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Dallas City Council members voted Aug. 28 to begin receiving bids on 17,647-square-feet of land in downtown Dallas, near the Dallas Farmers Market. It is hopeful a potential buyer will redevelop the empty site.
Located at the intersection of Saint Paul and Marilla streets, the property, at 711 South Saint Paul St., is now an empty building in poor condition, known for attracting many homeless people in the area, city officials said. It is also located just down the street from Dallas City Hall, where the city council meets.
Dallas County Appraisal District has valued the property, which was built in 1947, at $2.4 million. A majority of the value comes from the land itself, which was appraised at $1.5 million.
“We haven’t done a market study, but a one-story vacant building is not the highest and best use,” said Robin Bentley, assistant city manager for Dallas.
During the meeting, council members discussed the current conditions of the building, which is now secured as it is no longer occupied. Moreno said that when he last walked by, he noticed the building was unsecured and several people were squatting inside. The building was vacated officially in October 2023.
Donzell Gipson, interim assistant city manager, said multiple teams conduct regular walkthroughs of the building to evaluate its condition. Along with several homeless people, he said the team has found biohazards, graffiti and other code violations inside the building.
Gipson said camera technology has since been installed to monitor ongoing activity at the site. Additionally, city staff installed other technology to more effectively secure the building, including on the doors and windows.
Toward the end of discussion and questions with city staff, Moreno said he thinks it's in the best interest of the city to clean and clear the area so that it can be developed into something more appropriate.
“This is a building that has become a magnet for activity that’s not desirable in any neighborhood,” Moreno said. “As we continue to develop the south side of downtown Dallas, it is imperative that we have a clean and safe environment.”
However, District 11 City Council Member Jaynie Schultz expressed concerns about not receiving any interest for the dilapidated property or a potential buyer wanting the city to demolish the building and start from scratch. Schultz suggested instituting a deadline on the site that would allow the city to demolish the building if it doesn’t receive any bids for a certain amount of time, say six months.
“Let’s see if we can actually make money on the building first,” Schultz said.
District 1 City Council member Chad West added the city has a lot of surplus assets, and it is important the city puts the property up for sale and “get it on the tax rolls” as soon as possible.
After a lengthy discussion about whether or not the city should front the cost of demolishing the site, District 14 council member Paul Ridley resolved with a two-tier bid for the property. This would allow potential buyers to say how much they would pay for the site as is, including the un-demolished building, and what they would pay for the land if the building was removed.
“That way we could tell who’s really interested in the building and if there is no interest in the building and if there is no interest in the building, we’d have the highest bid for just the property,” Ridley said. “We’d have a clear direction to demolish the building as a condition of sale.”
Deputy mayor pro tem Adam Bazaldua said he was worried Ridley’s motion would establish a precedent for future properties the city puts up for sale. Ridley added it is very common to have two-tier bids in the construction industry.
“Is this going to be an expectation for every single property that we give? Are we going to be putting two different bids on what’s going to be with a building or without?” Bazaldua said.
Ridley’s motion for a two-tiered bid approach on the property passed 12-2, with Moreno and Council Member Kathy Stewart voting no.