Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on Track to Turn Dirt in Fourth Quarter of 2024

Plans for the $3 billion reconstruction of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas are moving forward, with a project manager set to come on board next month. 

Director of Convention and Event Services Rosa Fleming updated members of the Dallas Convention Center Hotel Development Corp. during a board meeting Thursday morning, basically advising the stakeholders that everything is on track. 

In a seven-minute presentation, Fleming said the City of Dallas is soliciting a project manager for implementation of the master plan. The job posting closes April 14.  

“We are in an incredibly good space right now,” Fleming said. “We are moving on to becoming an actual construction project.” 

The Dallas City Council is expected to hear an update on the project in late May or early June, Fleming said. Assistant City Manager Majed Al-Ghafry is providing executive oversight of the project. 

Construction of the convention center is slated for completion by 2028, with the surrounding area developed in 2029 and 2030.  

City officials have said the project is a game changer for the City of Dallas, likely resulting in the creation of a new neighborhood and serving as a major catalyst for economic development. 

Road to Renovation at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center

Voters in November approved Proposition A — a 2 percent increase in hotel occupancy taxes — expected to garner about $1.5 billion for the convention center and Fair Park upgrades. The remaining funding for the convention center remodel will come from a “project financing zone,” incremental state hotel taxes redirected to the City of Dallas. 

Fourteen city departments and an internal stakeholders committee are involved in the development and execution of the master plan, Fleming explained. 

“We’re carrying over all the departments we’ve worked with into long-term management of the project,” she said. 

The architecture, engineering, and design component of the project will be advertised in September with a firm online by the end of the year, she said. 

“We’re on track to turn dirt by the fourth quarter of 2024,” Fleming said. “It’s been a journey. I think there’s been some great movement on how we’re working with our [minority and women-owned businesses], how we’re looking at it as an opportunity for the city to move forward in different spaces.” 

Bond Sales

The city has 365 days from the passage of the Brimer Bill — which allows an increase in hotel occupancy tax for park and tourism upgrades — to sell revenue bonds. 

“Right now our plan is to sell enough bonds to reimburse our department, because we’re using our capital funds, and engage the architecture, engineering, and design firm and then the portion for Fair Park,” Fleming said. “So there will be two sets of bonds — one series for the convention center and its component projects and then one for Fair Park. We’re working toward a September deadline to go before council with the revenue bond sale.” 

‘We’re Just Excited’

Council members at a Feb. 7 transportation committee meeting had a lot of questions about walkability, future development, and funding. 

In response to those and other questions from the public, the DallasCCMasterplan website was built as a clearinghouse of information on the project. 

One topic CandysDirt.com is following is what the project is going to do for neighborhoods and the connection from downtown to South Dallas. 

District 7 Councilman Adam Bazaldua requested more information at the February meeting on how housing will be developed on open parcels in the surrounding area. About 30 acres of developable land is identified in the master plan, a selling point supporters used to promote Prop A. 

“We could be looking at infrastructure investment toward development,” Bazaldua said last month. 

It may be soon to tell what kind of rooftops will follow, an area master plan will create a “healthy urban environment that integrates the KBHCCD, with sustainable materials and Smart City technologies using creative urban design techniques to develop great public spaces, and a diverse mix of commercial, retail, residential, and entertainment uses to support a vibrant neighborhood and KBHCCD area,” according to the website. 

Fleming reiterated Thursday that the project is on track and coming together according to plan.  

“We’re just excited,” she said.