Downtown Dallas, Inc.

(DDI) has reflected at length on recent events related to the demolition of

buildings in the 1600 blocks of Main and Elm Streets. As the stewards of Downtown, we offer our
thoughts with the hope that current dialogue will lead only to an improved process, and not discount
recent success nor stifle our collective enthusiasm for the future.
. The Headington team has worked in concert with our efforts, from the vision for the redevelopment of
the Main Street District, to the strategies implemented from Downtown Dallas 360. They have given
meaningfully, time and time again, to our organization so that we may advance our mission for the good
of all of Downtown Dallas.
Speaking specifically to the Main Street District, with particular focus over the last 15 years, DDI has
aggressively rallied the public and private sectors to revitalize the area. The vision was articulated most
recently in the Main Street District Retail Activation Strategy (an addendum to Downtown Dallas 360
created in 2011 with guidance from owners, businesses and residents in the neighborhood):
The Main Street District of Downtown Dallas is the stage and runway for the retail,
social, fashion and cultural soul of modern Dallas. It provides Dallas with the re-kindled
creative spark of determination that was present at its conception.

The Main Street District is home to the entrepreneurial restaurateur as well as the
Fortune 500 company. Some of Dallas most noteworthy chefs, sommeliers and
neighborhood haunts do business here. The Main Street District is also the hub of urban
residential, employment and public transit in Dallas. The District is characterized by a
cohesive design that pays homage to Dallas fashion and retail history, while infusing
modern trends, creating an inclusive environment for a variety of customers, and
providing a 21st century business and a taste of the bourgeoning Dallas arts scene. It
illuminates the entire region with a nationally significant model of sustainable shopping
and living with style. Main Street is the soul of Dallas.

We aim to create a retail and entertainment center that is a premier destination a
contiguous, defined geographic area tenanted with a precise yet diverse mix of shops,
restaurants and creative venues. With a unique opportunity of new ownership,
investment opportunities, and leveraging success of the last decade, we are poised to
realize the Main Street Retail District vision.

Design guidelines are further articulated in the plan:

Design inspiration: Authentic. Bold. Historic. Sophisticated. Modern. Unequivocally
Urban.

To complement the Vision, these words help articulate a specific notion of the richness
that shapes the Districts brand and character. Main Street offers an unparalleled,
diverse urban environment. Its reborn spirit is embodied by a complete shopping and
dining experience, replete with fashionable stores, one-of-a-kind boutiques, and hip
eateries. Its design and character traits range from human-scale to bold and vibrant.
Main Street is a combination of warm, modern features such as creative lighting,
surprising elements such as the wide mix of architecture and technologically-advanced
uses of color and sound. At the core of Main Streets identity is its livable sense of place
and space, defined by human interaction, the use of shade, and a feeling of softness and
green living. The Main Street Districts unique combination of an authentic history
coupled with boldness, innovation and contemporary styles sets it apart from all other
shopping and dining destinations.

The Headington restoration of 1530 Main, now known as The Joule hotel and expanded retail
experience, embodies the implementation of this vision. The project meticulously and elegantly
preserved a piece of Dallas history, while looking forward to shape the future with complementary new
construction. It is not merely a hotel or cold retail strip, but a beacon for social interaction. It completed
two full blocks of development, and has catalyzed others, turning anemic buildings in the heart of our
city into lit, productive spaces that have brought life back to Downtowns streets.
We maintain optimism that future development, whether in the Main Street District or at Headingtons
Ross and Field site, will be as transformational.
That said, we cherish the buildings that carry Dallas history. We are passionate for preservation. We
hold dear the ways in which a variance in architecture enriches the authenticity of our environment and,
like the ridges of a fingerprint, make Downtown Dallas impression completely unique. Historic
buildings, whether identified as such by designation, contribution or social current, knit a fabric of
human scale experiences that engage the passer-by and inspire permanency. The built environment of
our past dances with the modern, cosmopolitan, international Dallas, giving to us our brand, our story -
our identity.
Unfortunately, current events have oversimplified the conversation to progress vs. preservation,
which in reality are not mutually exclusive subjects. DDI is supportive of a path that allows space and
equal opportunity for both so that informed, balanced and conscious decisions can be made. We
support exploration of a process that creates additional opportunities for public discourse and checks
and balances, while not becoming cripplingly bureaucratic. This is an opportunity to create a dialogue
that educates owners, developers and the community with reciprocity. Private development, the bricks
and mortar, will certainly steer Downtowns future. At the same time, Downtown is inherently a place
for and of people, and those two facts must be reconciled with every project, in every realm of public
space, private space and the places in between.