Resource Center of Dallas buys land for new buildings

by John Wright of of Dallas Voice

An aerial photograph provided by the Cathedral of Hope shows the property purchased by the Resource Center of Dallas, outlined in white, as well as the property still owned by the Cathedral, outlined in black.

Nineteen years ago, after its original home was badly damaged by fire, the Dallas Gay Alliance got a helping hand from the Metropolitan Community Church of Dallas.

The Rev. Michael Piazza, then pastor of MCC, said he approached DGA co-founder William Waybourn about purchasing the church’s old building, at Reagan and Brown streets in Oak Lawn, for a gay community center.

Nearly two decades later, the names of the two organizations have changed, but history has repeated itself.

The Resource Center of Dallas, then operated by DGA, recently took a big step toward its goal of building a much-needed new facility, purchasing about 1.75 acres from the Cathedral of Hope near Cedar Springs and Inwood roads.

Piazza said while the Cathedral, formerly the MCC, sold the property at fair market value, or about $1.2 million, the arrangement will allow the Resource Center to utilize the church’s parking on weekdays.

For the Cathedral, Piazza said, it was an opportunity to get out of the business of being a landlord while ensuring that the church will have a desirable long-term neighbor. The Cathedral, which still owns about 13 acres, rented out a run-down strip mall that currently sits on the property sold to the Resource Center.

“It’s a win-win situation,” Piazza said, adding that the sale will not interfere with the Cathedral’s plans for a new 2,500-seat sanctuary.

Mike McKay, executive director of the Resource Center, said the organization has outgrown the old MCC church building at Reagan and Brown, but is committed to staying in the Oak Lawn area. McKay said he looked at as many as 100 properties over the last few years before the Resource Center settled on the land near the church.

The Resource Center, one of the five largest organizations of its kind in the country, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2008. The Resource Center serves more than 50,000 people each year and its facilities are used by at least 40 other organizations.

“Over 25 years, we’ve grown, and we certainly see the next 25 years and beyond as an opportunity to grow,” McKay said. “We’ve got a staff of 45 or 46 people basically sitting on top of each other.

“I think the overall reason behind us expanding is for us to be able to serve more customers and clients on both sides, on the GLBT side as well as the medical side.”

In addition to the John Thomas Gay & Lesbian Community Center, the Resource Center operates the Nelson-Tebedo Health Resource Center and the AIDS Resource Food Pantry.

The Resource Center currently leases buildings for the Health Resource Center and the AIDS Food Pantry, but all three programs would be combined in the new facility.

McKay estimated it would take at least two years before the facility is built and opened. The Resource Center is preparing to launch a capital campaign to raise money for construction of the facility, but McKay said he’s unsure of the final price tag.

“It’ll be first-class,” McKay said. “We’re going to build something that people are proud of, and it’s going to be a place where people are going to want to come.”