discuss...

These are old photos/renderings of buildings under construction in Uptown Dallas:

The Mondrain:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/mondrian.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/cityplace4.jpg

The Ashton:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/ashtonren.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/5-23-04001.jpg

Cresta Bella:
http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/img/07-04/0715CrestaBella.jpg

Rosewood:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/rosewood.jpg

Ritz Carlton:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/ritz2.jpg

Merryvale (in the west end):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/merryvale.jpg

1001 Ross (in the west end):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/1001rossjpeg.jpg

Harwood St. Anne Court:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/harwood.jpg
Metropolitan Club at Hotel ZaZa:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/themetropolitanclub.jpg

Gables Uptown Park:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/Gables_Uptown_Park.jpg

DALLAS VICTORY (in Uptown Dallas)
Victory Renderings
Victory Dallas (http://www.victorydallas.com/)
W Hotel & Residences (http://www.victoryresidences.com/)

Victory Residences
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/072804_victory.jpg

One Victory Tower
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/onevictorytower04-large.jpg

Victory Plaza
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/victoryplaza02.jpg
http://dallasmetropolis.com/exhibitionhall/data/500/2victory_plaza_-_5.jpg

Victory Commons
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/victorycommons-respark01-large.jpg

The W
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/TheW.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/wdallasvictoryhotelres01-large.jpg
The West Village Master Plan

http://www.westvil.com/images/render2.jpg

I guess I'll take care of this

Purchase of downtown site gives Hunt option for its headquarters




10:50 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 1, 2004


By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News



Hunt Consolidated Inc., one of downtown Dallas' largest energy firms, has purchased a block adjacent to the Arts District and is studying plans for a new headquarters tower.

The site Hunt Consolidated purchased is about an acre and a half at Akard and Woodall Rodgers. The property – now occupied by a small, vacant office building and parking – is adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art and about two blocks from the energy firm's currently location.

"We are dedicated to a strong and vibrant downtown Dallas, and it is our intent to carefully consider the renewal of our existing lease or relocation to a new headquarters building so that our company can remain in our city-center," Ray L. Hunt, chairman of Hunt Consolidated, said Wednesday in a prepared statement. "We have made no decision at this time, as we have several options available to us, but have asked one of our real estate affiliates, Woodbine Development, to assist us in this development analysis."

But the purchase could also be a negotiating tactic, leasing agents say. Hunt Consolidated's downtown office lease comes up for renewal in 2007. It has occupied 15 floors of the Fountain Place skyscraper at Ross Avenue and Field Street since 1990.

Regardless, real estate brokers say the company's move to secure a development site is a shrewd move. Office rents – now at a 10-year low – are expected to increase during the next couple of years.

"Buying this site gives them another option," said Jon Altschuler with Stream Realty Partners. "You can be sure they will go to all lengths to plan that building."

And regardless of whether Hunt Consolidated decides to build, the purchase confirms their commitment to downtown, Mr. Altschuler said.

Broker Joel Pustmueller with Peloton Real Estate said owning the land gives the energy firm more flexibility to keep its office costs in control.

"It would be great for downtown to have a new corporate headquarters building on the edge of the Arts District," Mr. Pustmueller said.

While downtown Dallas has one of the highest office vacancy rates in the country, the supply of top quality corporate office space for rent in the central business district is less than in most suburban markets.

Hunt Consolidated could also use the Akard Street property for future development of a hotel, or utilize the property to benefit a cultural facility because of its location next to the Arts District, property agents say.

With more than $1 billion in annual revenue, Hunt Consolidated and its affiliates have international oil and gas, real estate and investment companies with offices in the United States and abroad.

Its Woodbine Development Corp. built the Reunion complex on the southwest side of downtown and has other mixed-use projects in several states.

Hunt Consolidated bought the Akard Street property from Brook Partners, which had owned the tract since 2000. The real estate firm has renovated the former Southwestern Life Insurance complex – now Southwest Plaza – at Ross and Akard.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

Two concepts
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5406
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5408

The Mondrian (u/c) to be completed April 2005

the block labeled ZOM towards the right
http://www.westvil.com/images/render2.jpg
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=56




http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1876
http://www.ovillachurchofchrist.com/derek/pictures/dallas/downtown/030604/P3060072.JPG
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2326
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4498
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4564
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5039
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5317

W Dallas Victory Hotel and Residences(u/c)

old rendering
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/TheW.jpg


2nd tower going up on Victory project
Most of the condos in the first phase sold faster than expected
10:29 PM CST on Monday, January 10, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...tory.9a36b.html

Hillwood Capital is beginning work on a second tower in its Victory project near downtown Dallas. A 15-story condominium building will be attached to the south side of the W Dallas Victory Hotel and Residences, which is under construction. The next residential tower, which will be built on top of the hotel's parking garage, will have 83 one- and two-bedroom condos. Victory developer Hillwood said Monday that it has sold most of the 61 condos in the W tower. "I don't think we anticipated we would sell the units as fast as we did," said Jonas Woods, president of Hillwood Capital. The W hotel and condo building is set to open next year across the street from American Airlines Center. Mr. Woods said the second building will open "as close to simultaneously as we can make it."

Hillwood is building the project in partnership with Dallas-based Gatehouse Capital. The new Victory building will have a fitness center and retail on the ground floor. As in the first tower, residents will have access to room service, housekeeping, concierge service and the hotel spa. The condos will sell from about $400,000 to more than $1 million. Dallas architects HKS Inc. designed the building, and local designer David Cadwallader did the interiors. Residential analysts say Hillwood wanted to keep homes available for buyers.

"They have proven that there is a market there that perceives Victory as a location where they want to live," said Mike Puls of Foley & Puls. "The W hotel will attract a lot of people." With the large number of high-rise condo projects in the market, Mr. Puls said, buyers have a lot of choices. Construction also began recently on two midrise residential buildings in Victory, one with apartments and one with condos. All the buildings will stretch along Houston Street between the W and Lamar Street.

new rendering from announcement
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4558

u/c
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3787
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5356

Empty nest for the well-feathered
Affluent homeowners are target of Far North Dallas condo project
11:42 PM CST on Monday, February 21, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...ower.a8fe9.html

A high-profile Far North Dallas property is heading for high-rise construction. Developers are planning a residential tower on the 5 ½ -acre site at Arapaho Road and Prestonwood Boulevard that was first a movie theater and more recently a nightclub. Addison-based Silver Tree Partners recently closed on the property across the street from the demolished Prestonwood Town Center shopping mall. "We think it's the best development site for what we are planning to do," said Silver Tree principal Brett Williams.

"It overlooks three golf courses. And there are people who live in Preston Trails or Bent Tree and have 5,500-square-foot homes who want to downsize." Many of those affluent buyers are looking for high-rises and had to go to Dallas' Turtle Creek and Uptown neighborhoods to find new construction, he said. "Empty nesters haven't had much choice but to move south to Turtle Creek," said Silver Tree principal Paul Gardner. "But that's a big lifestyle change. "A lot of them want to stay in this area," he said.

Silver Tree Partners has received zoning approvals to construct a 15-story condo building and surrounding low-rise townhouses on the property just west of Prestonwood Country Club. "We'd hope to break ground on this project by this time next year," said Silver Tree principal Alan Moore. "The timing is so important ? we think this entire area is in the process of getting redeveloped," he said. Construction is already under way to turn part of the Prestonwood mall site into a large open-air shopping center. Several smaller surrounding shopping strips are also getting redos. And Addison is planning improvements to the nearby Belt Line Road corridor. "Many people who live inside the [LBJ Freeway] loop don't realize how strong the demographics are out here," said Mr. Gardner. "Just a few blocks north of our site, they are selling million-dollar home lots."

Other high-rise condos in the area are the Bonaventure built in 1981 on Keller Springs Road in Far North Dallas and the eight-story Aventura built in 2001 in the Addison Circle in Addison. Silver Tree Partners is a 10-year-old real estate development and investment company that has built several projects in the Dallas area. Its developments include a shopping center anchored by a Central Market grocery store at Coit Road and State Highway 190 and an office building on Preston Road ? both in Plano. The company raises funds for its developments through investment partnerships and individual investors.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

Dallas has a bunch of nice things going up!

I-30 Trinity River Bridge. The second of three Calatrava designs.

Design revealed for I-30 bridge

09:20 PM CST on Monday, November 15, 2004


By SCOTT CANTRELL / The Dallas Morning News



Four slender steel arches will carry Interstate 30 across the Trinity River if the Santiago Calatrava design displayed Monday at City Hall gets funded.


RICKY MOON/Special Contributor
Dallas council member Ed Oakley (right) answered questions at the unveiling of Santiago Calatrava's design for the new Interstate 30 bridge at City Hall on Monday morning. Mayor Laura Miller and members of the City Council unveiled a model of the proposed bridge, the second of three the acclaimed Spanish architect is designing for downtown Dallas. The design calls for 12 lanes of traffic, one being a reversible HOV lane. It also provides four "collector-distributor" lanes to be cantilevered outside the main bridge structure, but these would be added only in a later phase.

