City Looks to Take Tegna Station's Parking Lot

The City of Dallas has initiated legal proceedings to acquire land owned by its local ABC affiliate television station, a necessary step for a planned multi-billion-dollar expansion of the city’s downtown convention center.

The city filed a petition in county court on Wednesday seeking to obtain more than 36,000 square feet of land, which includes a section of the parking lot for WFAA. WFAA is the Dallas-based station owned by the national media company Tegna. The filing is a legal precursor to potentially seizing the property through eminent domain.

According to court documents, the city made a final offer to purchase the land from WFAA and other property owners named in the suit, giving them a minimum of 14 days to respond before legal action was taken.

The City of Dallas declined to comment on the filing.

In a statement, WFAA President and General Manager Carolyn Mungo said, "WFAA is aware of the lawsuit and is currently weighing its legal options."

The land is needed for the ongoing project to expand the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, one of the largest public works initiatives in the city's history. The project carries an estimated price tag of $3.3 billion to $3.5 billion and is scheduled for completion in early 2029.

This is not the first major property acquisition for the project. Dallas previously spent $51.5 million to purchase the former headquarters of the Dallas Morning News newspaper near the convention center.