As the Chicago Sky prepare to enter the final phase of their practice facility construction in Bedford Park, the collective eyes of the women's basketball world turn to Dallas where another WNBA franchise is wedged in a fight brewing between city officials and developers.
On Wednesday afternoon, members of the Dallas city council grilled Rosa Fleming, the Director of Convention and Event Services for the city, on a number of issues regarding delays and cost overruns with the larger Kay Hutchinson Convention Center project. The Wings are a key part of the redevelopment plan, operating as an anchor tenant in a renovated downtown arena and getting a brand new purpose-built practice facility in the West Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas.
It was in that meeting that the council agreed to send a resolution back to committee that would transfer power from the city’s development partner, McKissack & McKissack, to the Wings to allow the franchise to fund, construct and complete their practice facility. Additionally, the city would pay $653,000 in delay fees associated with the pushed back start date. The Wings would also be taking over as the primary developer of the facility project specifically, putting any future delays, cost overruns or on-time delivery solely in the hands of the Wings themselves. McKissack & McKissack would no longer be working on that particular aspect of the project.
Now the motion heads to a council committee before returning to the general council for a vote.
The initial cost of the project started at roughly $54 million and has risen to over $81 million amid cost delays. For their part, the Wings have agreed to front the additional $27 million and cover any cost overruns necessary to get the facility built.
In April of 2024, the city of Dallas and their WNBA franchise agreed to terms that would see them use the new arena at the Convention Center for a minimum of 70 days per year along with a practice facility that had three five-year renewal options (meaning that the Wings could leave the facility after five, ten or fifteen years).
Council members expressed frustration with their own project management partner and the complete lack of progress on the project as a whole.
"[City] staff literally looked in the camera and said ‘We will have this open in spring of 2026," said city councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn, who represents District 12. “It's the end of February. In Texas, this is pretty much spring. We’re about to have spring break. We haven't had a groundbreaking, let alone an opening.”
While the franchise held a groundbreaking ceremony back in September of 2025, construction has yet to begin on the site. An executive session was held in council on Friday, February 20th, in which news of the cost overruns and delays first came to the full attention of the Dallas city council, prompting a larger conversation at Wednesday’s meeting.
Fleming outlined two issues that have contributed to delays in the project and trips back to the drawing board. New WNBA practice facility guidelines have been updated since council initially approved the deal that would bring the Wings to Dallas from their current home in Arlington. According to Fleming, some of those new facility requirements included new whirlpools and exercise equipment in order to keep to league standards.
When pressed further by councilwoman Mendelsohn, Fleming asserted that the WNBA had documentation that proved new requirements had been implemented since the start of the project.
But the larger issue is with the developer of the entire Convention Center redevelopment. McKissack & McKissack, a firm based in Washington D.C, is alleged by the City Manager’s office to have had persistent problems to the point that one senior figure affiliated with the developer had to be changed out with someone else. While McKissack & McKissack will continue to be the development partner on the broader convention center project (which should include the arena), according to Fleming, multiple additional councilmembers expressed deep concern about working with them in the future.
In the meantime, the Wings will have to stay in their current facility in Arlington, which is partially shared with the University of Texas-Arlington. When completed, the new facility in West Oak Cliff will include two courts, over 70,000 square feet of total space and a 3,800 square foot player locker room, among other things. In her closing remarks at the initial groundbreaking, Dallas City Manager Bizor Tolbert said, “I want to say as we go into the next phase, we want you to hold us accountable. Greg [Bibb] talked about how re going to deliver the project, and my commitment is that we will deliver this practice facility for you by the spring of 2026.”
On February 25th, it was council members that were asking for accountability from their contracted development firm as well as their own colleagues in the City Manager’s office.
“I don’t know that we’re left with much that can be labeled fiscally responsible,” said District 7 councilman Adam Bazaldua. “Without divulging any executive session conversations and with what was given to us, I would ask that we be adamant about sending the City Manager back to give us these different options that doesn’t include putting us in any other financial burden than what we’re already committed to.”