The 1,950-foot span would be entirely suspended from arches parallel to the roadway, without piers in the middle of the river. Besides giving a graceful look to a very broad bridge, the pier-less design wouldn't obstruct floodwaters. The two central arches would be longer and higher than the two on the outsides.

By contrast, Mr. Calatrava's previously unveiled design for a new Woodall Rodgers Freeway extension across the Trinity will have suspension cables torqued from a high, single arch spanning the road. Mr. Calatrava is also to design an Interstate 35E bridge.

"I tried to make each one of them fit the place and the function," Mr. Calatrava said Monday, "but also to have all three speak together, so they would become what we call a horizontal landmark."

Ms. Miller introduced Mr. Calatrava at the morning news conference, calling him "an extraordinarily hot architect at the moment." He's been particularly acclaimed for his recent addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum and his design for an underground transportation center at New York's Ground Zero. A Calatrava pedestrian bridge opened in July in Redding, Calif., but the Dallas bridges would be his first highway bridges in the United States.


Courtesy
The completion of Calatrava's vision depends on public funding. After thanking Dallas County and local philanthropist Margaret McDermott for funding the design of the I-30 bridge, Ms. Miller also urged people to contact their representatives in Congress to secure construction funds.

The I-30 bridge is one of many nationwide projects that are being delayed because the House and Senate haven't agreed on a federal transportation bill. The Senate approved a $318 billion reauthorization in February, but the House approved only $275 billion. The White House has threatened to veto any version of more than $256 billion. A lame-duck congressional session could deal with the problem as early as this week, or it could delay action until the next Congress. The Woodall Rodgers bridge is fully funded.

Meanwhile, the Texas Department of Transportation says the existing I-30 bridge, which is 50 years old and inadequate for current traffic, needs to be replaced. Rebecca Dugger, the city's Trinity River project director, said the new bridge design could be completed in early to mid-2006, with construction completed in 2010.

http://www.trinityrivercorridor.org/assets/images/IH30Bridge02.jpg
http://www.trinityrivercorridor.org/assets/images/IH30Bridge01.jpg

Woodall Rodgers extension. 1st Calatrava designed Trinity River Bridge. To begin construction fall 2005 and still on schedule. Includes 400 ft tall central arch, and 1200 ft span. The bridges are suspension so that they cross the park and lakes with minimal disturbance.

http://www.trinityrivercorridor.org/assets/images/WRBridge01.jpg
http://www.trinityrivercorridor.org/assets/images/WRBridge03.jpg

1530 Main St conversion

Staying power
Surrounded by successful redos, a downtown skyscraper will be getting new life as a grand hotel
08:02 PM CST on Thursday, December 23, 2004
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...otel.41d96.html

Love has something to do with Robert Colombo's latest venture. Why else would he tackle the daunting prospect of turning a boarded-up 78-year-old office building into a posh hotel? It's taken almost two years of preparation, but Mr. Colombo's deLuxe Hotel Group is about to begin restoring an empty office tower at 1530 Main St. into the Joule Urban Resort. "I first saw the building in 1997 or 1998, and it reminded me of a New York residential hotel," said Mr. Colombo, who spent most of his career in the hotel and restaurant business. "Maybe that's why I fell in love with it."

Location is also key. Sitting midway between Neiman Marcus and the Magnolia Building, the project is surrounded by successful redevelopments. It faces the popular Stone Street Gardens mall, with its eclectic collection of restaurants, and the Kirby Building and Wilson Building apartment communities are a few doors down. "We have an opportunity here to do something unique – an important project for the city," said Mr. Colombo, who's embarking on the project with investor Tim Headington of Headington Resources. "It will be something Dallas has not really seen before."

Modern

Looking at the gothic-inspired office tower, it's hard to believe the building was advertised as being "modern" when it debuted in the 1920s. The 17-story building was built as the headquarters for the Dallas National Bank. In later years, it housed a department store and a retail arcade. With its small floors and long, thin profile, the building was inefficient for modern office space. But that kind of layout is perfect for hotel rooms. Dallas-based ArchiTexas – an experienced renovation architect – will oversee this effort to save a piece of Main Street history.

The intricate stone exterior of the building will be restored to mint condition, but as soon as you step through the front door, you'll leave the 1920s behind. Award-winning New York designer Adam Tihany will create an ultra-contemporary theme for the lobby, rooms, restaurant, lounge and other spaces. "It will be a great juxtaposition of old vs. new," Mr. Colombo said. "There is a grand old facade and a new, contemporary interior." Mr. Tihany, whose Aleph Hotel in Rome won European design awards, is better known in the United States for his work on top nightclubs and restaurants, including Per Se in New York. "We've asked Adam to do something at the very highest end of contemporary design," Mr. Colombo said.

'Bonanza'

The hotel will have 124 rooms and suites, and developers are building an adjoining 10-story wing on the tower to house a restaurant, meeting rooms, additional guest rooms and a spa with a rooftop pool. The project will cost more than $25 million. "We've already finished all the interior demolition," said Mr. Colombo, who hopes to open the hotel in early 2006. "It couldn't happen fast enough for me," said Tom Taylor, who has renovated several restaurant and retail buildings in the same block. "It's going to be a spectacular improvement to have a five-star restaurant and a boutique hotel. "That's a bonanza for downtown." Merrill Lynch Capital is providing funding. The project is getting a boost from the Center City Tax Increment Finance board, which agreed to provide several million dollars in redevelopment incentives. "It's going to be fabulous and will have a huge impact and add activity on Main Street," said Alice Murray, president of the Central Dallas Association.

Something different

Mr. Colombo predicts his niche hotel will be popular with visitors and locals who want something different. "We will create a reason for people to come downtown on the weekend," he said. In the 1980s, Mr. Colombo was known as one of the founders of the Sfuzzi restaurant chain, which got its start on McKinney Avenue. He's also worked in management at several New York hotels, including the Plaza, Grand Hyatt and Bryant Park. "We think this project will be unique in that it will add something to the fabric of the city," Mr. Colombo said. "And to not do anything with that building would be an absolute shame."

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=157

the concepts (remember, significant construction will be added to the site)
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5271
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5272

The shit coming out of Dallas is Hott!!...Damn..I'm really impressed...the village and victory concepts are my favorite....and the mondrain is a great tower.

Great Infill!:)

Thanks for all the pics and renderings guys!

Cresta Bella(in pre-sales), which will be the 4th tower in the Mansion on Turtle Creek complex

Turtle Creek in line for another luxury high-rise
Developers plan estate-like setting for 60-unit building

11:41 PM CDT on Thursday, July 15, 2004
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


A Turtle Creek high-rise is the latest contender in the race to provide deluxe Dallas living spaces.

The Cresta Bella condo tower will have 22 floors of luxury residences priced from about $1 million to more than $10 million each.

The classically styled building will have a three-acre park, a spa and room service from the neighboring Mansion on Turtle Creek hotel.

"We wanted to design something with the look and the feel of a grand European resort," said developer Larry Meyer. "We think we have identified the right niche."

Mr. Meyer has built two residential towers, the Plaza Turtle Creek buildings at Gillespie and Hood streets. Cresta Bella will be at Hood and Brown streets.

Cresta Bella will hold only about 60 units in a building designed by Robert Boyd Architects and Wilson Fuqua & Associates Architects. Mr. Boyd worked on The Mansion's restaurant, and Mr. Fuqua is billed as a historic preservationist and architectural historian.

Building details will include a two-story, mahogany-paneled lobby, private elevators to the residences and a lower-level health club.

The tower will have about four condo units per floor, and the penthouses will have 22-foot ceilings.

The wooded grounds surrounding the building will be landscaped to resemble a European estate, with fountains, waterfalls, gardens, swimming pools and a dog park.

These frills are a must to attract buyers moving from large homes in affluent neighborhoods, sales agents say.

And the Cresta Bella isn't shy about appealing to wealthy buyers. Advertisements for the high-rise promise that "your neighbors are few and privileged."

While the luxury condo field is crowded in Dallas, with several buildings on the drawing board, real estate analyst Mike Puls predicts that the Cresta Bella project will be a hit.

"Larry Meyer knows his market, and this should sell well," Mr. Puls said. "There are a lot of guys talking about condos, but there isn't that much really high-end on the market."

He said both the planned Ritz-Carlton and W Hotel condo projects, where starting prices are lower than at Cresta Bella, have done well in preliminary sales.

Mr. Meyer, who finances his own projects, recently began presales and is meeting with potential buyers. "It will take us 6 to 12 months to start this building and 18 to 24 months to build it," he said.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/img/07-04/0715CrestaBella.jpg

labelled plaza III
http://www.plazaturtlecreek.com/dallas_condo_images/plazasiteplan.gif

CRESTA BELLA’S PRE-SALES EXCEED EXPECTATIONS

Dallas’ newest high-rise succeeds in ultra luxury market niche

Dallas Morning News

Cresta Bella, Dallas’ only new luxury high-rise residence offering customized floor plans, announced today that pre-sales of homes in the planned development have passed initial expectations. Larry Meyer, chairman, Meyer Development Corporation reported that based on the current sales pace, the estimated pre-sale requirement appears to be several months ahead of schedule.

