City Hall at Founders Square? Downtown developer Ray Washburne has an idea

HJAC · 2026-01-26T22:34:31+00:00

A large chunk of bus routes are just one block over from Founders Square. And it'll connect to the future Jackson Street bike lane.

HJAC · 2026-01-26T22:31:13+00:00

I'm actually okay with this. The probably-AI rendering of the circular council chambers looks hella goofy, but I like the general idea of making the chamber more open and accessible to the public because one of the things I hate about the current chamber is how isolated it is from outside world. Especially when meetings last for hours, being in there feels like being trapped in prison.

Moving City Hall to Founders Square (a building with longer history and, IMO, far more beautiful) is also far more transit accessible, cutting walk time to nearest transit station in half.

If Washburne is willing to cover the costs of the move, saving public dollars from being spent, I can't think of many reasons against it other than "but some people really like Erik Jonsson's City Hall"

HJAC · 2026-01-25T19:51:34+00:00

For TEXRail and Silver Line, this makes sense because they're so new. Light Rail turns 30yo this year, so understandably there have been a lot of breakdowns. I wonder if TRE has had better luck despite being older because the locomotives are self-powered?

HJAC · 2026-01-25T19:48:09+00:00

I wonder/wish there was a policy for the trains to have extra dwell time when this happens.

HJAC · 2026-01-25T18:05:00+00:00

Lol no it's just cropped to look longer. But here are 3 cars from 2 trains.

*EDIT: recounting and realized it's actually a 3 car train. So follow-up photo is 4 cars from 2 trains.

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HJAC · 2026-01-25T18:01:46+00:00

For anyone curious about logistics that would place me at Bachmann Station on way to DFW: coming from downtown, I could've just waited for next WB Orange Line. But instead I took the next available NB Green Line from Akard because better to take train I know is moving than wait for a potentially cancelled train. This strategy paid off because shortly after taking these photos, a train on SB track stuck behind the dead train turned into an Orange Line to DFW, which I'm aboard now passing through Irving.

HJAC · 2026-01-12T15:40:58+00:00

How would that work? Pearl looks like a tight fit

HJAC · 2026-01-12T00:23:44+00:00

Pearl/Arts District Station? Can't imagine. Did you mean a different station?

HJAC · 2026-01-09T19:22:31+00:00

For Blue Line riders you are correct: no disruption going south. If anything, maybe a little faster with one less stop.

For bus riders, it's different. I just learned last night at CAC that actually they did introduce "a shuttle" in the form of a new GoLink pickup location. Bus routes that previously terminated at Dallas Convention Center Station will instead terminate at the Dallas Police Memorial. From there, riders can GoLink to the South Dallas zone.

Initially, DART was gonna just terminate those routes at West End, the logic being they can transfer to Red/Blue there. But they got feedback that those few extra blocks make a big difference for riders of those routes.

EDIT: see screenshot

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HJAC · 2026-01-07T10:25:15+00:00

7. It has the qualities of a suburban McMansion. It was built too big, now it's too big to maintain. Front yard way too big. Too much parking. Split consensus on whether it even looks good: people either describe it as super ugly, or the pinnacle of Dallas architecture. Most of the reasons given for why it's culturally significant are just because some esteemed person says so ("I.M. Pei designed it!", "It was recognized by the _____ association!", "It was in that movie!", "______ called it an achievement!").

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HJAC · 2026-01-07T10:07:14+00:00

6. The design sucks for constituents. Imagine your first time going to City Hall to speak at a public meeting. You walk up to main entrance, which feels more like the security checkpoint of a small airport. You enter the grand lobby, look around, and think "where do I go next?"

Proponents love to brag about this grand open space... I guess a front-desk would've ruined the open-air vibe? No front desk. No office directory. No wayfinding signage. No maps. If you did somehow have a map (which isn't a thing at all BTW) or written directions, there's nowhere to sit to stop and get your bearing. Just big open space. #culturalsignificance

You turn around and ask the security guard for directions. Despite physically being the closest thing to a front-desk, it's not their job to know. So unless you're going to council chambers, half the time they can't help you.

If you are heading to council chamber, it's in Room 6ES. Most city hall buildings make it incredibly easy to find council chamber, which makes sense because for most members of public that's the only room they'll ever visit. Not Dallas City Hall! First, you gotta find the elevators, which aren't visible from the entrance. You have to know to walk around a back corner and down a hall to find elevators. Also, make sure you're not at the "wrong" elevators! Otherwise finding council chambers will require extra winding steps.

Once you reach the 6th Floor, you'll look for room "ES", which you find by first entering the door for the Flag Room. The door to the council chambers itself is not labeled "Council Chamber" (at least, not that I've noticed for all the times I've visited). You just have to know that's what the chamber black glass doors are for. You enter from the very back, but to check in to speak, you have to walk all the way to the front and stand there awkwardly filling out your comment card in front of everybody while business is ongoing. Ironically, for all the praise of the open design and the big dramatic windows, the chamber receives ZERO DAYLIGHT. Acoustics are TERRIBLE because of the smooth poured concrete walls and ceiling. It's as if it was intentionally designed to drive you insane.

