Ed Okpa, leader of the real estate consultancy Okpa Company, is appealing a decision by the Dallas City Planning Commission that rejected his request to rezone land for Winners Tower, a proposed high-rise development in South Dallas. The commission voted against the rezoning in October due to concerns about potential displacement of current occupants.
The appeal will move the matter directly to the Dallas City Council, which may vote on it as early as January. The council has the authority to override the commission’s decision with a simple majority.
Winners Tower is planned to include a 150-160 room hotel and 60-65 condominiums on property currently occupied by a pharmacy, event center, offices, and Winners Assembly Christian Church. The church owns the site, and Okpa serves as development adviser.
City staff had recommended limiting new buildings on the site to five stories—much less than Okpa’s original plan for a 25-story tower. Okpa has argued that South Dallas needs such projects to compete with more prosperous areas of Dallas. He said he is willing to reduce the project’s height to about 20 stories if necessary.
Okpa told commissioners that no additional land acquisition is planned and disputed claims that residents would be displaced by the project. He also emphasized his commitment to promoting long-term ownership through condos rather than rental units and pointed out that South Dallas lacks quality hotels despite being near Fair Park.
Economic impact studies commissioned by Okpa estimate that Winners Tower would cost $240 million, create around 200 jobs, and generate approximately $9 million in annual tax revenue. He pledged $90 million in construction spending for minority-owned firms and stated that C-PACE financing could cover about $70 million of costs thanks to solar-energy features included in the design.
According to reports from the Dallas Business Journal, Okpa believes skepticism from city officials comes partly from doubts about project financing and partly from bias related to his Nigerian heritage and immigrant business partners. Other minority developers active in South Dallas include Terrence Maiden’s Russell Glen Company and Reverend T.D. Jakes Real Estate Ventures.
Alternative proposals for the site have been discussed. Pastor Austin Anetekhai of Winners Assembly suggested an affordable housing tower between five and thirteen stories tall.
High-rise development remains rare in South Dallas; according to local reporting, only one similar building exists—the 13-story Park Manor built in 1970.