“It’s not surprising to see this level of interest in Cresta Bella,” said Mike Puls, a leading real estate market analyst. “In looking at market studies on more than 450 residential properties throughout the United States, I can say without reservation that Cresta Bella is one of the finest properties we’ve seen. In addition to its unique location and estate grounds, this development has been designed to provide the privacy, amenities and services that the most discriminating homeowner would want in high-rise living.”

Cresta Bella offers homes ranging from 2,600 square feet of living space to more than 13,000 and HOA dues are planned at less than $.40 per square foot. According to Tammy McLaine, director of sales for Cresta Bella, the average home sold to date is slightly over 5,000 feet. “Because the home size has been larger than anticipated, we are now offering less than the 60 originally planned residences. We’re accepting contracts on larger residences and requiring a wait list for smaller homes,” said McLaine.

Situated on estate acreage in the exclusive Turtle Creek neighborhood, Cresta Bella will provide homeowners the option to totally customize their floor plans. “Having the option to work with one of Cresta Bella’s architects or designers, or bring in their own is very appealing to this level of clientele,” commented Puls.

Cresta Bella will be staffed and managed by its renowned neighbor, The Mansion on Turtle Creek. Residents will have access to all of the services and amenities of the hotel including meals served in-residence under the direction of celebrity chef, Dean Fearing, 24-hour concierge services, daily housekeeping and laundry services, pet services and much more.

In addition to the privilege of having The Mansion as an extension on their home, Cresta Bella homeowners will live in a private sanctuary that will include a one-of-a kind nature preserve and dog park, a private spa and treatment center, state-of-the-art fitness centers, beautiful entertaining rooms, expansive pool areas and private-access elevators to all residences. Amenities will not be shared with hotel guests.

“While many projects tout luxury, few properties in the world offer the same level of amenities and personal services as Cresta Bella,” said Meyer. “With the focus on privacy, exclusivity, and service, Cresta Bella will be in a class all its own.”

wow, glad i created this thread...had no idea the big d was this active.

Trinity River Park (u/c) completed 2010. Now preliminary work is going on with draining and wetlands downstream as well as boat ramps and the initial Trinity Trail loop(hike and bike trail). The scope is amazing and it will be the largest urban park in the U.S. Will include: the above bridges, plus another, conversion of historic spans to pedestrian bridges. 2 large lakes, playing fields, white water course, hike and bike trails, entry into the Great Trinity Forest preserve, equestrian park, nature center and of course adjacent development. Some of which is already beginning. Developers are clamoring for the adjacent land. Zoning will be urban, and the cbd will officially extend zoning to the edge of the river corridor. Probably only the single biggest project in the history of Dallas.

western half
http://www.trinityrivercorridor.org/assets/images/VisionPlanGrid01.jpg

eastern half
http://www.trinityrivercorridor.org/assets/images/VisionPlanGrid02.jpg

Yes, this is actually happening.

Woodall Rodgers deck park(fund raising stage). This is the trenched freeway between Uptown and Downtown. TxDOT($20 million), The City of Dallas($20 million) and the private sector($20 million) will combine to build a park over the trenched freeway that was actually built to accept a deck. It will unite Lo-Mac(Crescent, Ritz-Carlton, 1999 McKinney) with the Arts District(Meyerson Symphony Center, Nasher, Dallas Museum of Art)

2005-02-11

Imagine five years from now standing over Woodall Rogers Freeway and not seeing or hearing it, but seeing grass and trees. Well, a public-private partnership is set to round up the cash, to try and make it happen. Chris Heinbaugh reports.

WFAA Video: http://www.wfaa.com/perl/common/vid...800park_cdh.wmv

http://dallasmetropolis.com/exhibitionhall/data/507/1woodallrodgersparkdeck.jpg

Metropolitan Club condos(Hotel ZaZa) in the Lo-Mac area.

ZaZa developer to build condos next door

Condo-hotel concept to provide residents with perks like room service
Sandra Zaragoza Staff Writer

UPTOWN — A high-end residence affiliated with Uptown's Hotel ZaZa promises to bring posh amenities like concierge assistance, housekeeping services and restaurant cuisine to a homeowner's doorstep.

Oklahoma-based Charles S. Givens Interest Inc., the developer behind Hotel ZaZa, is planning to edge into Dallas' condo-hotel niche with a five story, 33-unit condominium building adjacent to the hotel at 2403 Thomas Ave.

Condo-hotel units are sold as a condo but are managed by a hotel. Hotel ZaZa's management, Utah-based Gemstone Resorts International, will most likely oversee the ZaZa condo property, but the decision has not been finalized. The condo owners will have access to amenities enjoyed by Hotel ZaZa lodgers.

Hotel ZaZa, with its 146-rooms and 13 concept suites, is Dallas' first boutique hotel. The hotel community has closely monitored interest in the hip, urban hotel, which opened in the middle of a hotel slump last December.

Developer Charlie Givens says the hotel has performed better than predicted, but is not releasing occupancy rates.

Givens has specialized in high-end condominiums, lakeside resorts and upscale retirement communities over the last decade. This is his first Dallas project.

The condo project, which has no official name, is expected to break ground between March and July. The units will range in size from 1,280 square feet to 2,950 square feet and will sell for about $250,000 to $595,000.

The condo-hotel niche is not totally unique to ZaZa. The Plaza Turtle Creek in Dallas, a two-building complex with 165 units, is the only property of its kind managed by a five-star hotel, The Mansion on Turtle Creek, according to its management.

The Plaza's residences range in price from $400,000 to $3 million for 1,300 square feet to 7,800 square feet. Real estate agents say the Plaza continues to attract major traffic from buyers in the market.

A buyer's comfort level in hotel-run residential properties has played an integral part in the success of such projects, said Sissy Alsabrook, vice president at Briggs-Freeman Real Estate Brokerage.

"People can identify (with the hotel/condo concept), it is a known commodity. If it is an individual or group-owned complex they don't know what to expect as far as management, as opposed to knowing a chain hotel and knowing what they're getting," Alsabrook said.

Experts say that in the past few years, condos affiliated with luxury hotels have appreciated faster in value than condos that don't have that affiliation.

"A condominium that is associated with a Ritz-Carlton or Hotel ZaZa receives premium pricing, the services are viewed very positively in the marketplace," said David Brown of Metrostudy, a Houston-based residential advisory service.

At least one other developer, Fort-Worth based Crescent Real Estate Equities, is rumored to be considering a condo-hotel project in the Uptown area. The company declined comment.

Givens believes the market conditions are ripe for the ZaZa-affiliated condo.

"It is a unique product that will have a synergy with Hotel ZaZa itself, and that is something no one else will have," Givens said.

Condo owners will tap into the Hotel ZaZa lifestyle through an optional membership program called Club ZaZa. For an undisclosed membership fee owners receive many of the hotel's amenities. Among them: 24-hour room service, housekeeping services and the ZaSpa and Fitness Center.

Alsabrook believes that the condos will pique the interest of a small market. "But, it will find its niche," she said.

Ted Wilson, partner with consultant Residential Strategies Inc., says the high-rise residence market is extremely competitive, but targeting a specific niche "is exactly what they should be doing."

Givens believes the condos will have wide appeal, attracting both young professionals and empty nesters.

The condo's architecture will have the same "French character" as Hotel ZaZa, Givens said. Design will be handled by Oklahoma-based Richard R. Brown and Associates, but a builder has not yet been named.

Contact DBJ writer Sandra Zaragoza at szaragoza@bizjournals.com or (214) 706-7113.



© 2003 American City Business Journals Inc.

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ZOM Uptown I(unnamed and sometimes called Rosewood) u/c between Azure and The Ashton

http://www.zomusa.com/custom/zom/images/uptown.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/barhouston/rosewood.jpg

u/c

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4816
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Victory is adding apartments
Houston builder also is working on rental project near Crescent
10:52 PM CST on Tuesday, January 18, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

A Houston builder is joining the Victory building boom. Hanover Co. is planning a 28-story apartment tower, according to Ross Perot Jr., whose Hillwood Capital is a co-owner and developer of the Victory project near downtown. It will be on Houston Street near American Airlines Center. The Houston builder is already working on the Ashton, a 21-story building a few blocks away at 2215 Cedar Springs Road across from the Crescent.

"Hanover is now coming into the project to build another 28-story tower of multi-family for rent product," Mr. Perot told builders meeting in Florida this weekend. Mr. Perot said Victory will ultimately have 5,000 condos and apartments. "You are now seeing a huge urban residential redevelopment boom," he said. "It's a trend that surprised us." Hanover officials confirmed Tuesday that they're planning the Victory building. "The Hanover Co. has interest in this site and is currently in the early phase of the due diligence cycle," said Hanover's Leah MacDougal. "We are not ready to comment further."

Construction has already begun on four residential buildings at Victory. Mr. Perot's Hillwood Capital is building the 31-story W Dallas Victory Hotel and Residences. Last week, Hillwood announced that it's starting work on a 15-story condo tower attached to the W. And Fairfield Development has broken ground on two residential buildings on Houston Street just north of Woodall Rodgers Freeway.

