX 75261
Board members will consider a $1.3 million increase on a rental car center renovation project, with a promise to accelerate work to ensure completion ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Also on the agenda: security checkpoint enhancements, runway rehabilitation, bond ordinances, public safety grant applications, and much more.
📍City of Dallas - Park & Recreation Board, 10 a.m., 6FN Conference Room, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
📍City of Dallas - City Plan Commission, 11 a.m. Briefing, 12:30 p.m. Public Hearing, Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Commissioners will consider placing a historic overlay on an area that includes El Ranchito Restaurant at 610 West Jefferson Boulevard to protect the building designed by Dallas architect Charles Stevens Dilbeck. It opened in 1947 as Red Bryan’s Smokehouse. Read more.
🗣️ Quote of Interest
The real issue is the lease runs out in five years at the American Airlines Center for the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars. Because of that, and because of the legitimate needs for professional sports teams today, each team is seriously considering leaving the city of Dallas. That is why the issue of what to do with City Hall is so timely and urgent.
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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.
