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Reimagining the Heart of Dallas

See the Master Plan

Project Metrics

Economic Impact

$2.8B

Grand Opening

2029

Jobs Created

15,000

Acres Transformed

365

Explore the Master Plan

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Convention Center Expansion

Adding approximately 500,000 sq ft of flexible event space with state-of-the-art technology, bringing the facility to ~2.5 million sq ft total with a 100,000+ sq ft ballroom.

Dallas Memorial Auditorium

Renovating this 1957 historic venue to serve as a premier performing arts center with modern lighting, sound, and accessibility features while preserving its classic façade.

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The Black Academy of Arts & Letters (TBAAL)

Upgrading and expanding TBAAL's theater and gallery spaces to provide a larger platform for African American arts and cultural programming.

Pioneer Plaza

Home to the #2 most visited site in downtown Dallas. Envisioning a large park space that enhances downtown connectivity and green access while preserving the iconic cattle-drive sculptures.

Timeline & Status

News

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Events

Public Engagement Highlight

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Bird
Safety

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You Said

Bird friendly glass needs to be a priority

What We’re Doing

Using bird-strike glass would protect the birds during...see more

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Active Uses

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You Said

Convention Center District to feel lively and welcoming

What We’re Doing

We are considering ground-level food, retail and active s...see more

Pedestrian and Bicycle

You Said

Walkability and stronger bicycle connections

What We’re Doing

Suggestions have been made for walking and biking in...see more

Public Transit

You Said

Safer, welcoming, better connected-transit desired

What We’re Doing

Looking at upgrades and modifications to existing tra... see more

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Neighborhood
Connectivity

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You Said

The site feels disconnected from neighborhood

What We’re Doing

Increasing accessibility, green space and other oppor...see more

We took a look at each of these 5 questions plus other things that you asked about.

Public Engagement Highlight

You Said

Bird-friendly glass be treated as a priority

We Did

Using bird-friendly glass with subtle visible patterns that birds can see

Bird Safety

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You Said

Convention Center District to feel lively and welcoming

We Did

Future ground-level retail and active uses along Lamar Street

Active Uses

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You Said

Walkability and stronger bicycle connections

We Did

Physically separated bike lanes on nearly all adjacent streets and a central Greenway

Pedestrian and Bicycle

You Said

Safer, more welcoming, and better connected- transit

We Did

The DART Light Rail Station will be partially daylighted from Lamar Street

Public Transit

You Said

The site feels hard to navigate

We Did

Strengthening links between Convention Center entrances, the DART station

SiteConnections

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Construction Progress

Following months of utility relocation and foundational preparation, demolition of the existing west wing of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center is now underway. Crews began carefully deconstructing structural elements on the Griffin Street side, making way for excavation and deep foundation work. Safety barriers, noise-reduction measures, and pedestrian detours have been implemented to minimize disruption during this critical phase.

VIEW TRAFFIC ALERTS

Public Engagement Highlight

You Said

"We need more green spaces and places for families to gather in downtown Dallas."

We Did

Added 50 acres of parks and plazas, including a new 10-acre central park with playgrounds, splash pads, and event lawns in the heart of downtown.

Public Engagement Highlight

You Said

"We need more green spaces and places for families to gather in downtown Dallas."

We Did

Added 50 acres of parks and plazas, including a new 10-acre central park with playgrounds, splash pads, and event lawns in the heart of downtown.

Economic & Community Impact

Building Dallas's Future Together

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas Master Plan represents the largest civic investment in Dallas in decades. This transformative project will reshape our downtown core, create thousands of jobs, and establish Dallas as a premier destination for conventions, tourism, and business.

By extending downtown's connectivity and bridging long-standing divides, the plan opens up new opportunities for The Cedars, South Dallas and Southern Dallas communities. Through sustainable design and community-centered planning, we're creating spaces that will serve Dallas residents for generations while attracting millions of visitors annually.

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To date, the Visit Dallas team has booked 70 conventions for 2030 and beyond totaling $1.87 billion in impact.

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Over 750K contiguous square feet of exhibit space – only four other cities from our competitive set offer this.

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The largest ballroom in the country

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Frequently asked questions

General

Convention Center Expansion

TBAAL

Dallas Memorial Auditorium

Pioneer Plaza

We welcome community involvement! There are monthly town hall meetings where you can hear the latest updates and share your input. We also host focused workshops on specific components (e.g. design workshops for Pioneer Plaza improvements) to gather ideas from residents. In addition, you can provide feedback anytime through our online surveys and the project website's feedback form. Be sure to sign up for our email newsletter to receive notifications about public meetings, surveys, and engagement opportunities. Your voice has helped shape this project from the beginning, and we want to continue hearing from you as we move forward.

Yes. We have carefully phased the project to minimize disruptions to existing operations. The current Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will continue hosting events throughout most of the construction period. The new convention center is being built on a nearby site (just west of the current one) so that the old facility can stay open until the new one is ready – ensuring no gap in service. Major cultural venues like the Memorial Auditorium and TBAAL will remain in place and will have any necessary closure periods carefully coordinated with their event schedules. Downtown Dallas will stay in business even as we build, with construction zones and event operations planned to coexist safely.

Sustainability is at the forefront of the design. All new facilities are being built to LEED certification standards with a host of innovative solutions, focused on reducing energy and water demand impacts on local infrastructure, while managing resilience challenges specific to Dallas. Such challenges include managing stormwater, reducing the cities rising heat-island effects, air quality, and droughts. With wholistic solutions, the district will not only work to mitigate climate impacts but provide a development where residents and our guests can thrive.

The convention center expansion is fundamentally an economic development initiative for Dallas. In the construction phase, the project has ambitious local hiring and contractor targets – prioritizing Dallas-based workers and businesses. Once the new center opens, conservative estimates project roughly $450 million in annual economic activity. 75 major conventions have been booked for the new center in future years, representing about $1.9 billion in total economic impact. Nearly 100 additional groups that hadn't considered Dallas in decades are now interested in bringing their events here. We're also implementing supplier diversity programs to ensure local minority- and women-owned businesses can participate in everything from construction to ongoing operations. The master plan will generate more customers for local businesses, more jobs for our residents, and a stronger tax base for city services.

Project Partners

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