Dallas Arts District Masterplan and new performing arts venues

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Winspear Opera House(2009)
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anyone got a pic of the Wyly "cough" Borg cube "cough"

here's one

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Are they actually going to build that Borg Cube?

yup, apparently they will begin site prep this summer. It won't look so isolated in person as other projects will also be going up as well as new streetscaping. Its weird, but it will stand out as will the Wyly. It's probably not as bad as the rendering makes it look. Basically its one of those inside out buildings that you find in Europe.

Sweet.

The West End/Victory area is becoming one of the areas biggest museum districts

Natural History museum plans move
Officials hoping to finalize West End deal by end of year


11:56 PM CDT on Friday, August 20, 2004


By TOM SIME / The Dallas Morning News



The Dallas Museum of Natural History has landed a deal to move downtown from Fair Park, its home since 1936, and take on a new name, the Museum of Nature and Science.

The Dallas Museum of Natural History Association announced plans Friday to purchase land close to Woodall Rodgers Freeway and Field Street, near the Victory development and American Airlines Center and a few blocks from the Dallas Museum of Art and Dallas World Aquarium. The site now includes a parking lot and the marketing center for the W Dallas Victory Hotel and Residences, which is under construction a few blocks north.

The deal should be complete by the end of the year, and an architect will be selected after that, said museum chief executive Nicole Small. "We are under contract, and ... we have full intent to close," she said. The closing will be "around the end of the year."

In early 2001, the museum announced it would hire famed California architect Frank Gehry to design a $100 million facility in the Arts District. The location has changed, but the architect may not. "Frank Gehry is a possibility," Ms. Small said. "We've been talking to him for a couple of years. ... If it's not Frank Gehry, it will be someone of the same caliber. ... Probably next year, we'll make a decision."

Mr. Gehry was traveling Friday and could not be reached for comment. His office could not confirm that he is still considering the Dallas project.

Ms. Small said the cost would probably still be around $100 million. "We're just at the beginning, so we don't have a specific number," she said. She declined to specify the price of the land.

The name change "just seems to make sense," she added. "It really is most descriptive of what our concept is."

The new museum will not replace or affect the unrelated Science Place in Fair Park.

Tim Ewing, chairman of the board of the museum association, expressed satisfaction with the West End location. "It's in a very vibrant part of the revitalization of downtown, right there at the corner of the Victory development," he said. "We have the West End within a stone's throw and two of the most visited attractions in the city of Dallas that are not shopping malls: the Dallas World Aquarium and the Sixth Floor Museum."

Mr. Ewing would not reveal who was selling the land except to describe them as among the "entities developing Victory." But he added that "we will not be part of the Victory development."


The museum "is going to be an exciting educational destination," Ms. Small said. "We're going to talk about nature, science, math, the environment. The exhibits are going to be wide-ranging, interactive, cutting-edge technology. ... We're looking at what the best models are across the country, and really across the world, because very few cities ever have an opportunity to start from scratch and build a building that really inspires minds through nature and science."

An 'entryway' for Oak Cliff
$24M+ project to turn area's tallest building into condos
Christine Perez and Sandra Zaragoza
Staff Writers
A neglected area of Oak Cliff may soon be transformed into a bustling retail and residential gateway.


Armed with $4.1 million in support from the city of Dallas, local developer Steve Everbach is renovating the historic Lake Cliff Tower at Colorado and Zang boulevards into 60 upscale condominiums.

It's the largest component of Oak Cliff Gateway, a $24.5 million mixed-use development that will also include a new shopping center and a bank on nearby parcels.

Built in 1928 as a luxury hotel, Lake Cliff Tower has been vacant for years. The 12-story, 85,000-square-foot building -- the tallest in Oak Cliff -- looks out on Founders Park and Lake Cliff Park, as well as downtown Dallas.

"It's rare that a developer gets an opportunity to go in and materially improve an area like this," Everbach said. "We're really changing the entire feel of the neighborhood for the better."

This is Everbach's first project on his own, but he has been down the condo/redevelopment road before.

Prior to launching Evergreen Partners last June, he was an executive with Dallas-based Lazarus Property Corp., which transformed an obsolete office building at 1505 Elm St. into about 65 upscale condominiums -- the first such project in downtown Dallas.

Everbach believes Lake Cliff Tower will enjoy similar success. More than 60% of the units have been presold, he said.

"Sales at the tower have far exceeded our expectations and exceeded the original pro forma," he said.

Dallas-based David Griffin & Co. is overseeing the condo sales.

The one- and two-bedroom units range in size from 900 square feet to 1,500 square feet, and in price from about $160,000 to more than $500,000. Amenities include high-speed Internet connections, a secured parking lot and a pool area overlooking Founders Park, complete with a large deck and fire pit. The property will be staffed around the clock by a doorman, porter, building engineer and manager.


Rogers, Ark.-based PB2 Architecture and Engineering is architect of record for the tower, as well as the retail components. Local designer Aida Latorre is handling the interiors. Dallas-based Precept Builders Inc. is serving as general contractor.

Plans call for restoration of the tower's exterior and a complete renovation of the interiors. Despite the fact that it was built more than 75 years ago, the building is structurally sound, said Dave Karcher, president of Precept.

"They don't build them like they used to," he said.

Karcher said renovation of Lake Cliff Tower is long overdue.

"There are some opinions that say substantive redevelopment of the Trinity Corridor is going to start in the northern part and move south," he said. "We're calling this Oak Cliff Gateway because we think it will really get the ball rolling."

Everbach is under contract with a regional financial institution to build a 10,000-square-foot, full-service bank at the corner of Colorado and Zang. He's also putting in a 32,000-square-foot retail center directly across the street from Lake Cliff Tower.

Its Mediterranean look will mirror the style of the condo tower, said Jill Tiernan, vice president with Dallas-based The Retail Connection, who is overseeing leasing of the retail center.

"It will be a great entryway into Oak Cliff," she said. "I think it will spur additional development."

Fitness guru Larry North will anchor the complex with a 10,000-square-foot Larry North Fitness Center. It will be his first Metroplex location south of the Trinity.

Lake Cliff Tower
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Example of the kind of retail that Victory will house

Fashion Lift
Ort Varona’s newest store looks to score at Victory.
by Stephanie Quadri

Ort Varona may have started out with a career in counseling, but retail is his therapy. The psychology major turned entrepreneur thought Dallas lacked a store that catered to urban-chic adults, so he created Premium 93 and Octane, two of the hottest stores in the West Village. “We didn’t have a place to shop, so we created one,” Varona says.

But the 34-year-old is a little restless, so he’s expanding his arsenal of stores with the Lift Fashion Terminal in the Victory development, which will open in the spring of 2006. Located in the area around the American Airlines Center, Victory is backed by Ross Perot Jr.’s Hillwood and Tom Hicks’ Southwest Sports Realty and is well on its way to being one of the most significant urban developments in the country. Victory will boast a W Hotel, big-name restaurants and clubs such as Nine and Ghost Bar, extravagant residences, a public promenade, and other amenities.

Varona teamed up with investors such as Hillwood’s Jonas Woods to create a 20,000-square-foot “not-quite-boutique, not-quite-department-store” destination that will house some of the most sought-after designer merchandise in the world. Some of the names you can expect to see include Ted Baker, J.Lindeberg, Chip & Pepper, and—dare we say?—Prada. Lift will also have one of the best denim collections in town and will make custom jeans on-site. Mix that with airport design circa 1960s with German- and Japanese-influenced styles, personal appearances by designers, a cocktail lounge, and even an on-site fashion photographer, and you get a sense of Varona’s ambitions.

Could this be the next Barneys New York or LA’s Fred Segal? “It won’t be a cookie-cutter store; it’s a fresh look on retail,” he says. “Dallas is so forward and more willing to take risks than other cities, including Los Angeles or New York. We are the consumers for the next 40 years; our parents are over.”

Bryan Street Station

Downtown For-Sale Units Under Way
By Bob Howard
Last updated: April 13, 2004 09:32pm

DALLAS-Pradera Development of Dallas has started construction on one of the few for-sale housing projects in the city, its 48-unit Bryan Street Station condominium development.

David McKay, a Pradera principal, tells GlobeSt.com that the company expects to deliver the units later this year, with total revenue from sales projected at $10 million. McKay says Pradera sees demand for for-sale housing in the $120,000 to $200,000 price range that Bryan Street Station will offer. While something like 10,000 new housing units have been built within a mile of Downtown Dallas in the past 10 years, McKay says, less than 4% of them have been for-sale units and those for-sale units have been priced much higher than the Bryan Street Station condos will be. One reason that so many of the new units are apartments, he explains, is that institutional investors are putting up the money for them and the institutional investors want income-producing properties. McKay notes that the Pradera project’s location is three blocks from the Pearl Street DART Rail Station, Baylor Medical Center, Deep Ellum and the Arts District, a short walk from the heart of Downtown.

