DALLAS (1080 KRLD)- The City of Dallas held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday to mark the start of construction on an expansion of Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. The center first opened in 1957.
In 2022, voters approved an increase to the city's hotel occupancy tax to pay for the project, which is expected to cost $3.7 billion.
"The economic impact of this project is going to be profound," says Mayor Eric Johnson. "It's going to attract a new wave of businesses to our central business district, new entrepreneurs and, of course, more visitors to an already thriving Dallas economy."
City Councilman Tennell Atkins says North Texas has been emerging as a destination with more international flights in addition to the ability to reach most other major cities in America in less than four hours.
"When you think about the City of Dallas, we are centrally located in America with DFW [Airport], with Love Field," says City Councilman Tennell Atkins.
Hutchison herself attended the groundbreaking Wednesday.
"I want it to be the welcoming for conventions that will show this great city for what it is, that will give jobs, give our economy a boost and mostly I want it for the families who do live here to feel like there is a place they can gather, go to concerts, go to restaurants. It is a gathering place for all our city to enjoy and love as I do."
When developing a master plan for the area, the City of Dallas predicted the expansion would also lead to additional interest around the convention center to replace parking lots and better connect Downtown Dallas with the Cedars south of I-30.
"Where we sit today will be a walkable experience: restaurants, retail shops, hotels and live entertainment," says Interim City Manager Kim Tolbert.
Visit Dallas expects the convention center to open in 2029.
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