Grand Prairie to demolish old annex and finance buildings for downtown redevelopment plan

City presenters said Grand Prairie will demolish the old City Hall annex and the Finance Administration Building as part of a downtown redevelopment concept approved by the City Council that calls for new housing, retail and entertainment near City Hall.

Officials told the meeting that repurposing the annex and finance buildings was not feasible because of their age, the presence of asbestos and the high cost of reconstruction or remodeling. "Everybody loves saving history. But I and my fellow council members, along with the staff, have come up with a vision for this that could not be possible without removing them. In addition, they are so old they have asbestos in them. The cost of reconstruction or remodeling it was just pretty astronomical," an unnamed city speaker said.

City presenters said the next phase of demolition will remove the old Calvary Baptist Church buildings; the sonnet will relocate several blocks to the west. Officials said the full redevelopment project will take several years to complete.

The meeting excerpt described the council-approved concept in broad terms but did not include a formal vote, ordinance number, timeline with specific milestones, or financing details in the transcript. No demolition schedule, contract awards, or relocation agreements were provided in the excerpt.