Dallas, TX

South Dallas’ proposed ‘Winners Tower’ loses at city planning hearing

Published

3 weeks ago

October 10, 2025

South Dallas’ proposed ‘Winners Tower’ loses at city planning hearing

A proposed 25-story high rise in South Dallas was denied by the city planning commission Thursday, a significant roadblock for the project.

Winners Tower, at 1709 Martin Luther King Blvd on the corner of Martin Luther King Blvd and Colonial Avenue, is planned to include a hotel, condos, retail and parking. The project was proposed by Raphael Adebayo, the pastor at Winners Assembly Christian Church and the property’s current owner.

The sign of Winners Plaza is seen past Dallas Pastor Raphael Adebayo as he gives a tour of the complex, on Thursday, July 3, 2025 in Dallas. He is after the zoning commission for permission to redevelop his church into a 25-story luxury tower with a 150-160 room hotel, 60 condos and ground floor retail.

Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer

The tower needs a significant zoning change to the land parcel, which includes the church and surrounding retail strip, to move forward.

The commission heard public comment, including from associates of Adebayo, but they ultimately passed a motion to deny the zoning change request with prejudice.

The tower’s proponents voiced support for what they perceived as a radical new vision for the underserved South Dallas community. They cited job creation and innovation as reasons for the board to approve the project.

“When we talk about the revitalization of the South Dallas community, we wanna do things from ground up,” said Christopher Walker, the community engagement manager of Abounding Propserity, a non-profit that is currently a tenant of the land in question.

“As a tenant, and as someone who’s seen the spirit of Winners Assembly by being connected to Pastor Raphael and the staff, I’ve seen their passion and the purity they have to create these opportunities for those folks of this area,” he continued.

“This is an opportunity to create something new, to be innovative, and to create something different that’s needed.”

The two available renderings of Winners Tower, which is the 25-story high-rise being... — The two available renderings of Winners Tower, which is the 25-story high-rise being proposed at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Colonial Avenue.
Winners Development Corporation
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However, board member Tabitha Wheeler-Reagan, who initially motioned to deny the proposal, cited a lack of community engagement from the applicants. She challenged the idea the project was actually for South Dallas residents.

“There are services that you offer that are beneficial to the community. But this project does not serve this community. This project serves other communities,” Wheeler-Reagan said during the hearing.

Concerns were raised about the height of the building, the price of the condos inside and how it fit in — or didn’t — with the historic character of the neighborhood.

“I cannot support this proposal, not because I’m not against growth, but because I believe growth must be rooted in respect, accountability and community,” according to board member Darrell Herbert, who seconded the motion.

“This structure is out of scale and out of step with the neighborhood’s historic character. It threatens to overshadow, not just physically, but symbolically, the homes, families and culture that define South Dallas,” he continued.

The initial plan for the project was 25 stories, but the applicants were willing to bring it down to 15 to quell concerns over the height of the building. City staff recommended granting a zoning change that would have allowed a multi-use project to move forward but that limited the tower to about five stories.

The applicants cited a 13-story apartment building less than a half-mile away as precedent for approving such a project, but Winners Tower would be a first-of-its-kind undertaking in the surrounding area because of its size and scoop.

Still, the applicants argued that it was in line with certain plans for the area.

“The proposed height will not be out of character with the evolving skyline of the area and will create a visual gateway to the MLK corridor,” said Esther Adebayo, daughter of Raphael Adebayo, and a representative of the project at the hearing.

“We believe that this project supports multiple goals of the South Dallas Fair Park Economic Development Plan [of] 2001 and the Forward Dallas comprehensive plan,” she added.

The proposal has an estimated cost of around $250 million, and Adebayo has previously announced his plans to get funding partly from EB-5 visa holders, who must invest a minimum of $800,000 in the U.S. and create 10 jobs. He has been buying up land since 2007, and Winners Assembly opened 21 years ago.

At the hearing, Adebayo and others tied to him said that several retailers and prospective tenants were already on board with the project.

Adebayo spoke at the hearing, but could not be reached for additional comment following the denial.

