Dallas City Council OKs $71 million contract for new convention center

The Dallas City Council has chosen the lucky developer who will manage phase one of the massive expansion of Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas.

According to a release, the council awarded a $71 million project management services contract to Inspire Dallas, a team led by Matthews Southwest, Kaizen Development, and Azteca Enterprises.

They'll oversee Component One, which includes the convention center expansion, a deck park over I-30, and demolition of the existing center.

It's time for a bulleted list. The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center expansion concept includes:

• 170,000 square feet of ballroom space
• 260,000 square feet of meeting rooms
• 800,000 square feet of exhibit space
• Accommodations for visitors with disabilities, such as those with mobility, hearing, or visual impairments.

Construction is expected to begin late 2024, with the portions of the existing convention center remaining operational throughout the build.

Prior Matthews Southwest projects include the Omni Hotel, Gilley’s, South Side on Lamar, and the Canvas Hotel, as well as the development of the Gailbraith, workforce housing they did in partnership with the City of Dallas.

Inspire Dallas includes 28 subcontractors of which 75 percent are local Dallas businesses and more than half are a Minority, Women, Business Enterprise (M/WBE).

In 2022, the Dallas City Council approved plans for an expanded 2.5-million-square-foot convention center that was later placed as a ballot measure on the November 2022 ballot and approved by voters. It authorized a 2 percent increase in the city’s portion of the hotel occupancy tax to be used to fund the expansion and designated improvements at Fair Park. In addition to the 2 percent hotel occupancy tax increase, the Master Plan will be funded with a project financing zone.