Monday, October 2, 2023

Good morning:

  Five volunteer subcommittees recently submitted recommendations on how to allocate a $1.1 billion bond program for major projects including reconstruction of streets, alleys, and sidewalks, new or updated recreation centers and libraries, a new regional police academy, lifesaving flood protection, affordable housing, economic development, and more.

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The only problem with the recommendations is that they total more than $1.8 billion. That means the City Council-appointed Community Bond Task Force (CBTF) will make some tough decisions in the coming weeks on how much money should be allocated to each category to get back down to the $1.1 billion target.

Those new allocation amounts will be sent back to the five subcommittees (Streets and Transportation; Economic Development, Housing and Homeless Solutions; Critical Facilities; Parks and Trails; Flood Control and Storm Drainage) later this month for them to revise their proposals. They will do so with fresh input from public town hall meetings that are currently ongoing around the city. More on those meeting times and locations can be found

here

.

City staff has also set up a new email address for you to communicate your feedback directly with the CBTF, on which I serve as the representative for District 10, including Lake Highlands and Hamilton Park. That email is

[email protected]

.

Also yet to be decided is whether the bond election will be held in May or November of next year. The City Council will ultimately make that call. The CBTF is expected to deliver its bond recommendations to the City Council by early December.

Read more about the proposals

and explore a map of the proposed projects

here

.

❎ Highlights From Last Week's Meetings:

-- The Dallas City Council approved issuance and sale of the first tranches of bonds for the Downtown convention center redevelopment and Cotton Bowl improvements at Fair Park. This is the first of the monies tied to the 2 percentage Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) increase approved by voters via Proposition A last year. Read more about those items

here

and

here

.

-- Dallas Fire-Rescue is getting a $472,720 firefighting robot vehicle that "will provide assistance to firefighters while combating fires from a remote location," according to background materials. The robot "has the ability to push vehicles from its path and the agility to climb stairs with an output of a maximum 2,500 gallons per minute."

Read more

.

-- The historic former Cabana Motor Court Hotel will be transformed into a mixed-income multi-family apartment complex under a plan approved by the City Council.

Read more

.

-- The DART Board last week approved the agency's $1.8 billion fiscal 2024 budget.

📝 Memos of Interest:

-- Virtually every phone across the country will receive an emergency alert test on Wednesday around 1:20 p.m.

This memo

notes, “There is NO way to opt-out of this test, so even those individuals with their alert settings set to “off” will receive this message if their phone is on and receiving service.” Tests will be conducted on television and radio.

-- The City of Dallas Office of Economic Development was honored with two International Economic Development Council (IEDC) awards during the organization’s annual conference in Dallas last month. The department was honored for its work on the Dallas Development Fund and the deal to redevelop an 11-acre site near the American Airlines Center that will eventually house more than 5,000 Goldman Sachs employees. Congratulations to Economic Development Director Robin Bentley and her entire team.

Read more

.

-- Check out all the latest City Hall memos

here

and

here

.

Meetings of Interest

Today, Monday, October 2

🏞 Parks, Trails, and the Environment Committee, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

-- Dallas Park & Recreation Department leaders will present

a new long-term funding plan for Fair Park

, including a $2 ticket surcharge for venues and events. The Park Board and City Council are expected to vote on the Fair Park funding plan before the end of the year.

-- Park department officials will also give a separate

update on over $100 million in planned improvements for the Cotton Bowl

.

🗿 Landmark Commission, 9 a.m., Briefing Room, 6ES, Dallas City Hall 1500 Marilla St.

-- The Landmark Commission will consider a variety of improvements to the historic Magnolia Building that houses the iconic Pegasus flying horse on its roof (rendering above). Planned improvements to the hotel include much-needed ballroom and event space and a pool deck. DDI has been working closely with the hotel building owners Newcrest Image to advance the proposed enhancements. 

-- A public hearing will also be held to consider initiation of the historic designation process for Old City Park in the Cedars. This hearing is to consider a request to authorize the hearing.

💹 Economic Development Committee, 1 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

-- City staff has revised a proposal to charge for parking in the Farmers Market Public Parking Garage, which is currently free. Based on council member feedback, the City portion of the revenues would now go to the Farmers Market Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District Fund for district-wide improvements. The original plan was to deposit the revenue into the Transportation Department's general fund revenue account. The committee must sign off on the plan.

Read more

.

Tuesday, October 3

💳 Community Bond Task Force, 6 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

-- The task force will take more public comment from registered speakers on how to allocate $1.1 billion for the 2024 bond program. Speaker signup has closed for this meeting. As noted above, the task force is developing a recommended bond program to send to the City Council for consideration in December.

Wednesday, October 4

This week's scheduled City Council Briefing

has been canceled

.

Thursday, October 5

🗺

City Plan Commission, Briefing at 9 a.m. Public Hearing at 12:30 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

-- This agenda includes proposals for signage for new West End restaurant The Operators Club at 2019 North Lamar Street. The restaurant is expected to open later this month,

according to its website

.

🏞

Dallas Park & Recreation Board, 10 a.m., 6FN Conference Room, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

Quote of the Week

 DDI President and CEO Jennifer Scripps, speaking at DDI's State of Downtown event, on office-to-residential conversion projects.

“This has been our secret sauce in Downtown. We have major conversions currently. And we also have more new apartments coming out of the ground.”

Read more

Did we miss anything? Do you have any questions? Just want to talk about meetings?

Let me know

.

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.

Have a great week.

Best,

Scott GoldsteinChief of External Affairs& Government RelationsDowntown Dallas, Inc.