Dallas city leaders are set to vote on whether to raise the newly expanded convention center back to its original height to avoid cutting off two major historic viaducts from downtown. The decision will be made at the Dallas City Council meeting this Wednesday.

Convention Center Height Debate

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee requested the design return to the original plans so the Jefferson and Houston viaducts remain connected to downtown Dallas. Under the original plan, the expanded convention center was designed to be tall enough for traffic to flow continuously underneath the building. However, after efforts to cut $500 million in costs, the building’s plans were lowered by two stories.

A new memo from the city manager is warning council members against making that change, sparking concern among neighborhood residents who fear their daily commutes are about to be severely impacted. The city manager said the proposed redesign will cost $597 million and delay the convention center construction by a year, causing more than $271 million in lost clients and another $1.4 million a month in future losses.

Local residents, including Sarah Marguccio, are urging officials to look at the broader community impact. Marguccio expressed frustration over how the plans were handled by city officials, stating that there was a lack of notification to residents and no community meetings until recently.

Original reporting: Dallas – Ft. Worth Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.