With their lease expiring in 2031, the Dallas Mavericks are pushing to finalize a new arena site by July.
The Dallas Mavericks have a ticking clock. Their lease at American Airlines Center expires in 2031, and CEO Rick Welts has made it clear the team intends to stay in Dallas. The question is where. The answer currently taking shape would reshape the face of downtown Dallas entirely: tear down City Hall and build a new arena and entertainment district in its place.
Welts is expected to submit a proposal that entails demolishing Dallas City Hall and replacing it with a new 50-acre entertainment district anchored by a new NBA arena. The development would also include the Mavericks' corporate headquarters, a practice facility, a hotel, retail shops, and a concert hub.
The proposal is a direct response to an open call for concepts issued by Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, inviting residents, business leaders, and developers to weigh in on the site's future. Welts confirmed the team plans to submit a proposal and noted that Tolbert was the one who first approached the Mavericks over a year ago about the possibility.
The City Hall site is the primary focus, but not the only option on the table. The Mavericks are also weighing the former Valley View Mall site in North Dallas as an alternative. Welts has said the organization wants a location finalized by July, putting real pressure on both sides to move quickly.
The Dallas City Council is expected to make a decision on the future of the site by this summer, following a review of all submitted concepts in early May.
What makes the City Hall site complicated is the building itself. Designed by architect I.M. Pei and completed in 1978, the inverted-pyramid structure is one of only two brutalist city hall buildings in the country.
Estimates put the cost of immediate repairs at $329 million, with full modernization reaching $1 billion, which is part of why the city began exploring other options. The council remains divided, and public forums are scheduled to continue through April, including one hosted by council members Paula Blackmon and Paul Ridley on April 21 at the Latino Cultural Center.