Dallas city officials are ready to approve a 15-year deal aimed at bringing the WNBA's Dallas Wings to the downtown convention center arena, three city officials said. dallas morning news.
The City Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a resident use and incentive agreement for the Dallas Memorial Auditorium, which is part of downtown's Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. The auditorium is scheduled to be renovated by 2026 as part of a major redevelopment project.
The Wings are not named in the City Council agenda document, but the proposed agreement is described as a relocation for an existing team to use the arena at least 70 days a year from April 15 to Nov. 1. . The WNBA season typically runs from training camp in April to the league finals in October. No other professional sports league that plays in arenas has a similar schedule.
If the City Council votes to approve the agreement Wednesday, it would give the city manager the authority to implement certain conditions, according to a copy of the resolution reviewed by city officials. news.
The proposed agreement includes $19 million in city incentives to be paid to the team over three years, according to the city's resolution. The city plans to offset the costs with at least $1.5 million in annual revenue over the next 15 years, and the agreement could be extended for up to another 15 years, according to the resolution.
This scheduled vote comes on the heels of a highly successful women's basketball college tournament and the introduction of top prospects Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese to the WNBA, which begins its season in mid-May.
City Council members and Mayor Eric Johnson are vying to bring the Dallas Wings to the city, according to people familiar with the 2022 negotiations. Johnson, along with Dallas Wings CEO Greg Bibb and consultants, joined Dallas Wings CEO Greg Bibb and consultants in late 2022 after voters approved Proposition A, which would use hotel occupancy tax increases to renovate some Fair Park venues and the convention center. Officials said they toured the memorial auditorium.
The Dallas Wings play at the University of Texas at Arlington's College Park Center. College Park Center seats approximately 7,000. Dallas Memorial Auditorium has a seating capacity of approximately 10,000.
The Wings spent nearly five years in Oklahoma due to the Tulsa Shock before relocating to Texas prior to the 2016 season. The Wings have called Arlington home throughout the team's tenure in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Last season, the Wings' regular-season home games drew an average of about 4,600 fans, according to WNBA statistics website Across the Timeline. Voter turnout placed them 9th out of 12 teams in the league.
A copy of the City Council's draft resolution reads, “Professional sports teams have expressed their desire to relocate to the city as their home of residence,” and the city has expressed its desire to relocate to the city as its home of residence. Be aware of the potential negative effects. And…the City recognizes that there are long-term economic and ancillary benefits to be derived from revitalizing the use of arenas through the relocation of professional sports teams to the City. ” The draft resolution does not explain what specific impact this measure might have.
Several Dallas City Council members and the Dallas Department of Convention and Event Services, which oversees the arena, declined to comment on the deal Friday and late Saturday. Council members were briefed on the proposal in executive session during the March 26 committee meeting.
“The Wings have had ongoing discussions with Mayor Johnson and Dallas city officials regarding the city's planned renovation of Memorial Auditorium. Details still need to be finalized, including approval by the Dallas City Council and WNBA Board of Directors. “The possibilities for moving to downtown Dallas are endless,” said Bibb, president and CEO of the Dallas Wings. news in a statement Saturday night.
“Women's basketball is receiving more national attention than ever before, and the popularity of the WNBA and Wings is unprecedented,” Bibb said. “The City of Arlington, the University of Texas at Arlington, and College Park Center continue to be great partners, and we look forward to continuing that relationship during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. We look forward to commenting further at the appropriate time.”
Johnson's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. A spokesperson for the University of Texas at Arlington did not immediately respond to questions. news Regarding the agreement between the school and Wings.
The city began negotiations with the team in late 2022 at the request of Johnson and other city leaders, and an agreement was reached last year, according to a City Council agenda document.
In 2022, Johnson created a City Council committee to explore ways to bring more professional sports franchises and events to the city, rather than just preserving the existing ones.
Johnson had called for a second North Texas NFL franchise to play in Dallas. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones rejected the idea, but it has received little attention outside of social media discussions.
In February, the City Council awarded a nearly three-year, nearly $7.7 million contract to national architecture, engineering and construction management firm McKissack & McKissack to renovate and rebuild the arena.
City officials said last year that they expect the arena renovations will include adding more seating, improving overall infrastructure and making the facility compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
said Rosa Fleming, director of the city's convention and event services department. dallas morning news In February, it said the goal was for arena renovations to be completed by 2026. She said the arena's use has been limited due to lack of ADA accessibility, and upgrades could allow it to be used up to 100 times a year, up from its current 26 times a year.
The city plans to use the bond money for construction costs and repay it through revenue from two sources, including a tax increase on Dallas room rentals approved by voters in November 2022. His two funding methods to pay for the convention center and related projects are expected to generate nearly $4 billion in revenue over 30 years.
The city estimated in January 2023 that construction of a new convention center with a new deck park spanning nearby Interstate 30 would cost $2.8 billion. Separately, the city estimates more than $386 million will be needed to renovate and rebuild the arena and the Academy of Black Arts and Letters, which are attached to the current convention center.
The proposal to bring the Wings to downtown Dallas includes year-round use of the building for training and office space, with the team obtaining a final certificate of occupancy no later than March 1, 2026. It is expected to be. This proposal would require at least 40% of the portion. – Time workers hired on game day must reside in Dallas.
The city would also split parking revenue 70% to 30% in favor of the event manager and the city, according to the resolution. Proceeds from ticket sales are subject to a $2 service fee, of which he will split 50% with the city.
The resolution says the city would retain ownership of the arena and be responsible for all inspections and issuing certificates of occupancy. It will also be responsible for the construction of league-approved courts, scorecards and digital displays. Meanwhile, the team will oversee the installation of supplies, furniture, and equipment needed by the team.
Wings is no stranger to Dallas City Hall.johnson gave special recognition to the team prior to last year's WNBA playoffs.Johnson too Declared a day to honor then-Wings player Alisha Gray. In August 2021.
