Wednesday marks a historical moment for downtown Dallas history.
City and county leaders will break ground on the expansion of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison attended the groundbreaking for the $3 billion project, which aims to create more jobs, boost tourism, and form a bridge between downtown and South Dallas.
Those behind the development said this is a part of Dallas that has long been overlooked until now.
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"This is going to be a true game changer for downtown Dallas because it's going to take an area that right now is kind of walled off with an old building that is 65 years old," said Craig Davis, CEO of Visit Dallas, the tourism agency for the city. "And it's going to completely transform it into green space and a brand-new building with state-of-the-art offerings."
Plans are still being hammered out, but the 65-year-old building will be majorly expanded and take over empty lots and garages around it. Technology will also be upgraded throughout the convention center.
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Advocacy group Downtown Dallas, Inc. said this is crucial for the population boom in downtown Dallas. The population grew to 15,000 in 2023 – up from just a few thousand in 2010 – with more than 80,000 people now living within a two-mile radius.
"We are just so excited to be breaking ground and actually moving our physical environment and neighborhood towards this huge opportunity,” said Jennifer Scripps, president and CEO of Downtown Dallas, Inc.
Scripps said this project will finally connect downtown to nearby neighborhoods like The Cedars and South Dallas, using greenery and walkable areas.
“All of those connections in downtown are going to bring together those separate pieces. And then I think you're going start to see an area that entices us as locals to want to go and explore or live down there because we do need to grow our residential. We need to make it easier to cross I-30 into The Cedars neighborhood, which is really booming,” she said.
The need for hotels will be crucial. As tourism and population grow in DFW, so does the need for hotel space.
“We still need somewhere between 3,500 and 4,000 additional hotel rooms to meet the demand for what we think our convention center could need,” said Scripps. “And so having a wide array of hotel options and something for everybody is a huge opportunity for downtown as we think about really adding an exciting district in our Southwestern quadrant.”
That’s why part of the project plans involves building more residential, hotel, retail, and restaurant space throughout the district. The I-30 canyon will get a once-in-a-generation upgrade, too.
"There's several opportunities near the current convention center that are development sites, as well as former office buildings in particular, that can be reconfigured into hotels," said Scripps.
Tourism officials say the extra square footage will also allow the convention center to potentially double its business and host more significant events it never could before.
And the buzz is already starting.
"Right now, we have almost 50 confirmed conventions from 2029 and beyond, and that is site unseen without a convention center that hasn't been yet designed,” said Davis. “We have another 100 that are considering Dallas, so the pent-up demand is very, very striking right now."
The Dallas City Council also approved a 15-year, $19 million use agreement for the Dallas Wings to play in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas Memorial Arena, beginning in 2026.
"The Wings have announced they're coming to the area so we'll have professional sports -- the Wings are on fire, they're selling out games,” said Scripps.
Officials said there will be growing pains, but it will be a while before it reaches that point. Wednesday’s groundbreaking is only kicking off the work that needs to be done on utilities and prepping the area for major construction.
"At the same time, they're going to be widening I-30. So it's going to be a construction zone. But I don't know the actual details yet because we have not hired the engineers or the architects for the convention center as of yet. We will have the opportunity to know this sometime next year,” said Davis.
