Former City Manager David Cooke has taken the helm of Sundance Square management, sources with direct knowledge of his hire confirmed to the Fort Worth Report.
Sundance Square is a 37-square-block entertainment district in downtown Fort Worth that is home to a mix of restaurants, shops and arts attractions, including the Bass Performance Hall. Fort Worth billionaires Ed and Sasha Bass, who are friends with Cooke, have . The couple have amid a recent string of closures and openings in the district, as well as with Downtown Fort Worth Inc. management.
Cooke鈥檚 employment with the Basses comes two months after he formally as city manager. Cooke is the in Fort Worth history, holding the role from June 2014 to February 2025.
Cooke, Sasha Bass and a spokesperson for Sundance Square did not return requests for comment. Several Fort Worth City Council members and downtown business leaders either declined to comment or did not return requests for comment.
In 2022, Cooke dealing with Sundance Square, following a that found he did not disclose a trip he and his spouse took to Aspen, Colorado, with the Bass couple on their private jet. City Council members reprimanded Cooke at the time, calling his decision to take the trip 鈥渜uestionable judgment.鈥�
The vacation, which took place over Labor Day weekend in 2022, raised concerns about conflicts of interest, with some business leaders saying the relationship was too close between Fort Worth鈥檚 top administrator and the overseers of a significant chunk of downtown business.
The city鈥檚 states that city employees are not allowed to accept or solicit 鈥渁ny benefit from any person, group or business entity that might reasonably tend to influence the officer, employee or advisory board member in the discharge of his or her official duties.鈥� After consulting with the city attorney in 2022, council members said Cooke鈥檚 trip to Aspen did not violate the ethics code.
At the time, Cooke of his relationship with the Basses but maintained that the perception of a conflict of interest was flawed. Because of that perception, though, he said he had to 鈥渨ork even harder鈥� to reassure the community he wasn鈥檛 the only decision-maker involved in Sundance Square dealings.
City code prevents former city officials 鈥� including city managers, assistant city managers, city attorneys, city secretaries, city auditors, municipal judges, municipal pro tem judges and directors or assistant directors of city departments 鈥� from communicating directly with anyone affiliated with the city to influence municipal legislation or administrative action for one year after their employment with the city ends. An is when the former official is lobbying on behalf of another governmental agency as its employee or as a consultant under contract with the governmental agency.
Cooke鈥檚 appointment to oversee Sundance Square comes in the midst of significant investment in and around downtown. Texas A&M is planning to invest millions of dollars in the southeast corner of downtown as part of its . The and are both expanding, with $701 million and $630 million currently budgeted for the projects, respectively. Last summer, the city鈥檚 first modern luxury opened downtown, and a is expected to help anchor the area when it opens.
Sundance Square was managed by City Center Towers from the 1980s to January 2020, when Henry S. Miller Company officially took over. In November 2020, management under Sundance Square Management LLC, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Despite nearby development, Sundance Square has struggled in recent years to retain tenants, with business owners vacating the area since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Ed and Sasha Bass launched the to help fill vacant storefronts with concepts from local entrepreneurs.
The Star-Telegram reported in August that about a were closed and empty, while smaller businesses still leasing storefronts have struggled. Current and former tenants blamed the vacancies on poor management and a lack of vision for the area.
Current and former tenants told the Dallas Business Journal in February that they are unsure of the Basses鈥� long-term strategy for the district, while its official . Ed and Sasha Bass have not spoken publicly on the matter or granted interviews to local news publications.
In February, Sundance Square management announced plans for The Spotlight, a new live music venue at 310 Houston St. The building was formerly home to and, before that, the Caravan of Dreams performing arts center. The venue held a soft opening in March, with for this spring.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
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