The applicants can still appeal, including an appeal to City Council. The Council would need a three-fourths supermajority to overturn the planning commission’s denial and approve the rezoning.

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Dallas, TX

Mailbag: Why waste offensive talent?

Published

13 hours ago

October 30, 2025

Press Room

(Editor’s Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in ‘Mailbag’ presented by Miller Lite.)

Is it more valuable for the Cowboys to hold their draft capital rather than use it to trade for a difference maker to create pressure and sacks? Why waist the offensive talent you have this year and hold on to the draft picks when it’s clear that Dallas has half a super bowl contending team? – Will Epler/Colorado Springs, CO

Patrik: I’ve made it no secret about where I stand on this topic: trade for one or two players to not waste this window of elite offensive play. You simply don’t know if Dak Prescott will equal or better this form in the years to come and, oh by the way, he’s already in his early 30s, and not in his mid-20s. Additionally, you can’t predict if George Pickens sticks around to keep the same level of weaponry surrounding Prescott, so forth and so on. Having shiny extra draft picks to use is fun, because of imagination. You get to imagine what might be and who they might select and, maybe, just maybe, that the pick turns out to be a Hall of Famer every … single … time. In reality, though, even for a team that drafts well, like the Cowboys, it’s still a crapshoot every … single … time. More picks are great fuel for draft show talks and mock drafts, but ask Dak Prescott if he gives an iota of a crap about any of that. Win now, while you have the quarterback and offense to do it, and stop pretending you have time to waste.

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Dallas, TX

Cowboys-Cardinals announcer assignment draws Dallas legend in Week 9

Published

1 day ago

October 29, 2025

Press Room

Cowboys-Cardinals announcer assignment draws Dallas legend in Week 9

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks with former quarterback Troy Aikman before a game against the Los Angeles Chargers / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott reacts after losing to the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks with former quarterback Troy Aikman before a game against the Los Angeles Chargers / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Dallas, TX

Dallas Stars nearing extension with defenseman Thomas Harley, reports say

Published

2 days ago

October 28, 2025

Press Room

Dallas Stars nearing extension with defenseman Thomas Harley, reports say

The Dallas Stars are nearing a deal to lock in another key member of the franchise’s core moving forward.

The Stars are finalizing talks with defenseman Thomas Harley on an eight-year deal worth in the ballpark of $10.5 million annually, according to multiple media reports Tuesday. The contract would keep Harley in Dallas through the 2031-32 season.

Harley is currently in the second year of a two-year bridge contract he signed ahead of the 2024-25 season worth $4 million annually, but as one of the rising stars at his position, he’s due for a significant raise.

The Stars drafted the defenseman in the first round of the 2019 NHL draft and have developed him in their system since. So far in his fifth season in Dallas, he’s recorded eight points (one goal and seven assists) in nine games.

Harley became one of the Stars’ top defensemen last season when he recorded 50 points in 78 games and averaged over 23 minutes of ice time. Following an injury to Miro Heiskanen, Harley stepped into a larger role and caught the attention of the league when he was a late addition to Team Canada in last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

Harley’s rise to becoming one of Dallas’ top defensemen came after a winding journey where he was sent down to the AHL for most of the 2022-23 season to develop his defensive game. Harley has always had strong offensive instincts — but has returned to Dallas a far more skilled defensive player.

The Stars saw that and wanted to lock him down long-term. But with the hefty $96 million deal they gave Mikko Rantanen last season and Jason Robertson’s ongoing contract negotiations, it wouldn’t be easy.

Nevertheless, Harley was a top priority — and Dallas appears to be paying up accordingly.

The deal would make Harley the second-highest paid player on the Stars, trailing only Rantanen. The two players share an agent. He would be the highest-paid defenseman, passing Heiskanen’s $8.45 million AAV, which extends through the 2028-29 season.

It would put Harley at the fourth-highest AAV among defensemen in the league, trailing only Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson ($11.5 million), Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin ($11 million) and Los Angeles’ Drew Doughty ($11 million).