Excepts from the Dallas City Council Meeting on May 20th

Informed opinions backed by experience, expertise, research, and data.

Tré Black

CEO of On-Target Supplies & Logistics, told Councilmembers that Dallas has historically succeeded when leaders chose ambitious, future-oriented investments.

“Dallas has never been a city that thought small,” Black said. “We have an opportunity to redevelop this site in a way that strengthens downtown Dallas, attracts new investment, creates opportunity for future generations, and reflects the kind of ambitious city Dallas has always been.”

Amanda Moreno-Lake

An Oak Cliff entrepreneur and real estate investor who helped revitalize Bishop Arts, compared downtown to neighborhoods once overlooked before reinvestment transformed them into thriving destinations.

“I have seen what happens when people choose reinvestment instead of settling for decline,” Moreno-Lake told the Council. “Today, Bishop Arts is one of the most vibrant destinations in Dallas… We grew the tax base. We helped small businesses expand. We created jobs.That kind of redevelopment does not just change buildings. It changes how people feel about a city.”

Kathy Vergos

Longtime downtown property owner Kathy Vergos shared the story of Streetside Café, the restaurant she and her husband opened near City Hall after taking out a bank loan because they believed in downtown Dallas. The business ultimately closed after struggling with insufficient foot traffic and declining activity downtown. Several other restaurants they later leased the space to also struggled to survive.

“I still believe in downtown Dallas,” Vergos said. “But hope alone is not enough. We could not survive on optimism alone. I do not want future small business owners to go through what we went through. I want them to succeed where we could not.”

Jim Lake

CEO of Jim Lake Companies said, "Dallas has reinvented itself over and over again during my lifetime, but this area around City Hall has remained frozen in time. I’ve spent my life investing in and helping redevelop neighborhoods across this city, and I’ve seen those bold investments pay off for decades in places like Bishop Arts and the Design District. Right now, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reconnect, reactivate, and reimagine the heart of downtown Dallas for the next 50 years.”

Adam Kraus

Downtown business owner Adam Kraus described the area surrounding City Hall as “half a century of standing still,” pointing to longstanding vacant parking lots and the lack of a catalytic investment signal for the southern end of downtown.

Kraus said, “Those in this room, and the next generation of Dallasites — the ones who will live here long after any of us — deserve a downtown that finally got its catalyst. They will either see the same vacant parking lots we see today, or they will see the moment Dallas decided its downtown deserved a catalyst.”

Bruce Orr

District 13 resident Bruce Orr urged Councilmembers to weigh fiscal responsibility alongside downtown’s broader economic challenges and opportunities.

“Use our money responsibly. Don’t make things worse by voting to rebuild City Hall when there are less costly alternatives.” Orr said. “Create a plan to make downtown more livable and dynamic that includes a new south-side entertainment district.”