Bryan Street Station initially will consist of two structures, each of them with an at-grade concrete parking structure and three levels of residential units above, with a central elevator serving each level. Each of the two buildings will include 24 units that McKay describes as “European style flats.” A third structure of eight town-home units is also planned.

McKay estimates monthly mortgage payments for the 48 units will start around $685 per month, depending on loan terms, which he says “offers ownership at the cost of rent.” Pradera Development LLC is a privately held real estate development company focusing on acquisitions, development and dispositions.

One of the buildings
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Mixed-use project planned for former Maharishi site
Christine Perez - Staff Writer
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Realty America Group and Behringer Harvard Funds, two Dallas-based real estate investment companies, have acquired the former Hilton Inn in Dallas and are planning an $80 million redevelopment of the property. The hotel, now the Hotel Santa Fe at 5600 N. Central Expressway, sits on about 5.5 acres at the southeast corner of Mockingbird Lane and North Central Expressway. It previously was owned by an organization founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, father of the Transcendental Meditation movement, who gained fame in the 1960s as a spiritual advisor to the Beatles. The Maharishi School of Vedic Science paid about $2 million for the facility when it bought it in 1993. Terms of the sale to Realty America and Behringer were not disclosed.

Realty America and Behringer Harvard have big plans for the property, including a four-star hotel, high-rise luxury condominiums and retail -- all scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2006. "This landmark site is a jewel in the rough and a strategic fit within the Behringer Harvard Short-Term Fund portfolio, said Robert Behringer, founder and CEO. "It will benefit from strong local demographic demand for the urban resort lifestyle." San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, often credited for launching the boutique hotel trend, is negotiating to operate the hotel and relaunch it as The Hotel Palomar. Three Architecture Inc., a Dallas-based architectural firm, is working with Kimpton's design team to transform the nine-story hotel tower, which will house 185 rooms.

"Each of our hotels tells a story, and we are looking forward to implementing our signature style through renovations that will allow us to highlight the Mockingbird's rich history and share its unique story," said Niki Leondakis, chief operating officer of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. "Realty America Group and Behringer Harvard Funds have purchased a unique jewel of a hotel, and we believe affiliating with them will be a great introduction for us into the Dallas market." Two luxury penthouse condominiums will be developed atop The Hotel Palomar, and eight two-story loft condos will be built above the space formerly occupied by a Trader Vic's restaurant. Ground-level changes will create about 25,000 square feet of new retail space.

In addition, a new nine-story condominium tower will be built south of the hotel, adding about 60 new residences to the mix. The one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans will range in size from 900 square feet to 3,000 square feet, plus 5,000 square feet for the luxury penthouses. Prices will range from $300,000 to $1.6 million. Allie Beth Allman & Associates has been tapped to market the residential portion of the development, with sales kicking off in January.

The condos will include large terraces, and all residences will have views of either downtown Dallas, East Dallas or the Park Cities, said Jeff Berry, who co-founded Realty America with Kip Sowden in 2002. "There is not a better location in the entire D-FW Metroplex for a first-class, mixed-use urban lifestyle development anchored by the only Kimpton hotel in Texas," he said. Realty America Development, a division of Realty America Group headed by industry veteran Phil Brosseau, will oversee the project. Sam Gillespie will provide developmental oversight for Behringer. Gillespie recently joined Behringer after 21 years at Trammell Crow Co., where he last served as managing director of national accounts.


Luxury hotel to rise at Mockingbird-Central
Retail-condo complex to replace former Hilton
09:27 PM CST on Monday, November 8, 2004
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
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Developers have bought the aging Hilton Inn – more recently called Hotel Santa Fe – at Mockingbird Lane and North Central Expressway and plan to turn it into a luxury hotel, shopping and condo complex. Work on the $80 million project will start before the end of the year and includes a 10-story residential high-rise. The original 1960s hotel tower will be renovated to be operated by San Francisco's exclusive Kimpton Hotels. The redevelopment will also contain about 25,000 square feet of lower-level retail with loft-style condos above it in a low-rise building facing Mockingbird Lane.

Realty America Group

The complex at Mockingbird Lane and Central Expressway will feature a hotel, shopping center and high-rise condos. "We want to return this property to its glory days," said Kip Sowden, principal with Realty America Group, which bought the property on Monday in partnership with Behringer Harvard Funds. "We don't think there is a better location in Dallas-Fort Worth than the corner of Mockingbird and Central." Developers are hurrying to catch up with what they see as immediate demand for hotel rooms and housing. Since DART opened its light-rail station at the intersection in 1996, the surrounding neighborhood has increased in importance. The popular Mockingbird Station retail, cinema and apartment complex is just across the street, and new rental units have been built nearby.

But the old Hilton Inn has languished. Since 1993, it has been owned by the Maharishi School of Vedic Science, founded by 1960s spiritual icon Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It was still operating as Hotel Santa Fe until Monday, when the staff and guests were notified that it would close immediately. Other developers had tried to buy the hotel from the Maharishi and redevelop it without success. One sale that fell through resulted in a lawsuit. "That site really does deserve a premier development given the location, and it's on public transit," said investor Robert Behringer. "We've looked at this property for years, but we didn't have the patience to reel this one in. "When Realty America told us that they had control of this property and were interested in a partnership with us, we were very excited," he said.

Construction plans

Demolition will start within 45 days. The new owners will turn the nine-story hotel – built in 1967 – into the 185-room Hotel Palomar. Low-rise buildings just south of the hotel will be demolished to make way for the 60-unit, 10-story condo high-rise. There's also room on the 5.5-acre site for a third condo building, developers say. Allie Beth Allman & Associates Realtors has already started marketing the building and has about 10 presales. The condos will range in price from about $300,000 to more than $1 million, said agent Kyle Crews. "We expect the sales to go very fast," Mr. Crews said. "The success of the W and Ritz-Carlton hotel and condo buildings have proven the success of this concept."

The W Dallas Victory Hotel and Residences are under construction across from American Airlines Center, and the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton are planned for a site in Uptown. Developer Ken Hughes, who built Mockingbird Station, said the project will be a boost for the area. "It's very significant, and it should cause more things to happen," he said. "Kimpton is a great boutique hotel operator."

High marks for manager

Founded in 1981, Kimpton has 38 hotels in North America. The company recently opened hotels in San Francisco, Boston and New York and has a hotel under construction in San Diego. "After we studied Kimpton, we knew they were just the right hotel group to bring in for their first project in Texas," said Jeff Berry of Realty America Group. Dallas-based Three Architecture designed the new buildings and drew up plans for redeveloping the original tower, which was designed by noted local architect Ralph Kelman. Construction should be under way by the first quarter, and the entire project is set to be finished in April 2006.

"We have waited a long time for the development of this property, and this is the perfect opportunity," said Dallas City Council member Veletta Forsythe Lill. "This area is poised for great things, and I know the neighbors will be pleased to see this happening." Behringer Harvard Funds, which underwrites national real-estate investment funds, also recently bought several Dallas-area office buildings.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

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This sits across Mockingbird from Mockingbird Station

A Depression-era downtown skyscraper is in line to get a restoration.


File 1999/Staff photo
The DP&L Building at 1700 Commerce was designed by Lang & Witchell.

The historic Dallas Power & Light Building at Commerce and Browder streets is under contract to Denver developer Hamilton Properties, which wants to renovate it for residential and retail space.

The 19-story, art deco-inspired high-rise is one of the last unrestored downtown office buildings from that era.

Built in 1931 as the corporate headquarters for Dallas' electric company, the DP&L Building has been empty for several years since the utility – now a part of TXU Corp. – moved its operations to the Energy Plaza skyscraper at Bryan and Ervay streets.

"It's a wonderful building," said Dallas City Councilwoman Veletta Forsythe Lill. "And we are fortunate that a developer that is already making a contribution to downtown is looking at another project."

Currently, Hamilton Properties is restoring the 76-year-old Davis Building on Main Street into 183 loft apartments and retail space.

Hamilton Properties has asked the city to include the DP&L Building in the city center tax increment financing district. The move would allow the project to receive public-sector backing.

Officials with Hamilton Properties could not be reached for details of their renovation plans.

The renovation would include multiple properties on the block. Along with the DP&L Tower, the complex includes an adjoining 14-story office tower, a two-story connecting building and a Jackson Street parking lot. All of the buildings are owned by an affiliate of TXU.

The DP&L Building – with its stained-glass windows and polished stone lobby – was designed by renowned architects Lang & Witchell, which also created the Lone Star Gas Co. headquarters and Fair Park Music Hall.

When it was built, the DP&L tower was the tallest welded-steel building in the Southwest.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

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Downtown grocer on its way



June opening planned for store; renovations also include lofts


08:19 PM CST on Saturday, November 13, 2004

By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News

Hardhat-clad la for urban renewal.

"People will see a very vibrant portion of downtown here," Dallas Assistant City Manager Ryan Evans said, adding that the city plans to beautify nearby roads with trees and other streetscape elements next year.

Barker Nichols originally scheduled the start of Interurban Building renovations for several months ago, but "with a project as complex as this, if it's only a couple of months late, it's a tremendous victory," Mr. Evans said.

