Dallas OKs WNBA’s Wings As Developer Of $81M Practice Facility

The Dallas City Council voted 13-2 on Wednesday to approve the Dallas Wings as the developer of their new practice facility, clearing the way for the organization to take control of an $81 million project that had been stalled for months.

The vote authorizes Dallas Wings Development LLC, a subsidiary of the franchise, to serve as developer of the 70,700-square-foot facility planned at Joey Georgusis Park in west Dallas’s Oak Cliff neighborhood. The Wings will now assume full responsibility for designing, funding, and constructing the building at 1200 North Cockrell Hill Road on City-owned park property.

By the Numbers

The City’s share tops out at $54 million, regardless of what construction ends up costing. It comes structured as an economic development grant, drawn from the Convention Center Construction Fund and Convention Center Revenue Bonds Series 2023 Fund. The Wings are on the hook for the rest. Current projections put their contribution at roughly $27 million.

The City doesn’t write one check. It writes four. Ten million dollars goes out when the agreement is executed. Another $15 million gets released once foundation work starts. The Wings see $25 million more after the foundation and early framing are done. A final installment of roughly $4 million follows when the shell and roof are complete. If the project runs over budget, that’s a Wings problem.

The City is also paying a developer fee capped at $3.24 million, plus a $653,000 settlement for damages tied to prior delays. To get that money, the Wings have to formally release the City from any claims related to those delays.

One other line item: the McKissack and McKissack project management contract gets trimmed by $1,847,485, dropping from $13,945,684 to $12,098,199, with the practice facility no longer on the City’s construction plate.

On the Clock

The Wings must submit an initial permit package no later than Aug. 15, 2026, and are required to use commercially reasonable efforts to achieve substantial completion by April 1, 2027. Quarterly progress reports will be due to the City within 30 calendar days of each calendar quarter until the project is finished.

Due to the delays, the Wings will remain at UT-Arlington’s College Park Center and play three games at American Airlines Center during the 2027 WNBA season while construction is completed. The team’s arena renovation, which would have seen the Wings move into a renovated Memorial Auditorium in downtown Dallas, has been pushed to a separate discussion in April.

Under the original agreement, if a renovated arena is not ready in time for next season, the Wings will play at American Airlines Center in the interim.

Playing more games at the American Airlines Center isn’t a concern. However, the issue was an idea floated by some council members that would use AAC as a full-time practice venue in lieu of a standalone facility. That was never viable, especially at a time when the WNBA is raising practice facility standards.

How It Got Here

The Wings were courted by the City of Dallas in 2022 and signed an agreement with the city in 2024 that was expected to deliver both a practice facility and a renovated arena in time for the 2026 WNBA season. Instead, the project became mired in delays, and the council vote had been pushed back in February amid unresolved questions about the cost overrun.

Last week, the WNBA and its players’ union agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement. More than 100 players are now free agents. The negotiation period opens on April 9. Players can sign starting April 12, one day before the draft.

Dallas still doesn’t have a permanent home for its players. Other franchises haven’t waited. The Los Angeles Sparks broke ground on a $150 million, 55,000-square-foot facility. The Chicago Sky’s $60 million, 80,000-square-foot building is expected to open this spring.

Wednesday’s vote, despite dissent from two council members whose identities were not immediately confirmed, gives the Wings the green light to move forward. The 70,700-square-foot facility will include two courts, a 3,800-square-foot locker room, hydrotherapy pools, a hyperbaric chamber, a broadcast and content studio, over 4,000 square feet of strength-and-conditioning space, and approximately 3,400 square feet of designated community space.

This story will be updated as additional details become available.