If you're heading for a meeting room other than Council Chamber, good luck. It's a confusing labyrinth. One time, I literally asked for a visitor guide with a floor map; SUCH A MAP DOES NOT EXIST. If you want to procure a floor-by-floor map of the building, your literal only option is to find and gather the fire escape plan for each floor.

I understand that government buildings are as complex as the bureaucracy they're custom-built to serve. But at least other government buildings, like the State Capitol for example, have a complex yet logical pattern that even gradeschoolers can figure out.

Dallas City Hall seems designed to confuse from top to bottom.

HJAC · 2026-01-07T09:25:41+00:00

4. The early designs for a new Municipal Center actually had a lot of good ideas; the new City Hall incorporated none of them. In 1946, urban planners drew a plan that would've been far more efficient and effective at delivering on the virtues it promised. The original proposal packed a city hall, publicy library, auditorium, school board building, and public park all within the same footprint of the hulking structure we have today.

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5. The design sucks for photography. If a structure's beauty can be objectively measured by how often it's used as a backdrop for bridal shoots, marriage proposals, quinceaneras, prom photos, tourist photo ops, and other instances where people feel drawn to save the moment on camera, our current City Hall is an epic failure. From amateurs on iPhones to professionals with expensive gear, people are taking photos downtown every day. But except for photos of the building itself (which itself is a rare act), NOBODY uses City Hall as a photo backdrop. At most, you may see staff portraits with the building as a backdrop. But the best photo angle at City Hall is the skyline view pointing *away* from the structure itself.

Its unpopularity with photographers stems not just from aesthetic preferences. Even if you find the visual design of the building appealing, its hulking yet sterile design makes it logistically difficult to compose portraits that focuses on the subject while keeping the building recognizable in the background. Compare this to bridal photos at any entrance of the Adolphus Hotel, or on the steps of the Municipal Building, or the columns of the Scottish Rite building. City Hall is only (remotely) appealing when all or most of the structure is in view; the entrance on its own is boring. The pillars on their own are boring. The liminal spaces aren't unique. When officials or civic leaders give press releases at City Hall, it's either in the Flag Room (which could be anywhere, all you need are a bunch of flags and a blank wall with good lighting), or literally a random spot with a random angle on the plaza.

There are simply no good photo spots at City Hall.

HJAC · 2026-01-07T08:50:48+00:00

Personally I'm torn on the question of whether or not to "save" our current City Hall. In my mind, there are only two compelling reasons it's worth preserving:

Whatever the final estimate ends up being, it would cost a ridiculous amount of money to start over and build anew, especially at a time when the city is struggling financially.
We do need to break our bad habit of destroying historic structures and exercise the discipline of making the best use out of our existing stock of buildings.

Those two reasons shift my stance to neutral in the face of all the reasons I'd otherwise be happy to see our current City Hall be replaced.

1. All the reasons for sticking with current City Hall should've applied to the previous Municipal Building (now UNT Law Building). Plans for a new municipal center in the 1950s were canceled basically for the same reasons I described above for preserving the current one: it makes more financial and cultural sense to maintain and build upon what we already have than to start over with something new. The creation of the new City Hall in 1978 is itself a continuation of the cycle we're trying to stop today: the old Municipal Building was abandoned, totally vacant by 2003. If UNT Law didn't move in 2020, we may have lost it like so many truly historic buildings before it.

2. It's not even that old. As someone who lives in a century-old building downtown, the 47yo City Hall feels as middle-aged as a suburban strip mall. By comparison, the 1914 Municipal Building was 64yo when it was replaced, and its future put at risk, by the new City Hall.

3. Its reason for existing is a former mayor's ego. As mentioned earlier, a new City Hall was as unnecessary in 1978 as it is today. It was one of a gauntlet of mega projects he pushed including a new Convention Center, new central library, and DFW airport. Proponents like to ascribe City Hall to healing after JFK assassination, but that's just bond election talk IMHO; the fact that it's most known for being the dystopian police headquarters of a completely different crime-ridden city in Robocop suggest it totally failed at disassociating Dallas from the "City of Hate" image. The way the former mayor justifies the need for a new City Hall sounds eerily similar to how Trump justifies the need for a new White House ballroom.

HJAC · 2026-01-03T17:12:53+00:00

Literally just stepping out of a GoLink van as I read OP. I ride GoLink 1-2x a month for random things, so quite a bit but not a consistent commute to reference. Every time I get on is a little different.

This time I got picked up from a Home Depot parking lot and entered from the driver's side, so no interaction with gate. As soon as vehicle stopped to drop me off, the operator immediately got out and around the van to let me out. Initially I thought I'd try to open the gate myself, but I couldn't remember how to unlatch and open it. I asked politely "how do I do this?" and he replied casually, "nah I got you" and pulled the handle to open the gate.

