Subject: Economic Development

• Don Hill's Faith-Based Plan For...Crime-Fighting?

  March 23, 2007

• Fear-Mongering Amongst the Mayoral Candidates. And Don Hill Has a Economic Plan. Didn't Say it Was a Good One.

  March 8, 2007

• Expenses Sure are Expensive

  October 18, 2006

• Pie in the Sky

  August 2, 2006

• Re: Pie in the Face

  July 27, 2006

• Re: Pie in the Face

  July 25, 2006

• Forest City to Own Entire Metroplex

  March 29, 2006

• Mayoral Candidates Love South Dallas and the Arts. And You. They Love You.

  April 19, 2007

• Don Hill Asks Tom Leppert: What, Exactly, Are You Spreading?

  April 23, 2007

• We Now Officially Have Those Trinity River Blues

  May 2, 2007

• And Here's How We'll Pay for the Convention Center Hotel

  February 18, 2008

• Gustav Isn't Screwing Around, and Neither is the City of Dallas

  August 30, 2008

• Highland Park Developer Who Likes to Sue Is Royally Pissed Over Book

  Can't say I'd ever heard of Highland Park's Hiram Walker Royall till last night, when I stumbled across this piece from the First Amendment Center concerning the developer's October '08 libel lawsuit, brought about because Royall's furious over the contents of the well-reviewed 2007 book Bulldozed: "Kelo," Eminent Domain and the American Lust for Land. And what's the book about? Says the FAC, the tome deals with Royall's "efforts to get Freeport, Texas, to use eminent-domain laws to enable him t

  December 16, 2008

• Early thaw

  December 1, 1994

• Soul Power

  April 25, 1996

• There But For The Grace of God

  January 16, 1997

• A Dream Deferred

  May 29, 1997

• Rumors of war

  September 11, 1997

• What Remains of Federal Funds Intended for Motorsports Museum Will Now Go Toward MLK Boulevard "Revitalization Program"

  View Larger MapBeen a loooong time since we've written about Derrick Mitchem and his proposed Motorsports Museum across from Fair Park, in the old Bama Pie building. Been no reason to: Last I looked, oh, three weeks ago, the place looked just as it has for years and as you see above -- more or less abandoned, despite here-and-there renovations made over the better part of the decade. It's always been the project no one at City Hall really wanted to discuss, even though it ate up about $200,000 i

  February 10, 2009

• Spinning wheels

  June 4, 1998

• Man, the National Review Is Just Begging Hiram Walker Royal For a Lawsuit

  Still haven't been served over this December 16 item concerning the surprisingly litigious Hiram Walker Royall, a Highland Park developer, so I will proceed further -- but only with the caveat that a mutual friend of ours insists "he's a great guy." So, there -- covered. Anyway, the details behind Royall's courtroom adventures can be found in the earlier item, but in short: Royall's developing a marina in Freeport, which seized some land belonging to a family-owned wholesale shrimp business and

  February 11, 2009

• There's a Plan to Redevelop the Old LTV Tower. But, Good Lord, It Ain't Cheap.

  From the proposal for 1600 Pacific AvenueA few days back, a Friend of Unfair Park wondered what was up with the old LTV Tower, once a crown jewel in downtown courtesy its bright night lights. Turns out, a couple weeks back there was a joint meeting of the Downtown Connection TIF Board and Downtown Dallas Development Authority during which the fate of 1600 Pacific Avenue was discussed. You know the building: It was designed by the late, great Harwood K. Smith and built in 1965, 33 stories strong

  February 27, 2009

• The fix is in

  October 8, 1998

• Master of His Domain: Dallas Judge Dismisses Law Prof From Defamation Lawsuit

  Well, there's at least one person in this world Highland Park developer Hiram Walker Royall can't sue, at least not this week: law professor Richard Epstein, who provided a blurb for the back of Carla Main's book Bulldozed: "Kelo," Eminent Domain, and the American Lust for Land. As we've mentioned before, Main's book is about a dispute between Royall, who was developing a marina down in Freeport, and Wright Gore III, whose family owned a wholesale shrimp business on land Royall wanted. When the

  March 3, 2009

• Red Bird Singing in the Dead of Night, Take These Broken Wings and Learn to Fly

  View Larger MapSpeaking, as we were late last week, of deserted area malls, today comes word that the city council's trying to figure out what to do with the Shopping Center Formerly Known as Red Bird. Otherwise called Southwest Center Mall, the joint was once a jam-packed jewel upon its grand opening in 1975, anchored by such estimable name brands as Sanger-Harris, J.C. Penney and Sears.But several sales and shutterings later, it's more or less a crime-ridden wasteland now, which is why the cou

  April 6, 2009

• Old Red Bird Mall's About to Get a Fresh Look from the Urban Land Institute

  View Larger MapMoments ago, the Dallas City Council approved spending $120,000 in economic development grant money so the Urban Land Institute can "assess redevelopment options" at Southwest Center Mall. As we noted earlier this week, the council's Economic Development Committee took a peek at the proposal, and it was recommended to the full council almost unanimously, with only outgoing council member Mitchell Rasansky voicing his opposition to spending taxpayer money on a privately owned mall

