DALLAS – WEEKLY RECAP
What happened at Dallas City Hall this week?
Dallas laid out how it plans to finance its new convention center, proposed a five year housing goal for 55,000 households, and faced questions about how it measures success when homeless encampments are cleared.
If You Only Have a Minute
01
CONVENTION CENTER
Dallas is already building its new convention center. The final cost is still being worked out.
02
HOUSING
Dallas wants to improve housing stability for 55,000 households. That doesn’t mean 55,000 new homes.
03
HOMELESSNESS
Dallas says 61% of cleared encampment sites stay closed for a month. Council wants to know what happens to the people who were there.
THE BIG STORY
Dallas is already building its new convention center. But how much will the whole thing cost?
Construction is moving forward while Dallas continues working through pieces of the project’s financing.
$3.08B
roughly identified in the City’s current funding plan
Okay. What happened?
Dallas gave Council another update this week on the redevelopment of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
The project is no longer just a plan on paper. Demolition work is underway, and Dallas has already started moving major construction packages forward.
But one of the biggest questions is still being worked out: how much will the entire project ultimately cost, and where will all of the money come from?
City officials said some transportation related changes are still being developed with the North Central Texas Council of Governments and that the City is assembling a broader funding picture.
Wait. So is $3.08 billion the final cost?
No.
Think of it as the amount currently identified in the financing plan not necessarily the final price tag for everything Dallas ultimately builds.
Some costs are still being refined as design, transportation work and other pieces of the project develop.
And part of the plan depends on selling naming rights.
$275M
estimated potential revenue from naming rights
Dallas is considering selling naming rights for pieces of the convention center project, potentially including the district itself, portions inside the building and the deck or green space over I-30.
But those deals haven’t happened yet.
Staff said the estimate comes from a study that’s already about six or seven months old and needs to be refreshed. A naming rights policy is expected to come back to Council in 2027.
What happens next?
Council is expected to consider four Guaranteed Maximum Price packages, or GMPs, as construction moves forward.
The last is currently expected in late 2027.
That means Council will continue making major decisions about the project even as financing, construction costs and other pieces become clearer.
HOUSING
Dallas has a new five year housing goal.
But the number is easier to misunderstand than it looks.
55,000
households Dallas wants to improve housing stability for over five years
Okay. What happened?
Dallas gave Council an early look at a new housing and homelessness framework built around seven areas of work.
The proposed five year vision includes helping 55,000 households through housing production, preservation, homeownership, repairs, homelessness services and other programs.
THE CATCH
55,000 households does not mean 55,000 new homes.
The number combines several kinds of housing assistance.
So a household could count toward the goal because a home was built, an existing affordable home was preserved, a homeowner received assistance or another housing intervention occurred.
Council members also questioned how Dallas is deciding which parts of the city should be priorities.
What happens next?
The framework isn’t finished.
Dallas plans to return with more detailed briefings on housing production and preservation, including the data behind its geographic priorities.
Staff also said Council will get more information about existing funding and the resources needed before being asked to adopt the broader plan.
HOMELESSNESS
Dallas says most cleared encampment sites aren’t reopening right away.
That became one of the biggest questions at this week’s Housing and Homelessness Committee meeting.
61%
of closed encampment sites remained closed after 30 days
Okay. What happened?
Dallas reported that 61% of sites closed through its encampment response remained closed at least 30 days later.
That’s one way the City is measuring whether its encampment strategy is working.
But Council members pushed on what that number doesn’t tell them.
Dallas also wants more shelter capacity.
The City’s five year framework calls for 1,000 additional shelter beds.
Specific locations haven’t been announced.
Staff said potential sites, available resources and different options will be part of an upcoming State of Homelessness briefing.
MORE FROM CITY HALL
Also worth knowing
A few other things that happened this week.
CITY CONTRACTS
A resident raised questions about a City contractor. Dallas checked and changed course.
Dallas had been preparing to award a facility condition assessment contract when public comments and an online video raised questions about whether the recommended company actually qualified for local preference points.
Staff investigated and found that the company no longer had a Dallas office when its proposal was submitted.
The City now plans to deny the proposed award and negotiate with the next firm on the evaluation list.
Facilities staff said the situation would also lead to additional due diligence in future reviews.
CITY AUDITOR
Dallas is down to three candidates for City Auditor.
Two external candidates and one internal candidate advanced after the second round of interviews.
The Finance Committee plans to interview all three virtually before candidates move on to the full City Council.
WALNUT HILL
Dallas approved 37 new homes after a debate over height.
Council approved a residential zoning case near Walnut Hill after discussion focused largely on how tall portions of the development could be and how the project would affect surrounding properties.
CADILLAC HEIGHTS
Dallas bought five more properties in Cadillac Heights.
The purchases are part of the City’s continuing work in the neighborhood.
But buying the properties doesn’t by itself decide what ultimately gets built there.
QUICK HITS
A few more things.
INVESTMENTS
Dallas is making only minor changes to its investment policy.
The annual policy update is expected to go to City Council Oct. 14.
2027 CALENDAR
Council members are already changing next year’s City Hall calendar.
Members discussed moving January committee meetings and adjusting meetings around the end of year election calendar. Feedback is due Oct. 14.
CONVENTION CENTER
Dallas wants to temporarily extend its Spectrum contract.
The short term extension would give the City time to renegotiate services as the existing convention center’s operating footprint shrinks during redevelopment.
HOMELESS SERVICES
Council members want a clearer picture of how much Dallas spends on homelessness.
An upcoming State of Homelessness briefing is expected to look at City funding, contracts, shelters and other resources. Council members also asked for a broader picture of how public and nonprofit funding fits together.
LOOKING AHEAD
What to watch next
SEP. 23 · CITY COUNCIL
Dallas’ new budget is finished. Now attention turns to what’s next.
The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, when Dallas’ FY 2026–27 budget takes effect.
Before then, Council returns Sept. 23 for its next voting agenda.
THE RECEIPTS
Don’t take our word for it.
Want to go deeper? This recap is based on Dallas City Council and committee meetings and the materials presented to Council this week.
Watch the City Council discussion
Dallas City Council | Sept. 23
Watch the Housing & Homelessness Solutions discussion
Housing & Homelessness Solutions Committee
Watch the Finance committee discussion
Finance Committee
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