Leaders approve $5.5M for Dallas Wings practice facility designs

Dallas approves $5.5M Dallas Wings practice facility

Dallas City Council members approved funding for the design of a practice facility for the Dallas Wings.

DALLAS - Dallas City Council members approved funding for the design of a practice facility for the Dallas Wings.

While the city has not yet publicly announced the location of the facility, FOX 4 has learned it won’t be close to where the team will eventually end up playing.

Wings Facility Funding

What we know:

Council members voted 12 to 3 on Wednesday in favor of spending $5.5 million to design the Wings’ future practice facility.

The facility’s recommended location won’t be presented to the council until June 11.

But according to a FOX 4 source and city filings, it will be at 1200 North Cockrell Hill Road, south of Interstate 30 in West Dallas. The land there was donated to the city and has been sitting unused for about 20 years.

There was a motion to delay the funding until after the location was approved, but it failed.

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The city of Dallas unveiled beautiful new renderings for the reconstruction of the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center. But the plans do come with an increasing price tag that concerns some city council members.

What they're saying:

Dallas City Council members Cara Mendlesohn, Jesse Moreno, and Paul Ridley voted no because they did not like being asked to approve the funding without the location being publicly discussed.

"You’re asking us to allocate dollars from the convention center construction fund, but we don’t know the location, and we don’t know if it is off campus," Councilwoman Mendelsohn said.

"The market is volatile, and we’ve seen that on many other projects, not just on what we’re trying to deliver here with this practice facility. And so, we definitely want to make sure that we are being transparent, and that we’re giving council members all information and answering all the questions so you can make an informed decision," responded City Manager Kim Tolbert. "So, I take responsibility for us not then making our way around to talk to every city council member."

Councilman Ridley also questioned why the arena at the convention center can’t be used as a practice facility.

City staff said even after the renovations are complete, there won’t be enough room for a workout facility at the arena downtown.