Developers initially tapped Dallas resident and former Fresh Approach grocer Danny Furr to operate the Interurban Building supermarket under the Fresh Approach name.

Barker Nichols is now using "Urban Grocers" as the market's working moniker, and Mr. Johnson said he is "looking at several options right now" for grocery operators. Mr. Furr said he recently met with Barker Nichols to discuss the store. "We're still talking," he said.

In January, the City Council, in a unanimous voice vote, approved $5 million in tax increment finance funds to help redevelop the Interurban Building – once a stately bus terminal and office building.

But most recently, it has become a crumbling memorial borers are assaulting downtown Dallas blight, tearing out rotten window wells and scouring the insides of Jackson Street's Interurban Building, as its transformation from eyesore to supermarket commences.




Financing Clears for Interurban Building's $28M Makeover
By Jennifer D. Duell
Last updated: December 23, 2004 02:40pm

DALLAS-Local developer Merriman Associates has secured financing for the $28-million conversion of the historic Interurban Building, which served as the terminal for North Texas' vast electric railway system, into a class A, residential high-rise.
Merriman Associates' principals Chip Johnson, Craig MacKenzie and Randy Rost mined several financing sources, including a $5 million TIF grant from the city and $3.3 million in federal historic tax credits, says Bernard P. "Bud" Malone, president of Malone Mortgage Co. "This was a complex transaction," he says.

Dallas-based Malone Mortgage provided $18.2 million in construction and permanent financing for the Interurban project through HUD's 220 full-insurance Multifamily Accelerated Processing program. The 40-year loan fully amortizes over the term. Malone tells GlobeSt.com that the 18-month construction loan has an interest rate of 5.75%, which rolls into a 5.5% permanent loan. In addition to the first mortgage, Merriman Associates obtained a $1.5-million mezzanine loan from New York City-based New York Life Insurance Co.

Located at 1500 Jackson St. in Dallas' CBD, the 165,000-sf Interurban Building was built in 1916. The redevelopment calls for a ninth floor to be added to the building so it can be outfitted with 134 lofts, ranging from 669 sf to 1,638 sf. The average unit will be 827 sf. Rents will range from $700 to $1,700 per month. The project also will include a six-level parking garage with 450 spaces and a 20,000-sf, full-service grocery store. Construction began a month ago. Units will start to turn in September 2005.

Malone Mortgage has provided financing for several historic redevelopments. Its notable projects are the conversions of the Kirby Building , built in 1913, and the Santa Fe Terminal Lofts, circa 1920s, and San Antonio's Cadillac building in the CBD.


EXCLUSIVE REPORTS
From the December 31, 2004 print edition
Historic redevelopment
Christine Perez
Staff Writer


Dallas moneyman Bud Malone has put together $18.2 million in financing to fund redevelopment of the historic Interurban Building at 1500 Jackson St.

Built in 1916, the building formerly served as the terminal for North Texas' vast electric railway system. Developer Barker Nichols L.L.P. is transforming the property into 134 residential units, a six-story parking garage and -- drumroll, please -- a downtown grocery store.

"It's a milestone residential development for downtown Dallas," said Malone, president of Malone Mortgage Co.

Malone is no stranger to conversion projects. His company arranged financing for redevelopment of the Kirby Building and the Santa Fe Terminal Lofts in downtown Dallas. Both buildings were originally built in the early 1900s.

"Their success has proven up the double-barrel idea of living downtown and living in a high-rise as a way of life," he said.

Construction of the Interurban Building kicked off last month and is scheduled for completion in September 2005.

"The No. 1 thing that makes a downtown comeback is residential living," Malone said. "You can pour all the money you want into arts buildings and theaters and restaurants, but until you get downtown residential, it doesn't really become a vital base."

cperez@bizjournals.com | 214-706-7120


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The Ashton u/c opens later this year

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Of course there is plenty more going on. I'll try to update as stories come out so its not an absolute jam

Wow! Thanks Rantanamo for taking the time to post all of this.

2nd downtown tower speculation this year

7-Eleven may move downtown

One of its options is building a tower in the Arts District

11:32 PM CST on Thursday, February 24, 2005

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

7-Eleven Inc. may move downtown when its lease at the Cityplace tower runs out.

The convenience store giant is looking at an Arts District location for a new building and has shopped at least one other vacant building downtown, real estate brokers say.

If 7-Eleven moved downtown, it would be the biggest corporate headquarters to move into the central business district since Blockbuster Inc. in 1996.

7-Eleven sold the 42-story Cityplace building on North Central Expressway last year for $124 million. Its lease is up in just over two years.

"We continue to look at all options for our headquarters, and that includes remaining in this building," said Margaret Chabris, 7-Eleven's public relations director. "We have not made any decision about a move."

Real estate brokers say 7-Eleven's top relocation site is a 10-acre tract on the eastern edge of the Arts District.

Developer Lucy Billingsley owns the property at the intersection of Central Expressway and Woodall Rodgers Freeway that was recently added to the Arts District. The land is across the freeway from the booming Uptown neighborhood.

Preliminary plans call for a mixed-use development on the mostly vacant property.

"All I'll say is, I have been in contact with several different corporations about our downtown property," Ms. Billingsley said. "There is tremendous excitement about the Arts District."

If 7-Eleven moves inside the downtown freeway loop, it would be a coup for the central business district, property brokers say.

"It would be a huge win for downtown and signal that development in the core is back," said Joel Pustmueller of Peloton Real Estate. "If that project goes forward, it would anchor the Arts District on the east side.

"And it would provide great visibility on the skyline for someone like 7-Eleven," he said.

Because of the time required to build a large office project, a decision is probably close at hand, Mr. Pustmueller said.

"It would be outstanding if 7-Eleven relocates to downtown," said John Zogg, senior vice president of Crescent Real Estate Equities Co. "I know they are considering a new building as well as existing buildings."

"They would be endorsing all of the significant changes and vibrancy in downtown today," said Mr. Zogg, whose company is downtown Dallas' largest office landlord.

In recent months, 7-Eleven representatives have looked at existing buildings downtown and locations in the suburbs, brokers say.

Whether the company stays at Cityplace or moves to the central business district, keeping 7-Eleven in town is key, said Dallas City Council member Veletta Forsythe Lill.

"We need to do whatever is necessary to keep them," she said.

7-Eleven built the Cityplace tower in 1988 and has had its headquarters in the skyscraper since then.

About 1,000 7-Eleven employees occupy almost 500,000 square feet in the 1.4 million-square-foot tower.

7-Eleven said when it sold Cityplace that its new landlord, Prentiss Properties, would owe an additional $14.5 million for the building if 7-Eleven decides to stay after its lease expires.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

How about we just pickup the building and move it to downtown lol. I hope they go downtown.

Hopefully that mixed use devlopment for the 7-11 tower will be open 24 hours, if you know what I mean. (night life wise)

Virtually all of the new developments rantanamo has graciously documented in this thread are within a two mile radius of Dallas' central business district, and most lie in the NW quadrant - Uptown. For almost a decade the central city seemed to be in hibernation while the satellite cities became home to Fortune 500 companies and nearly one million new suburban residents (NOT including Fort Worth's share of the Metroplex). The renowned city planning which continues to attract more than 100,000 new residents a year to Dallas' suburbs and satellite cities is finally being joined by an urban development movement. The initial phase of the West Village opening in the late 90s, mark the beginning of the urban neighborhood expansion bringing more residents into the heart of the giant suburban metropolis. Anchored by two large master plans catering to more upscale and affluent clientele (West Village and especially Victory), Dallas' Uptown area will have several more years of consistent redevelopment.

Significant improvements and substantial depth to recreational opportunities are provided through the Trinity River Park, Centers for Performing Arts, (relocated & expanded) Museum of Nature and Science. Several additional DART train stations within the two mile radius of the CBD are scheduled to open within the next five years promising to exceed in scope and scale the current popular transit oriented developments. Lifestyle possibilities in Dallas are finally beginning to expand beyond suburban conveniences.

City Lights project east of downtown

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01:39 PM CST on Saturday, February 19, 2005


By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News



More than a year after tying up land for the project, developers are still refining plans for a large shopping center to be built on the eastern edge of downtown Dallas.

Called City Lights, the retail complex is earmarked for more than two blocks near Live Oak Street and Good Latimer Expressway.

Margaux Development Co. originally intended to anchor the 350,000-square-foot shopping center with a supermarket, but lining up a tenant hasn't been easy.

"The grocery store market – which drove us to pick that site – is not what it once was," said Mickey Ashmore, president of United Commercial Realty, which is marketing the project.

Because of fierce competition in the supermarket industry, some grocers have slowed or halted construction of stores.

The recent opening of a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market grocery store near the City Lights site has also increased competition among supermarkets in that area.

"The developer has bought the land – it's not just under contract," Mr. Ashmore said. "And we are in serious discussions with six tenants.

"I think we will break ground this year and will have a 2006 or early 2007 opening," he said.

The proposed shopping center would have three levels of retail space plus more floors of parking.

"It's a very complicated project to engineer," Mr. Ashmore said.

While work on the City Lights project has continued, developers have moved forward with several condominium and townhouse developments in the same neighborhood.

