EPA Region 6 – Jack Evans Police Headquarters, Dallas, Texas

Photography by Ann Grimes, City of Dallas

Neighborhood in Decline

Before Redevelopment

After Redevelopment

Interior of Building - Before Redevelopment

Interior of Building - After Redevelopment

Interior of Building - After Redevelopment

Redevelopment of this former brownfields site provided both a new police headquarters for the City of Dallas and the lasting tenant security needed for Matthews Southwest to proceed with its vision to revitalize the 300-acre Cedars neighborhood with a loft residential community, commercial, retail, and hospitality uses. Today the 3.2-acre site is home to the 365,000 sq. ft. Jack Evans Police Headquarters. Directly across the street is South Side on Lamar, the Matthews Southwest complex.

Located two blocks south of the Dallas Central Business District, the Cedars neighborhood had been a thriving residential community from the 1880s through the early 1900s. In 1910 Sears, Roebuck & Company opened its first catalog merchandising center outside of Chicago. The successful mail order center expanded in 1913, 1920, and 1925, eventually developing the 3.2-acre site with a tire and automotive store that remained in operation until 1989. Nearby businesses included a dry cleaning establishment, operating between 1923 and 1959, and a gasoline service station in operation from 1935 to 1985. Over time, land uses in the area shifted to commercial and industrial development. Construction of Interstate 30 in the 1960s isolated the Cedars neighborhood from downtown Dallas. Neighborhood decline continued, area crime rates rose, and Sears, Roebuck & Company, one of Dallas’ largest employers, closed in 1993.

Understanding that tenant security was crucial to the successful revitalization of the Cedars neighborhood, Matthews Southwest donated the 3.2-acre former Sears Automotive Store site to the City of Dallas for construction of the new police headquarters. The Environmental Protection Agency provided funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments. Surprisingly, few environmental concerns were encountered. There was no groundwater contamination and containers of uncharacterized materials stored in the building were disposed of properly. Although hydrocarbon soil contamination was present, concentrations were below applicable regulatory standards. Asbestos-containing materials (AMCs) present were abated in accordance with regulatory standards.

The $58.9 million project was funded with general obligation bonds approved by the voters in both 1995 and 1998 bond elections. There were many opportunities for community input throughout the process. The community was supportive and voted to appropriate $47 million in bond funds for the new police headquarters. The 2000 budget was approved including $11.9 million in Certificates of Obligation.

The City of Dallas adopted a leadership role as an implementer of sustainable development by incorporating sustainable features into the building design, making the Jack Evans Police Headquarters the first green building constructed in Dallas. With the incorporation of approximately 60 sustainable features included in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the City of Dallas anticipates the council’s highest “gold” rating for the Jack Evans Police Headquarters.

The success of the Jack Evans Police Headquarters project resulted in the implementation of a new sustainable development policy for the City of Dallas. As a result of this positive pilot experience, the payback analysis of green construction upgrades, efforts to reach attainment for air quality issues, and efforts to reduce operational costs, the single most important outcome of the project was the approval of a City Council resolution authorizing implementation of the City of Dallas Green Building Program to promote consistent application of sustainable green building philosophy and incorporate sustainable building design and construction practices into municipal building projects beginning with the 2003 Bond Program.

The City’s commitment to construct the police headquarters building in the Cedars neighborhood was a major step in providing a helping hand to a struggling neighborhood just two blocks south of the downtown area. The City of Dallas continues to demonstrate its leadership as a Brownfields Showcase Community by establishing a sustainable building policy, working with federal partners, and revitalizing a brownfield site to serve as a national showcase.

For more information regarding this project, contact Ann Grimes at (214) 670-3056 or at agrimes@mail.ci.dallas.tx.us.

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