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DALLAS - The Dallas City Council on Wednesday rejected a proposed redesign of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas (KBHCCD) and directed City staff to advance the project on its current design without further delay.
The decision means the redeveloped convention center is now expected to be delivered in 2030, while the City moves ahead with roadway improvements that preserve and enhance access between downtown, Oak Cliff, and southern Dallas.
By advancing the current design, the City Council avoids a redesign that staff estimated would add roughly $597 million in unfunded cost and an additional year to the schedule. It also protects the broader economic engine the convention center represents.
Since the existing facility closed in July 2025, the City has absorbed significant losses in lodging spend, local tax revenue, and hospitality jobs, and each additional month of delay carries an estimated $1.4 million in lost local tax revenue. Looking ahead, Visit Dallas has secured a convention pipeline for 2031 and beyond that exceeds $4.5 billion in potential economic impact — business that depends on Dallas delivering a modern, reliable facility on a firm timeline.
“This project is about jobs and opportunity for every part of Dallas,” said Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. “Thousands of hospitality workers are counting on us to finish this building and bring conventions back. The City Council’s direction lets us keep that promise while we continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder with the community on the roadway design and options.”
The City Council’s action affirms the Council’s commitment to continuing collaboration with residents and stakeholders, and allows the City to begin traffic control modifications to Jefferson Boulevard and Houston Street for the KBHCCD expansion project construction to proceed. City staff emphasized that engagement with residents will continue throughout the design of the bridge and roadway improvements. The City Council also directed staff to hire an independent transportation consultant to examine options.
Staff has held community meetings, met individually with City Council members, and is coordinating with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) on funding for design and construction. Advancing the convention center and developing the roadway improvements in parallel allows the project to keep moving while public input continues to shape the permanent connection into downtown.
“We are committed to getting the connection right, and to doing it with the community, not around it,” Tolbert added. “Moving forward on the convention center does not slow that work. It lets both move at once.”
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