  April 8, 2009

• Leppert Pokes Holes in Charter Amendment, Responds to Anti-Hotel Group's Ads and Much, Much More From the Campaign Trail

  Sam MertenMayor Tom Leppert made two stops on his tireless convention center hotel campaign tour Tuesday as he dropped by for "coffee and conversation" with the Dallas County Council of Republican Women shortly before squaring off with anti-hotel group leader Anne Raymond at the Westin Galleria. Leppert addressed the recent TV ads from Citizens Against the Taxpayer-Owned Hotel at both events, and he exposed a potential flaw in the language of the charter amendment while debating Raymond. "If y

  April 9, 2009

• Slumdog Millionaires

  If the Morning News considers itself the "conscience" of southern Dallas, it has a lot of explaining to do.

  January 22, 2009

• Hurrying the Hotel

  City Hall plows ahead with convention center hotel despite petitions

  October 23, 2008

• Oakley-dokey

  Everything in Ed's world is OK with Ed

  June 28, 2007

• Vox Populi

  Wait a minute...There's democracy in Dallas?

  April 5, 2007

• P.U.!

  Who made a stink at City Hall?

  October 21, 2004

• Whizzing inside the tent

  ExxonMobil shareholders use their stock to push a corporate giant toward change

  June 8, 2000

• It's your store (like it or not)

  Albertson's wants to build in East Dallas, and it's not about to let future customers get in the way

  November 19, 1998

• Look, It Has Always Paid to Be Royce West

  Sam MertenState Sen. Royce West and friendsFormer Dallas Observer ace reporter (and sometime-Unfair Park contributor) Matt Pulle has a great piece up today on the Texas Watchdog Web site revealing that in 2008 alone, state Sen. Royce West's 10-person law firm billed the City of Dallas, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, the Dallas Independent School District, the Dallas County Community College District and various suburban entities a total of $1 million in legal fees. And, as Sam noted in January, from

  May 22, 2009

• After City Approves More Than $1 Billion in Bond Funding for South Dallas, Task Force Finds Ways to Spend Another $100 Million

  Sam MertenSeveral members of the Mayor's Southern Dallas Task Force packed the city council chambers Tuesday afternoon as they unveiled plans to revitalize 10 areas of South Dallas. The task force, consisting of approximately 250 folks split into 13 groups, recommended the city include a minimum of $100 million in the 2010 bond package to help alleviate infrastructure deficiencies and provide funding to "respond to the immediate needs of the marketplace." The plans also call for increasing the

  June 11, 2009

• How Do You Save a "Mostly Dead" Mall?

  From the Urban Land Institute report on Southwest Center: "More than half the floor space is vacant -- feels lonely"Back in April, the Dallas City Council agreed to spend $120,000 in economic development grant money so the Urban Land Institute could "assess redevelopment options" at Southwest Center Mall, formerly known as Red Bird. Only Mitchell Rasansky opposed the expenditure -- the now-former council member didn't like the idea of spending public money on a private enterprise. Which, turns o

  June 23, 2009

• Reeds Confirmed as "High-Priced Lobbyist" Pushing to Allow Car Booting Without Receipts

  Save Deep EllumUpdated at 3:07 p.m. As we mentioned yesterday, the freshly inaugurated city council is set to approve a booting ordinance after the Economic Development Committee voted unanimously June 16 to put a modified version of the staff recommendation on tomorrow's addendum. This didn't make the Save Deep Ellum coalition happy, as they sent out fliers claiming, "The parking companies have hired a high-priced lobbyist in order to get their way." Friend of Unfair Park "Mark" speculated t

  June 23, 2009

• Is the City of Dallas Really Going Green, Or Just Talking Till It's Blue in the Face?

  The city of Dallas has made much of its efforts to "build a greener city" ... which means what, exactly? That, more or less, was the question posed earlier this week during a confab at the downtown Dallas library during a program billed as a dialogue on the "green economy," a catchphrase that's become increasingly popular but is seldom well-defined. According to Cyrus Reed, the Sierra Club-Lone Star Chapter's conservation director, that's because a green economy isn't necessarily a defined thing

  July 2, 2009

• According to UNT Profs, DART's the "Economic Engine Making Dallas a World-Class City"

  Click to expland the image if you actually want to peek at DART's 2030 Transit PlanThis morning at Dallas Area Rapid Transit HQ, president Gary Thomas lauded the rail expansion as "on time and under budget," and presented a new study by professors at the University of North Texas's Center for Economic Development and Research on the expansion's economic impact on the city. Said Thomas: "Our project's about more than destinations. It's about economic development." According to the study by Terry

  July 24, 2009

• Far as City Figures, It Has Four Options When It Comes to Saving Former Red Bird Mall

  Perhaps you recall that back in June, the Urban Land Institute wrote of the former Red Bird Mall, "More than half the floor space is vacant -- feels lonely."​Now that the city council's had two months to digest the Urban Land Institute's 99-page report on Southwest Center Mall, formerly known as Red Bird, the Economic Development Committee is tasked with figuring out how involved the city's going to be in keeping the doors open. Far as the committee figures, it has four options: Dallas could a

