Greetings!
There is a distinctive spirit and energy in Downtown Dallas. As one of our most important assets, the Central Dallas area is a business and entertainment center for our entire metropolitan population and a major financial asset for the city that significantly contributes tax revenues to fund improved neighborhood services. The changing environment in downtown is one of the most positive trends in Dallas today.
Downtown is back in business. Employment is up and the absorption of vacant office space is accelerating. In fact, over the last twelve months, a dozen companies have opened new business opportunities in Downtown Dallas. An example this year is Transamerica Real Estate Services, which announced it was transferring 500 jobs downtown.
Too many of us think of downtown as a maze of office buildings and skyscrapers, not as a neighborhood. However, there are several residential projects under way related to our city’s lntown Housing Program that will make downtown a place to live, as well as work. For example, the Titche-Goettinger Building on Main Street is being converted into 129 mixed-income apartments to house downtown residents.
Downtown continues to appeal to residents and visitors alike by hosting 172 of the more than 600 special events held in Dallas each year. Downtown Dallas can boast hosting some of the most successful events in the country, including the nation’s largest volunteer parade, the largest street basketball tournament in the world, the largest marathon in the Southwest, and the largest and most successful temporary outdoor ice rink in the Southwest. Dallas also welcomes many artistic and cultural events that capitalize on our international diversity.
Downtown is also a big draw because many of the city’s best attractions are within walking distance or a short ride on the DART light rail. These attractions include the Dallas Arts District, the West End Historic District and the Dallas Convention Center, which boasts the second highest number of conventions and convention attendees in America and is booked solid for the next two years. Visitors can also catch the DART train downtown for a short ride south to the Dallas Zoo or, beginning in December, north to NorthPark Center.
So 1 hope you will join me in celebrating the rebirth of Downtown Dallas, the heartbeat of our city.
Sincerely,
Ronald Kirk
Mayor
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