City Hall Roundup: Atlético Dallas HQ, Rainbow Church Steps, City Hall Shopping
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All eyes are probably on Dallas City Hall as nationwide protests spread following the ICE shooting in Minneapolis that left a 37-year-old woman dead this past week.
Multiple demonstrations have already been held at 1500 Marilla St., the traditional gathering place for protests in Dallas. So, what’s the real estate dimension to this story? Well … where will people assemble to exercise their First Amendment rights if the city council decides to offload City Hall? No doubt any public place will suffice, but there’s meaning behind a city’s residents converging on the seat of municipal power, whether it’s a city issue or a national one.
We may very well see another location downtown become the new protest assembly point in the coming years. In fact, the city has been soliciting proposals from commercial property owners on how their buildings could function as the new center of municipal operations, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The solicitation is part of the city’s due diligence as officials prepare to weigh the costs of repairing 1500 Marilla St. against selling it and relocating. Read more about that below and catch up on some of the other news coming out of City Hall.
Atlético Dallas Moves HQ to Expo Park
City Manager Kimberly Tolbert has authorized a conditional grant to support the relocation of Atlético Dallas’ corporate headquarters from Richardson to Dallas.
The professional soccer club will lease roughly 12,000 square feet at 820 Exposition Ave. by the gates of Fair Park. In addition to office space, the site also provides for street-facing retail in a neighborhood poised for redevelopment. Just across the street, Atlético Dallas is also planning to launch a 16,000-square-foot bar and restaurant with a beer garden and street soccer court.
“Relocating our headquarters to Expo Park allows us to put down roots in a historic and culturally significant part of Dallas while creating a true hub for community, creativity, and connection,” said Atlético Dallas chair and founder Matt Valentine. “We’re building a place that welcomes fans year-round and reflects our commitment to growing the game and giving back to the city that’s embracing us.”
Year-round revenue is quickly becoming a requirement when it comes to sports franchise real estate decisions, with both the Dallas Mavericks and Stars looking for arena sites with activation potential in the surrounding area.
“This investment and corporate relocation will further strengthen our commitment and vision to create dynamic spaces to draw residents, sports fans and visitors to the Fair Park neighborhood in the heart of Dallas,” said Assistant City Manager Robin Bentley.
Located just outside the Cotton Bowl, where the soccer club will make its USL Championship debut next year, the team’s headquarters will be the beneficiary of $200,000 in grant money across three installments based on an agreement with the city. The franchise must retain 12 existing jobs, create 85 new jobs over five years, maintain its operations at 820 Exposition Ave. for at least seven years, and spend no less than $1.2 million on building improvements.
Landmark Commission OKs Rainbow Steps at Oak Lawn United Methodist
The rainbow-painted steps at Oak Lawn United Methodist Church will be allowed to remain for up to three years after the Landmark Commission sanctioned the decor as a temporary art installation on Monday.
Church officials painted the steps in response to Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive banning rainbow crosswalks and other non-standard roadway markings — a move broadly taken as a swipe against LGBTQ-inclusive expression.
Since Oaklawn United Methodist is a landmarked property, the commission needs to sign off on exterior alterations. While staff recommended approval, a commission task force advised that rainbow steps would not comply with the city’s development code. The commission voted unanimously to approve the rainbow steps.
“The historic architecture is beautiful and should be preserved, but we should also allow and celebrate the city’s human character, its community, identity and history, notwithstanding the temporary political climate,” said Commissioner Rosemary Hinojosa, according to WFAA.
City Manager Kimberly Tolbert is currently in a back-and-forth with state officials over an exemption request she submitted for the rainbow crosswalks in the Oak Lawn neighborhood and other decorative roadway markings.
“Absent any safety detriment caused by the aesthetic crosswalks, the city’s decision to maintain these crosswalks should be respected as a legitimate and constitutionally protected exercise of municipal self-expression,” Tolbert wrote in a letter to the Texas Department of Transportation.
A New City Hall Would Need the Following
So, what is it that officials are looking for in a new base of operations? The Dallas Economic Development Corporation has been tasked with a lot of the fact-finding ahead of some committee meetings next month.
According to requests made by city officials to local property owners that DMN reviewed, an alternative to 1500 Marilla St. would need to have at least 30 years of shelf life and around 400,000 square feet of space. Per public statements by officials, the building would also need to be in the central business district.
Leasing and an outright purchase are both on the table, and properties that are planned or under construction will be considered. Any lease would be between seven years and multiple decades.
Now, a single site doesn’t necessarily have to house all operations. The city is apparently open to splitting functions across different facilities. Certain departments could work separately outside of downtown, particularly emergency services, which would reportedly need around 120,000 square feet of space.