Almost 200,000 people live in a three-mile radius of the planned shopping center.

TOD Time again in Dallas. This time up the Red Line across Central Expressway from North Park Mall. Apparently this project is very controversial with the city council(what isn't). Includes, hotel, residential, retail and the Park Lane LRT station.

Park Lane Place

http://img69.exs.cx/img69/458/parklaneplace05aerialperspecti.jpg

http://img100.exs.cx/img100/8236/parklaneplace08aerialperspecti.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)
http://img100.exs.cx/img100/4406/parklaneplace12mainstreetviewn.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)
http://img100.exs.cx/img100/7931/parklaneplace11mainstreetviewn.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)
http://img211.exs.cx/img211/878/parklaneplace15maincorner1ne.jpg

2 more blocks going up in the West Village as we speak. Here are the renderings

Next to Borders/BoA site and across McKinney Ave from the West Village main building. This will complete block 7C

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5461


and pics of dirt moving(as you can see the West Village area is growing very dense and into the form of the master rendering)
http://img216.exs.cx/img216/5162/img35220st.jpg

and across Blackburn from the main West Village and across McKinney from the Mondrian
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5463


and dirt moving at the site(The dense cluster of townhomes on the right is Knox Park)
http://img216.exs.cx/img216/521/img35251ex.jpg

both are mixed-use with retail and residential and part of the WV masterplan. Here are a couple of aerials of the area

West Village with Turtle Creek in the background(as you can see the West Village area is growing very dense and it along with Knox Park more than rival and surpass its Uptown neighbor to the south, State-Thomas)
http://img216.exs.cx/img216/6483/img35211hr.jpg

Knox Park and North Dallas High School. The dense cluster of townhomes stretches to the Knox-Henderson strip where the two towers are in the upper right
http://img216.exs.cx/img216/1020/img35279xe.jpg

Great Stuff ...thanks alot rantanamo:)

Stoneleigh digging into past with high-rise condo project

New tower to complement styling of historic hotel, which is set for renovation

11:59 PM CST on Wednesday, March 2, 2005

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

A historic Dallas hotel is getting a face-lift and a new residential tower.
[Click image for a larger version] FILE 1923
FILE 1923
The Stoneleigh, which began life as Dallas' first residential high-rise, is getting a new residential tower.

The Stoneleigh Hotel, which opened its doors on Maple Avenue in 1923, is still a favorite with Dallas visitors.

Local developer Prescott Realty Group said Wednesday that it's teaming up with the Stoneleigh's New York owners on the redevelopment, including a condominium high-rise on the east side of the old hotel.

Residential units aren't new at the Stoneleigh, which was originally built for full-time residents.

"We feel lucky to be able to work with the first residential high-rise in the city of Dallas," said Jud Pankey, president of Prescott Realty. "The Stoneleigh has always done well due to its loyal following, and it's going to get better."

Prescott Realty plans to begin construction before the end of the year on remodeling the 153-room hotel.

Dallas-based ArchiTexas Inc. is working on the designs.

"We are pricing the construction right now," Mr. Pankey said. "The hotel has never been shut down, and we would love to honor that" by keeping it open during the renovation.

Along with refurbishing the rooms and lobby areas, the redevelopment will expand restaurant and meeting space.

On a parking lot east of the Stoneleigh on Bookhout Street, Prescott Realty and partner Apollo Real Estate Advisors of New York are planning a condominium tower linked to the hotel.

The new building will have less than 100 units and will be of a similar architecture.

"It is not a twin, but we are making sure from a historic perspective that we treat the project sympathetically," Mr. Pankey said. "It will be taller than the Stoneleigh."

Complete plans for the condo tower are not finalized, but the developers said they will have more details, including a projected cost, in the next few weeks.

Gromatzky Dupree & Associates is designing the new building.

The 11-story Stoneleigh Court Apartment Hotel – its original name – was touted as "the largest and most pretentious apartment hotel ever constructed in the Southwest" and cost $1.5 million.

The fully furnished apartments were outfitted by Sanger Brothers department store, and residents were offered modern features such as a "refrigerating plant" to air-condition the building and a "wireless station" to provide radio signals to the units.

On the ground floor, residents had a barbershop, beauty salon, lounging room, smoking room and sun parlor.

It was heralded upon completion, but the Stoneleigh's timing was off.

Just six years after opening, with the coming of the Great Depression, the hotel was sold on the auction block by bankruptcy receivers.

A series of owners – including Dallas' Corrigan family, which had the property for almost 50 years – remodeled and continued to operate the Stoneleigh.

Apollo Real Estate has owned the Dallas landmark for several years.

The Stoneleigh condo building would be the latest in a series of residential high-rises planned north of downtown.

"It's a big project, and it's going to be a big thing for Uptown," Mr. Pankey said.

Housing analyst Mike Puls said the location and its connection with the historic hotel should make the Stoneleigh project attractive to buyers.

"It will have great views, and it is going to be near Victory and everything else that is happening in Uptown," Mr. Puls said.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/v3/03-03-2005.nb_03stneleigh.G911HVJC0.1.jpg
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/03-05/0303stoneleigh.jpg

Gables Uptown Park will get a differnt look from the original rendering

original
http://img6.photobucket.com/albums/v19/rantanamo/Uptown/Gables_Uptown_Park.jpg


new rendering at the site
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5467


progress
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4712

W Hotel as of 3/2 nearing half of its structural height

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5466

Wow. It's really coming along now. It would fit in well with the skyline.

Rooms with a redo

Praetorian Building to become lofts, have exterior restored

11:58 PM CST on Thursday, March 3, 2005

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

When the Praetorian Building opened on Main Street in 1908, people paid a quarter to climb to the top floor and look out over downtown.

At 16 stories, it was the tallest building in Texas.

But the last office tenants of "the pioneer skyscraper of the Southwest" moved out in 1993.

Now a California investor has decided that the landmark could be a hit with loft apartment renters. 3J Development LLC of San Diego bought the Praetorian Building this week.

"It's not going to be sitting empty much longer," said 3J Development president Joseph Sapp. "We are not going to let it sit dormant but are going to move forward with the project."

The Praetorian is 3J Development's second buy in downtown Dallas. Mr. Sapp's development partner in the project is Don Cooksey of CGP LLP in California.

Last month, the commercial builder and investor purchased the mostly vacant 1600 Pacific tower. The 33-story, black glass tower will be turned into about 370 residential units.

The Praetorian Building and 1600 Pacific (formerly the LTV Building) are a block apart on the popular Stone Street Gardens mall.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed, but the Praetorian Building is valued at about $900,000 on the tax rolls. 3J Development bought it from a Singapore investor.

The Praetorian was built with an elaborate stone exterior. But the classical architecture was obliterated in the 1960s, when the building was "modernized" with a metal-and-glass exterior.

The new owners plan to replicate the old exterior. "Maybe people love that metal façade, but I don't," Mr. Sapp said. "Our whole game plan from the beginning was to redo the façade completely and bring it back to the look of the early 1900s when it was built."

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

The current building
http://www.dallasarchitecture.info/praetorian.jpg

The original facade/what they want to recreate
http://www.watermelon-kid.com/dallas-sights/images/pcards/praetorian_bldg-640.jpg

Some awesome Mondrian updates from jsoto3 on Dallasmetropolis

http://img216.exs.cx/img216/2331/img34864sy.th.jpg (http://img216.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img216&image=img34864sy.jpg)

The block around it will create a nice streetscape
http://img216.exs.cx/img216/7386/img34887bl.th.jpg (http://img216.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img216&image=img34887bl.jpg)
http://img216.exs.cx/img216/426/img34878kh.th.jpg (http://img216.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img216&image=img34878kh.jpg)

Heck of a neighbor to have
http://img216.exs.cx/img216/3297/img35249jk.th.jpg (http://img216.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img216&image=img35249jk.jpg)

Some lucky person(s) future view. Really shows how dense the southern areas of Uptown are becoming.
http://img216.exs.cx/img216/158/img35393ab.jpg


sidewalk fountain
http://img216.exs.cx/img216/4517/img35136zn.th.jpg (http://img216.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img216&image=img35136zn.jpg)

this will be one great neighborhood once it fills out.
http://img216.exs.cx/img216/484/img35071ez.jpg

W Hotel progress

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5491

Coool stuff

Historic Gulf States building going residential
03:10 PM CST on Monday, March 7, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon....1164b6a27.html


A Main Street construction project starting Tuesday will bring needed parking downtown plus additional retail and apartments. Spectrum Properties is developing its 17-story building in the 1400 block of main near Akard Street. The new project will tie into the historic Gulf States Insurance Building, which is already being converted to residential. Filling a parking lot between the Gulf States and Davis buildings, the new building will contain 20,000 square feet of retail space, six floors of parking and 84 apartments on top of that.

"The entire project will be completed by the summer of 2006," said Edward Okpa, who's overseeing the development with Spectrum Properties. Spectrum Properties started renovation of the Gulf States Insurance Building late last year. Built in 1928, the vacant office building will house 68 loft apartments. A smaller former department store behind it at Elm and Akard will also be redeveloped into 14 apartments.

