A coalition of South Dallas elected officials, pastors, and business leaders gathered Thursday morning at Dallas City Hall to urge the Dallas Mavericks to reconsider the team’s proposed arena move to the former Valley View Mall site and keep the franchise tied to downtown Dallas.
The press conference followed Wednesday’s City Council meeting, where the team’s proposed arena move dominated the public comments portion of the agenda.
The Mavericks recently selected the former Valley View Mall site as the focus of their new arena plans, after previously narrowing the search to two Dallas locations, The Dallas Express reported. Thursday’s press conference marked a public appeal from South Dallas leaders, who argued the team should remain tied to downtown and the city’s broader urban-core growth strategy.
Leaders Say Mavericks Belong Downtown
District 4 Council Member Maxie Johnson said the group wanted Mavericks ownership to hear a direct message from South Dallas leaders: “We want them here in downtown, where they belong.”
Johnson said the Mavericks’ presence downtown “strengthens our tax base, supports small businesses, creates economic opportunity, and benefits every part of our city, which includes Southern Dallas, East Dallas, West Dallas, and North Dallas.”
“We want them to know that we love you,” he added, “and that this is where you belong.”
City Hall Debate Looms Over Arena Discussion
Johnson also emphasized that the Mavericks’ arena decision should remain separate from the City Council’s debate over the future of Dallas City Hall, including whether to repair and renovate the building or sell the property and move city operations elsewhere. City officials had discussed the current City Hall site as a possible location for a new Mavericks arena, an idea that drew opposition from preservation advocates who want to restore the I.M. Pei-designed building.
The City Hall debate has also prompted a DX reader poll asking how the city should handle the aging building, including questions about repair costs, relocation, historic preservation, access to city services, downtown economic activity, and possible redevelopment. The poll follows ongoing City Council discussions over repair and relocation scenarios tied to taxpayer costs, city operations, and the future of the downtown site.
Downtown Entertainment District
District 3 Council Member Zarin Gracey said downtown Dallas is “evolving,” citing the Dallas Wings’ expected move from Arlington and the new convention center currently under construction.
“Adding the Mavs to this downtown area begins to create an entertainment district that will connect Deep Ellum, that will connect the Cedars … and it will connect uptown,” Gracey said. “So we’re here standing in unity saying, ‘Yes Mavs, we want you downtown, because you’re the missing piece that connects all of downtown with what is already happening in the rest of the city.’”
District 8 Council Member Lorie Blair said, “Mavs being here is essential to the growth we’re actually going for today,” adding that the current situation stems from decisions made by previous city councils, whom she accused of “kicking the can down the road” for far too long.
“Change comes, and no one likes change, but change does come. And I know the change we are walking into is the change that we are supposed to have, not only for today, not only for tomorrow, but for the generations to come,” Blair said.
Southern Dallas Leaders Warn Of Economic Loss
State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) spoke briefly, urging the City Council to make a decision about City Hall and continue moving forward. He added that tearing down the City Hall building would not mean forgetting its history.
State Rep. Venton Jones (D-District 100) said, “We are all facing a critical turning point for the economic survival of our urban core.”
Jones cited what he called a “mass exodus of economic and cultural anchors,” pointing to AT&T’s move to Plano, the Mavericks’ proposed move north, the Dallas Stars’ planned exit to Plano, and the closure of the flagship downtown Neiman Marcus store.
“If Dallas wants to remain one of America’s premier cities, we cannot afford to become complacent,” Jones said. “If Dallas fails to strengthen its urban core and make bold investments that create economic opportunities, we risk losing our competitive edge. The cities that thrive over the next generation will be the ones that are willing to invest in transformative projects that attract businesses, residents, visitors, and talent.”
“Let me be clear about what transformation needs to happen,” Jones continued. “The future growth of Dallas is not North, it is South.”
He called on Mavericks leadership to “pause this process, hit the brakes, and completely reconsider this move to the Valley View area. I am formally asking the ownership group to halt their plans and sit down with community and economic development leaders from the southern sector. Come look at the immense potential that exists, the available land, and the deeply loyal fan base that exists below I-30.”
Pastors, Business Leaders Join Appeal
Pastor Bryan Carter of Concord Baptist Church said many members of his congregation work at the American Airlines Center and would feel the economic impact if the Mavericks leave downtown.
“We cannot be more committed to our past … than we are to our future,” Carter said.
Community leader Alana Williams, who has long-standing family ties to South Dallas, said the City Hall building carries meaning, but investment in residents should come first.
“Invest in us, the taxpayer, not the building,” Williams said.
Pastor David Henderson Jr. of Greater Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church said downtown Dallas has long served as a gathering place for the community and that the Mavericks are part of that story. He said a city is judged not by what it provides for the privileged, but by what it preserves for everybody, urging leaders to seek the welfare of the whole city.
Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Harrison Blair closed the press conference with a nod to an iconic scene from the movie Say Anything.
“Dallas Mavericks, I want you to know, I’m standing outside your headquarters. I got the boombox playing your favorite song,” Blair said, holding up a cardboard representation of a boombox over his head. “We love you, Mavericks. … I don’t know what that song is, but I’ll keep playing it until you come back home.”
