Overview:
Winner's Development Corporation, led by Pastor Raphael Adebayo and Ed Okpa, plans to build a 24-story luxury condominium tower in South Dallas, which would require the demolition of Winner's Plaza, Winnway Motel, and Cornerstone Baptist Church. The project aims to provide employment opportunities for South Dallas residents and create a local economy that attracts younger people with money and businesses. The corporation plans to create a bank with investors from South Dallas, and offer homeownership opportunities and robust minority contracting to protect existing homeowners. However, some residents are concerned about displacement and the impact on small businesses.
There is a new development proposal creating lots of buzz in South Dallas, DW fam. Winner’s Development Corporation, led by Pastor Raphael Adebayo and Ed Okpa, dreams of building a 24-story luxury condominium tower off of MLK Jr Boulevard, on the 1700 block between Colonial Avenue and Interstate 45.
The project, coined Winner’s Tower, would require the demolition of Winner’s Plaza, Winnway Motel, and Cornerstone Baptist Church, according to the renderings. So far, there have been two community meetings (July 9th and July 26th) on this proposed development. In the most recent meeting hosted at St. Phillips School and Community Center, neighbors asked questions related to the project’s benefits, strategies to prevent displacement, and ownership of the tower.
Though the meeting transcription provides polished answers to these concerns, we reached out to Winner’s Development Corporation for more in-depth explanations. Here is how Pastor Rapheal Adebayo responded to DW’s questions:
Can you share with us exactly who plans to invest in and own Winner Tower?
“Winner’s Development Corporation is made out of the members of our church in South Dallas- we are the owners of the building (1709 MLK Jr Blvd) for the past 21 years… we are the ones who go and borrow money from the banks…. So the ownership of the building would still rest in the people that live in South Dallas… It’s not that the investors are coming from some far place to own it. On the Board of Directors of Winner’s Development [Corporation], I am the Chairman. I have my wife, and I have four of my ministers. ”
“As soon as we get approval, we will make a proposal to those in South Dallas who are ready to become investors. Those who want to buy a condominium, we will look at their credit and they will be part owners…And then, we are creating a bank. Most of the investors of the bank will come from South Dallas. Head of communities in South Dallas will be part of the Board of Directors of this bank”
What concrete strategies are in place to ensure that Sunny South Dallas residents get access to the employment opportunities generated by the proposed development?
“[Winner’s Development Corporation] is an EB-5 approved agency that allows foreign investors to invest in South Dallas. Each investor will invest about $800,000 and must create at least 10 jobs– Those 10 jobs will be sourced from our community. That is one way in which the U.S. government creates jobs in America, by allowing foreign investors. You cannot get your green card or citizenship if you do not create jobs.”
He elaborates further on how amenities within the tower, like the hotel and grocery store would provide entry level jobs to South Dallas residents.
“Our studies have found that young people want to live in South Dallas. There are many graduates from Madison and Lincoln High School that want to come back and live here.
There are many young people like my children who are making good money and can afford to live in South Dallas. The price range in our building will be far less than the price of similar buildings in Deep Ellum or Downtown Dallas.”
Pastor Adebayo goes on to explain the importance of creating a local economy that will attract younger people with money and businesses, which will eventually require homeless populations and loiterers to move away from the corridor.
“There are many vacant [lots] around South Dallas…If you look at our area, you’ll find that almost all the land that is owned isn’t developed because of the fear of homeless people- the fear that when [land owners] go to build, their part of the road will be run down. That’s why many people have land, but it’s just there. We have to combat that challenge.”
Many residents and developers have varying reasons concerns with growing issues related to vacant lots in Sunny South Dallas.
“Right now, no one is paying taxes in our neighborhood…-Cornerstone, they don’t pay taxes [The Winner’s] Assembly doesn’t pay taxes, and it’s all around. Because of that, they complain that we are not developed in our area and people don’t come, why? Because there is no investment in that area.”
At the community meeting, you mentioned that your strategy to prevent displacement includes ‘homeownership opportunities and robust minority contracting’- Can you expand on how specifically these strategies will be leveraged to protect existing homeowners?
“In our building, one section would be for commercial leasing, so half of our building will pay commercial taxes to Dallas – we will pour in $10 million of taxes every year. So now, how do you make sure that those who are old in the area can stay? We set part of the [money] aside in a grant to make sure the taxes of those people who are there do not increase. There will not be any displacement.”
With growing interest from developers to begin projects in South Dallas, the businesses off the MLK corridor are both excited and cautious of new building developments and the implication of their construction. We spoke with long-time resident Daryl Watt, Assistant Manager at WingsWorld, who stated, “I’m from the area and I would love to see that (Winner’s Tower), but I start thinking about the effects later on… I think about my community- and by putting that up there, it’s gonna push a lot of people out.”
Other residents were more enthusiastic about the project and encouraged more bold development for the area. “Right now, a lot of stuff that they have in place is what South Dallas really needs…Anything that can uplift the community, we need it,” said the owner of Elaine’s Kitchen.
Currently, zoning along the MLK corridor only allows for buildings three stories or less. Whether this project is even possible will be largely impacted by any decisions made by the City Plan Commission (CPC) and City Council. Reach out to your representatives respectively and share your thoughts about zoning case number Z245-200.
In Summary, Thriving Does Not Equal Surviving
One thing we do know, is that overall the Black and Brown owned businesses along MLK have not been receiving the support that they need to thrive. Across South Dallas, small businesses share their struggles with uncooperative (borderline exploitative) landlords, rising operating costs, and lack of capacity building resources. While reflecting on our conversation with Pastor Adebayo we wondered: Did homelessness shutter our businesses and clear the vacant lots, or is a community deprived of commerce and infrastructure a safer place to exist as a homeless person?
CORRECTIONS:
A previous version of the article mentioned that the Winner’s Tower development had 24 stories. The updated version now reads the development has 25 stories.