  August 17, 2009

• Dream Weaver: City Bringing In "The Man Who Built Vancouver" to Talk West Dallas

  Larry Beasley​Speaking of the Trinity River Corridor Project ... When last we saw Larry Beasley, "the man who built Vancouver," he was among a handful of urban planners imported to teach the Dallas City Council a thing or three during a daylong gab session at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in January. Apparently, the city liked what it heard from Beasley, because he's coming back August 29 to "facilitate a day-long dreaming session focused on the community at the western foot of the Marga

  August 18, 2009

• What's it Worth to Move 200 Hilton Jobs to Dallas From Farmers Branch? Dunno Yet.

  ​Says this sneak preview of the city council's Economic Development Committee agenda next week, Dallas is considering forking over an economic development grant to Hilton Hotels, which is looking to relocate a regional headquarters to Dallas. Office of Economic Development head Karl Zavitkovsky, as always, has at least some insight into the deal."They're looking at moving some facilities from Farmers Branch to a location in Dallas," he says, adding that he's unclear which facilities are being

  September 3, 2009

• You Think the Recession Blows? Well, Sure. But Try Living On One Dollar a Day.

  "Andrea," who received $1,500 from the Chiapas Project to become a farmer in Mexico, where she support four generations of family​Sure, our economy's grim, but consider this: In Haiti, 80 percent of the population lives under the poverty line and two-thirds lack formal jobs. Altering such circumstances is the mission of the Chiapas Project, a local micro-finance group that raises money for loans to impoverished women in Latin America. While the organization has been successful in reaching fami

  October 2, 2009

• When Deloitte Did the Math, It Needed $2 Mil From Dallas, Or Else It Was Going to Irving

  ​Earlier this year, Deloitte LLP went down to Dallas City Hall and said it was thinking of consolidating its Dallas and Irving operations under one roof ... in Irving. The accounting firm had crunched the numbers, and "there was a multi-million dollar cost advantage to Deloitte LLP if it chose an Irving facility relative to downtown Dallas office buildings," according to a briefing being presented to the city council's Economic Development Committee Monday morning. And so, it was adios, Deloit

  October 3, 2009

• It's Official: The Trinty Trust Gives $2 Million to Set Up "CityDesign Studio" in Dallas City Hall

  Speaking of the Trinity Trust, they've still got those T-shirts available.​The suspense is over. (See what I did there?) Following up its September 24 announcement concerning $10 mil going toward turning the Continental Avenue Bridge into a pedestrian pathway-n-park, the Trinity Trust this morning trekked to Dallas City Hall to highlight yet another donation: $5 million, courtesy Rusty and Deedie Rose. Friends of Unfair Park are by now well aware that part of that gift -- $2 million -- will go

  October 6, 2009

• If Nothing Else, City Council Members Now Have One More Reason to Travel Abroad

  ​The city council's Economic Development Committee was first briefed on the subject one year ago: "Attracting Foreign Investment as Part of Dallas' Economic Growth Strategy: The EB-5 Program." Long story short: Per the Immigration Act of 1990, foreign investors who sink at least $1 million into U.S. soil and create at least 10 full-time jobs (for U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents) get two-year green cards that will lead, most likely, to permanent residency. In '93, the government allo

  October 7, 2009

• City to Take Film, TV Biz Out of DCVB's Hands and Hand It Over to Economic Development

  For the last week, this sign directing folks to The Deep End set has been posted at the Walnut Hill Lane exit on the Dallas North Tollway.​Since its inception in October 2002, the Dallas Film Commission has been charged with trying to lure filmmakers to Dallas -- no easy task, given that until recently the state of Texas offered bupkus by way of incentives, while Louisiana and New Mexico were giving movie studios and TV production companies all the tax rebates and credits they could carry acro

  October 19, 2009

• "Going Forward, the City is Going to Be All About Synergy," In Case You Were Wondering

  ​I'd forgotten, till he called me back a few minutes ago, that I'd left Karl Zavitkovsky, head of the city's Office of Economic Development, a message Monday morning concerning the Dallas Film Commission's pending move into City Hall. Nonetheless, he was kind enough to further explain the reason for commission's move out of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau offices pending the council's OK next week. So, after the jump, a brief Q&A in which he provides, as much as possible, a sne

  October 20, 2009

• The Man With the Latest Downtown Plan Says We're "A City of Districts" In Need of "Unity"

  Daniel Iacofano​Daniel Iacofano -- the "I" in MIG, Inc., which the city hired to develop the latest downtown master plan -- was at the Dallas Convention Center a couple of weeks ago collecting wish-list items from stakeholders and civilians; more than a few Friends of Unfair Park have offered suggestions since then, for which he's grateful. But, of course, there's much to be done: Downtown Dallas 360, which joins Dallas Central Business District and Visions for Dallas and Dallas Downtown Plan

  October 28, 2009