Dallas is weighing whether to keep its City Hall in the heart of downtown after a new ZenCity survey of 2,130 residents across all 14 city council districts showed a split in opinion. Council member Gay Donnell Willis and city leaders are juggling repair plans, community feedback on the I.M. Pei–designed building and a looming June vote about moving services out of 1500 Marilla Street.

The city released results from a short, ten-question survey that aimed to capture how people use and feel about City Hall. Responses came from across every council district, which gives officials a broad snapshot of resident experience and preference. That range is helping shape conversations about whether to invest in the current site or look for alternatives.

A majority — 59% — reported they’d visited Dallas City Hall twice, once or never, according to ZenCity’s results. That suggests a fair number of residents spot the building but may not have regular cause to go inside. Low foot traffic plays into debates about how much the city needs a downtown-facing facility versus more distributed services.

“This is a place that people see, but they may not interact with,” council member Gay Donnell Willis said Monday. The remark highlights a central tension: the building is visible and symbolic, yet many residents find it hard to use. City leaders are hearing that visibility alone doesn’t equal usefulness for everyday needs.

Those who do visit flagged practical headaches. Forty-four percent pointed to parking problems, both cost and availability, while 32% said long wait times were an obstacle. Those two issues together create a usability problem that can push people away from in-person services.

When asked about relocation, 61% said they want City Hall to stay downtown, with the largest share — 32% — favoring a spot near its current location. That shows a clear preference for keeping government functions in the central business district, even if the exact footprint might shift. Downtown roots matter to many residents who see City Hall as part of the civic landscape.

The council is expected to get an update this week on what a phased repair of the building could look like, which would change how long staff and services might need to move temporarily. The city also reviewed 418 submissions for City Hall concepts and found a majority of entries supported keeping and rehabbing the I.M. Pei designed structure rather than demolishing it and starting over. Those design proposals and repair timelines will be key inputs for budget and scheduling decisions.

On the calendar is a June decision about whether to move city services out of 1500 Marilla Street, and that date is sharpening the debate. Officials have to weigh short-term disruption against long-term savings and functionality. The logistics of relocating services are complex, involving space, IT, public access and continuity for daily operations.

“I think all of this will factor into the equation,” Willis said, underscoring that the survey, design ideas and repair estimates all feed the same decision-making process. Elected leaders will likely balance public sentiment with financial reality and operational needs. That balancing act will shape what the downtown skyline and civic footprint look like for years to come.

Beyond numbers and plans, the discussion touches on identity and convenience. The I.M. Pei building carries architectural significance and anchors a section of downtown that benefits from foot traffic and civic events. Any choice about keeping, rehabbing, or relocating City Hall will ripple through local businesses, transit patterns and how residents engage with city government.

Practical fixes like addressing parking and reducing wait times could make the current location more useful without moving the entire operation. But if repairs balloon in cost or timeline, leaders might lean toward more radical options. Either way, residents will see the effects in how they access services and in the downtown economy tied to a visible municipal presence.