In a move that some suggested was putting the cart before the horse, the City of Dallas hired an architect to design permanent supportive housing at the old Hotel Miramar — but an operator for the building has not yet been selected.
The Dallas City Council approved a $536,186 contract with Kirksey Architecture on Feb. 14. The “emergency contract” for services at 1950 Fort Worth Ave. was necessary because of public safety issues at the site, Assistant Housing Director Darwin Wade said. There have been break-ins, vandalism, and fires set by homeless residents who are living in the basement of the long-vacant building, he added.
Christine Crossley, director of the Office of Homeless Solutions said there is a heightened sense of urgency to finish the project because of “the vacancy in the building and the funding we are spending to keep it secured.”
The City of Dallas purchased the building in 2020. Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn said it was embarrassing that the building has been vacant for more than three years amid a homelessness crisis.
“We’re continuing it by hiring an architect before we even have the operator to know what it’s going to be,” she said. “I’m not sure how an architect is going to address public safety.”
A Lot of Missteps at 1950 Fort Worth Ave.
The site at 1950 Fort Worth Ave. was previously home to the Hotel Miramar, but city leaders don’t refer to it that way because of the negative connotation assigned to the vacant dilapidated building. The city purchased it with hopes of not just getting homeless people off the streets, but providing “wraparound services” for the tenants.
A January discussion of the city’s Homelessness, Organizations, Policies, and Encampments (HOPE) Report drew attention to a lack of options for the unhoused.
daltxrealestate.com reported in October that Dallas originally entered a contract with CitySquare for renovations and property management in June 2021, but CitySquare ended the partnership more than a year later due to changes in its business scope. The city then brought in CBRE Global Commercial Real Estate Services to manage the solicitation process for design and redevelopment.
Delays led to cost increases. The city entered an agreement with UCR Development in April 2023 for design and renovations.
The contract with UCR was later deemed null and void because CBRE did not adhere to state procurement laws and federal regulations during contract preparation.
A Notice of Funding Availability was issued in January for interested developers. It closes on March 11.
District 1 Councilman Chad West, who represents the area, acknowledged that “a lot of missteps have occurred” since the city purchased the property.
“To their credit, the majority of the residents in District 1 who live nearby recognize the need for permanent supportive housing,” West said. “They have supported the purchase despite a lot of heartache and a lot of hard conversations to overcome the fear of bringing this type of project into District 1.”
Kirksey Architecture Hired For Preliminary Work
Although West and ultimately the entire council supported the hire of Kirksey Architecture, the D1 councilman said he had concerns.
“How can the architect determine the maximum number of units when the project developer isn’t selected yet?” he asked. “I don’t like this process of selecting the architect before the project developer. I think the project developer should select their own architect. I will support it because I want to get this project moving.”
Wade explained that the architecture firm would only be doing preliminary work, such as assessing the site and collaborating with the developer once selected. A “floor” of about 40 units is already in place as a framework, Wade added.
Mendelsohn pointed out that a permanent supportive housing project was approved in her North Dallas district “at the same time on the same day at the same meeting” as the Fort Worth Avenue project.
“The property in District 12 was immediately opened and has served hundreds and hundreds of homeless families,” she said. “Even that facility needed to be addressed to provide the correct environment that the operator needed. We don’t even have an operator selected. How would the architect know what common space might be needed as opposed to individual units? I am an advocate for permanent, supportive housing. It’s necessary, but I don’t understand why we’re putting the cart before the horse so late in the game.”