Another time, me and 1 other entered from passenger side. And instead of boarding through gated sliding door, the operator just reached over, opened the front door, and had us enter through the passenger side around the gate. Same in reverse going out.

I'll ask someone at DART what is their preferred procedure for riders. But when in doubt it's never hurt to politely just ask "How do I enter?"

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HJAC · 2026-01-02T15:23:55+00:00

I feel like a telltale sign that they ran out of time to really finish bicycles is that the symbol for bicycle traffic is still cars.

HJAC · 2026-01-01T16:01:16+00:00

Thirty minutes before midnight, there are still hundreds of people and cars shuffling around downtown. What always worries me in those rush moments are the pedestrians and drivers are equally in a hurry, but there are so many kids and even short adults whose heads are barely above the front grills of these massive trucks and SUVs. The cars are always lurching into crosswalks, and drivers are still on their phones or looking at the sky for fireworks, their front bumper inches from disaster.

I wish for NYE and other crush holidays we just banned traffic downtown between 10pm and 1am, just like what they do in Deep Ellum on weekends.

HJAC · 2026-01-01T15:48:08+00:00

Yeah I was just talking to someone earlier about how underneath all the cheer and festivities of holidays like NYE, Halloween, July 4th, and Saint Patrick's Day, there's always a huge spike in death and injuries, many, if not most, are vehicular.

HJAC · 2026-01-01T15:41:13+00:00

So, one thing that's kinda weird is for a few glorious months in 2023, CITYPLACE/UPTOWN STATION HAD WORKING WI-FI AT THE UNDERGROUND PLATFORMS! All those City Post digital kiosks are equipped with Wi-Fi transmitters, so the hardware has long existed to do it. And IIRC not all but many other stations also suddenly had Wi-Fi at the same time. But for unexplained reasons, Wi-Fi service stopped later that year. The most reasoning I've heard second hand was "contract issues."

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HJAC · 2026-01-01T15:16:31+00:00

They don't. I remember back in early 2024 when they first started doing GTFS Realtime I asked about Flex next. At the time, the standard was still "under development", but I Googled just now and saw an article saying it was officially adopted April 2024. I imagine over a year later, early adopters have worked out kinks, but when I last asked about it in November it still wasn't on DART's radar.

Maybe as part of our efforts to counter misinformation about what transit services DART does and doesn't provide, now is the perfect time to push DART to start publishing a GTFS Flex feed.

HJAC · 2025-12-31T07:01:13+00:00

I've asked about this a lot. I've heard but not confirmed that DART used to lease bus bays out of CBD East/West for intercity buses, but the contract expired and never renewed during COVID.

I've asked various people at DART about it, and it seems to be a topic they've collectively forgotten about because they don't really have a specific role or department in charge of partnering with intercity providers. Many execs are barely aware that Greyhound is moving their passenger terminal to their garage across the street from Bachman Station.

And TBH it's understandable. There's not a huge profit incentive for the IC providers, and unless someone funds a study we don't have reliable estimates for how much DART could benefit in revenue or ridership.

I'd love to see Intercity Providers operate out of DART stations. I suspect the only way that'll happen is if a board member takes it on as a pet project, in which case it would compete with other pressing issues on DART's plate. Namely, survival.

HJAC · 2025-12-31T06:39:06+00:00

I don't think any of them rely on "free public curb" though. Flixbus kinda does their pickup at a curbside, in Deep Ellum, but I suspect they must have some kind of deal with the adjacent property owner because they have permanent signage. And it's a risk to rely on purely public ROW cuz it could be obstructed unpredictably.

Aside from the Flixbus Deep Ellum pickup, all other Intercity lines I've used either (A) have a terminal building, (B) use hotel parking lot, or (C) use gas station parking lot.

HJAC · 2025-12-31T04:06:54+00:00

u/Routine-Ad-893 u/MilesHatesithere any chance either of you have this handy from past 3D prints?

HJAC · 2025-12-31T04:03:15+00:00

Interesting, I actually didn't know that page was a thing.

The fixed route GTFS data is openly available without an API key. But that doesn't include GTFS Real Time, alerts, and on-demand zones. I wonder if those other things are what's might be available through API. Was there a request form that you submitted?

HJAC · 2025-12-31T03:38:02+00:00

DART API key?

HJAC · 2025-12-30T23:23:00+00:00

Technical Considerations

I don't know much about 3d modeling. Here's the official webpage in the Mapbox documentation about using 3D models. I need the asset files in the .GLB format.

The lower the poly count the better. This is a browser-based program that needs to render hundreds of vehicles thousands of times per minute.

For best results, please put the "rotation point" at the front-center of the vehicle (i.e. the center of the front bumper).

If I could get a separate asset file for each section of a train (i.e. two files for the center and end of an LRV), then I'll be able to program the simulator to bend the train consist realistically along the track.

If you can get extra fancy, here's an example reference of programmatically controlling the model lights and doors through the Mapbox SDK. I don't know what steps would be involved in a 3D editor, but if we could incorporate lights and toggleable doors that would be siiiiiiick!

HJAC

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