City council members defend planned practice facility for Dallas Wings ahead of vote

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DALLAS - At Thursday’s press conference, three council members listed several reasons why they believe a planned Oak Cliff location is a good fit for the Dallas Wings' new practice facility. 

In addition, all three say the site will meet the contract deadline to open by early 2026. The cost: up to $55 million.

Dallas Wings Practice Facility

The Latest:

An undeveloped plot of land near Cockrell Hill and I-30 could soon be the official practice site of the Dallas Wings. On Thursday, the reality came one step closer.

The Dallas Parks and Recreation board approved a portion of far west Oak Cliff's Joey Georgusis Park for the WNBA facility, near multiple warehouses. 

Last spring, the City of Dallas announced the Wings would make the move from Arlington to Dallas. They currently play at UT Arlington's College Park Center.

While the hope is for the Wings to move into their practice facility next year, the team will not play games in Dallas until at least 2027.

The new Wings arena is set to be in downtown Dallas' Kay Bailey Hutchison's Memorial Auditorium. However, their move to the new location was delayed due to Dallas securing the 2026 World Cup international broadcast center.

Council Members Defend Location

What they're saying:

Council members Omar Narvaez, Chad West, and Adam Bazaldua stood in support of the proposed site on Thursday afternoon.

"It's flat. It doesn't flood. And it's close to the two best airports in the nation. And it's been owned by parks and recreation for over 20 years," said Narvaez.

"To say that it's far… It's not that far. I live right almost there, and it takes me 12 minutes to get downtown," Narvaez continued.

"I do not believe looking at this as a rushed timeline means that we are making a rushed decision. We are making a decision in time to be compliant with the contract that we have," Bazaldua said.

Bazaldua, who also serves as deputy mayor pro tem, is proud of both future facilities, throwing a jab that other professional Dallas sports teams do not reside in the city.

"Dallas Wings are going to end that trend," Bazaldua said. "And we have to move fast because we have to compete, as you see with different municipalities across our region who make great cases to bring teams to their jurisdiction."

FOX 4 was also able to hear from the Chris Koclanes, coach of the Dallas Wings, on Thursday.

"We are excited. The city is investing in us, and can't wait to have both of those facilities and raise our level for sure," said Koclanes.

What's next:

Earlier this week, three other Dallas City Council members released a public memo asking the city to pause the plans due to the location and cost.

As for the practice facility, the Dallas City Council will vote on the proposed site next week.