Build It And They Will Come?

Dallas' Convention Center Hotel is steadily going up, floor by floor. The 23 story hotel has been a source of controversy since it was proposed as a necessary step in protecting and expanding Dallas' convention business. The City-owned hotel is being financed through bond sales and will be run by Omni Hotels. Many in the convention business insist convention center-adjacent hotels are essentially a requirement in order to land large conventions. The City hopes the new hotel will attract the "big fish" of the convention world.

The City conducted a vote in May 2009 on the hotel project, and citizens voted to support the $500M project. Part of the project promoted by pro-hotel forces was ancillary development adjacent to the hotel. The ancillary development was touted as part of a grander plan to energize the southwestern end of downtown near the convention center. This area of downtown has less restaurants and retail than others, and the hotel development is part of a plan to jump-start entertainment development by the private sector. In my opinion, the "mixed-use" portion of the plan was key to the hotel's viability and to the value of return on the City's investment.

Unfortunately, the much-heralded mixed-use portion of the project is likely to be delayed indefinitely. Blame the economy. Hotel developer Matthews Southwest stated in August '09 that he hopes to add mixed-use development on the remaining 2 acres of the hotel site. Hotel renderings show the space for ancillary development as "green space."

In my opinion, the City must be diligent in following through with the mixed-use portion of the project. If the City truly wants to get real bang for its buck on the new hotel, it should hold firm to developing additional entertainment options in the area. Otherwise, Dallas will have a shiny, new convention center hotel that is an island unto itself. Great for visitors arriving by car, but less attractive to pedestrians. Mayor Leppert and Downtown Dallas, Inc. regularly talk about "connecting the dots" of activity in the urban core. Here is an opportunity to make sure our expensive and important new "dot" is fully connected to other downtown "dots" so that our investment is fully realized.

Much has been made of the City's preferred route for the D2 DART rail line through downtown. The City officially prefers the B4b line that runs to the new convention center hotel. Of course, this happens to be the most expensive line option. By far. Unfortunately, the attention given to this issue is probably a moot point now that DART has announced budget issues that push D2's fate into the unknown. With D2's future up in the air, the ancillary development in the hotel project becomes ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT as a way of connecting the hotel with the rest of downtown. Proponents of pedestrian-friendly developments will be watching the hotel project as it finishes construction for signs of the all-important street-level developments promoted during the hotel debate.