DALLAS — More than three dozen groups have already booked convention space for the year after construction is scheduled to be completed on Dallas' Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, city staff told councilmembers in the first update on the project in nearly a year.
Rosa Fleming, the city's director of convention and event services, said the building is on track to open in 2029, despite slight changes in plans to accommodate TxDOT and Norfolk Southern Railway projects.
The expansion would triple the size of the convention center's largest ballroom and double its meeting space, plus update the building the city describes as "deficient."
"It really will elevate us as a sort of destination compared to all our competitors," said Jennifer Scripps, the CEO of Downtown Dallas Inc., which helps to develop and market Dallas’ central business district. "No other project in downtown Dallas has the promise to revitalize our southwest quadrant of all of downtown."
The "mega-project" incorporates and allows for a redevelopment of Interstate 30 through downtown, plants to build a "deck park" over the highway and work to bring high-speed rail to downtown. It also explores additional street car connections.
The entire project's "maximum cost" could be nearly $2 billion, Fleming said. Voters approved an increase to hotel taxes in 2022 to help pay for the project.
It is already paying dividends, Visit Dallas CEO Craig Davis told councilmembers, with some convention clients already committing to the new space.
"This is unprecedented and very, very good news for us that we've sold it 41 times," Davis said.
But some councilmembers raised concerns at Monday's meeting that the existing plans ignore Southern Dallas.
"Here we are again with another monumental, historic investment in our city. And who gets left out?" Councilmember Adam Bazaldua said. "I'm so tired of my constituents being told 'we'll get there in the future.'"
Convention Center renderings
Other councilmembers wanted new infrastructure -- like streetcar expansions -- to go further south too in an effort to increase job availability and access.
"We want a bigger bite of this apple, if you will," said Councilmember Carolyn King Arnold.
Their asks may not make the final plans, for which the city hopes to issue a request for proposal this summer.
For now, the city has launched a new website for people to keep up with the development plans here.