Spectrum Properties is receiving an $8.5 million interest free loan from the City of Dallas and Dallas County to build the parking garage. Plans for the project have been in the works for almost three years. "It doesn't mimic the old construction but is very contemporary," said Alice Murray, Central Dallas Association president. "It's a nice bridge between the Davis and Gulf States buildings."

Read more in tomorrow's Dallas Morning News or at DallasNews.com

E-mail: stevebrown@dallasnews.com

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3693
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4424
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5494
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5499

Rantanamo, you rule.

There are some really nice projects going on in Dallas. At this rate, I might have to stop disliking the skyline and general DT area so much. Dallas has always turned me off, probably because of that damn soap opera from the 80's, which had nothing to do with Dallas.

Thanks. I've been too lazy to post half of em' though. I'll eventually catch up.

Rienzi tower going condo



Turtle Creek, Uptown projects are competing for luxury buyers


08:38 PM CST on Sunday, March 6, 2005

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

One of the last luxury apartment towers along Turtle Creek is going condo.

TA Associates Realty, a Boston investor, has purchased the Rienzi, a 3-year-old high-rise near Fairmount Street and Turtle Creek Boulevard, with plans to make the conversion. Houston-based Personette & Associates and Dallas' Allie Beth Allman & Associates have been hired by the new owners to market the project.

"We are working right now on the models and the marketing materials," said Nancy Personette. "We will begin showing the project to the real estate community right away."

The nine-story building on Enid Street contains 154 units ranging from about 860 square feet to more than 3,000 square feet.

Condos in the building will start at around $250,000, Ms. Personette said.

Current tenants will be offered first choice of the units and will be allowed to continue renting as the building is sold.

"We're not kicking people out" until units are needed to sell, Ms. Personette said.

She said anywhere from 8 percent to almost 25 percent of renters typically buy when a building is converted.

TA Associates Realty plans to make only minor upgrades to the property, she said.

"When they designed the building and finished it, they did it with condo conversion in mind," Ms. Personette said. "The property is in wonderful condition and it has all the bells and whistles."

The project includes a swimming pool and spa.

The Rienzi's builder, Myers Development, sold the property to TA Associates Realty.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed, but the property is listed on the Dallas County tax rolls at $21 million.

The real estate company invests in a variety of projects in several U.S. cities.

"This is their first project in Texas," Ms. Personette said.

With the Rienzi project under way, there are now more than a half-dozen residential high-rises competing for buyers in the Uptown-Turtle Creek area.

"And there are already more planned," said consultant Mike Puls with Foley & Puls.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/030704dnbustherienzi.d71df.html

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5496
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5497

Finally, new tall construction downtown

Main Street high-rise gets under way today
Parking garage, retail and apartments are planned


11:09 PM CST on Monday, March 7, 2005


By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News



Construction begins today on a Main Street residential tower between two historic buildings in downtown Dallas.

The project includes 84 apartments, a six-floor garage that will bring needed parking downtown and 20,000 square feet of retail space.

Spectrum Properties is developing its 17-story building in the 1400 block of Main near Akard Street.

The new project will fill a parking lot between the Gulf States Insurance Building and the Davis Building. It will be tied to the Gulf States building, which is already being converted to residential.

"The entire project will be completed by the summer of 2006," said Edward Okpa, who's overseeing the development with Spectrum Properties.

Spectrum Properties started renovation of the Gulf States Insurance Building late last year.

Built in 1928, the vacant office building will house 68 loft apartments.


A smaller former department store behind it at Elm and Akard will also be redeveloped into 14 apartments.


Spectrum Properties is receiving an $8.5 million interest-free loan from the city of Dallas and Dallas County to build the parking garage.


Plans for the project have been in the works for almost three years.


"It doesn't mimic the old construction but is very contemporary," said Alice Murray, Central Dallas Association president.

"It's a nice bridge between the Davis and Gulf States buildings."

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5499
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3693

building will fill the space below
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5498

Might this open the flood gates for something developers have wanted forever?

Mid-rise at White Rock Lake OK’d
Revised plan calls for 7-story senior living center and $5 million art center

March 4, 2005
By J.D. Sparks/Lake Highlands People

Citing urban renewal trends and conservation concerns, city planning commissioners last week voted to approve amended development plans for a senior citizen independent-living and art center at the site of CC. Young Memorial Home on West Lawther Drive.

“Developers have only two ways to go — up and down,” commissioner Bill “Bulldog’ Cunningham said. “Everybody is moving back in, closer to work. People can still enjoy the lake, even if it’s surrounded by skyscrapers.”

“This plan ... is a wonderful proposal for our community. It benefits our neighborhood in so many ways” said Ken Durand, president of C.C. Young.

The commission’s 14-0 decision dealt a blow to neighborhood activists who said the issue would be picked up again in the upcoming City Council elections.

“I and my neighbors value neighborhoods with houses and parks, whereas Commissioner Cunningham values highways and freeways,” said James Costello, a member of the Peninsula Neighborhood Association.

Representatives from the Cloisters, Peninsula, and Lakewood neighborhood associations vehemently opposed the development, saying that it would obstruct the skyline around White Rock Lake and the surrounding park.

Mr. Costello said high-rise buildings are eyesores that bring more people, and there fore more traffic congestion, to the area.

Original plans for the pro posed development at 4829 West Lawther Drive called for an eight-story building with a maximum of 240 units.

While city staff supported the developer’s request to add a new independent living center to the site, including a $5.5 million arts center and a park, planners opposed zoning changes that would allow the developer to build an eight-story structure.

According to a staff report, the zoning changes “were not compatible” with the surrounding development - and land use and “would set a precedent that could open the area to the visual intrusion of high-rise buildings.”

But Mr. Cunningham said urban renewal projects that include building mid- and high-rise buildings closer to city centers and on water fronts is a way to make cities viable while conserving time, energy, and natural resources.

After vocal protest from neighborhood associations, the developer amended the plans to seven stories and stair-stepped buildings in order to afford greater privacy to surrounding residences.

Mr. Durand said the new mid-rise building would have about 100 to 110 units and would not increase the number of people living there.

“We did the best we could to meet the needs and concerns of neighbors:’ he said. “I can see no good reason why this plan wouldn’t be approved by the City Council.”

But opponents say the fight isn’t over yet.

“Frankly, I think this will be an issue in the upcoming City Council election:’ he said.
Councilman Gary Griffith, who appoints the commissioner in his district, is up for re-election in May.

A date for the City Council hearing has not yet been set.

Council approves Arts District expansion
Dallas council also approves blueprint for Trinity corridor project
11:08 PM CST on Wednesday, March 9, 2005
By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...ncil.49a6c.html

Dallas City Council members unanimously approved two land-use projects Wednesday: an expansion of the city's Arts District and a blueprint for developing the Trinity River corridor. The agreement to widen the Arts District boundaries ended eight months of negotiations over the zoning change. And while one property owner in the expansion area spoke against lengthening the district, the others – including developer Lucy Crow Billingsley, who owns 10 acres on the edge of the district and originally opposed the change – said they generally favor it. "Great things are coming to the Arts District," said Ms. Billingsley, daughter of real estate magnate Trammell Crow. "We are excited because downtown is coming to a revitalization. We believe that a great future lies immediately before us."

As a result of Wednesday's vote, the Arts District – which is now bounded by Ross Avenue, Woodall Rodgers Freeway and St. Paul and Routh streets – will be extended four blocks northeast to Central Expressway. The unpaved weed-choked lots and rundown gas stations in the expansion area will eventually be subject to the same standards as their elegant Arts District neighbors. That will include design guidelines along Flora Street and some landscaping and parking requirements. "More than $500 million worth of public/private investment is being made in the Arts District," council member Veletta Forsythe Lill said. "It is incumbent on the public to protect that investment, to advance that investment. The Arts District belongs to all of us."

But John Leedom, CEO of Wholesale Electronics Supply and a former state senator said Wednesday that he doesn't want to belong to the Arts District. The former City Council member said he lost a multimillion-dollar contract on his property because of the zoning change. And he said the city is violating the Texas Constitution, which states that "no person's property shall be taken, damaged or destroyed for any special public use without proper compensation to persons." "There are many vacant lots" inside the Arts District, he said. "There's no justification. It will not add anything to the district."

Cultural centers

Conceived in 1977, the Dallas Arts District houses the city's most prominent cultural centers, including the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Garden and the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. Construction on the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts is scheduled to begin in late 2006, said Bill Lively, president of the center's foundation. "This is going to complete a 25-year dream of the district as it is now defined," Mr. Lively said. "The extension beyond Routh will be very positive for the district." Also Wednesday, council members adopted a long-awaited land-use plan for the Trinity River corridor, directing the city staff to to enforce design and zoning standards along the waterfront.

"It's been a long road. ... It's not something we just thought up overnight," council member Steve Salazar said. "This is a really huge effort on the part of the city of Dallas to make sure whatever developments do come to the bottomlands, that there are standards [that must be] followed." Under the proposal, crafted after meetings with property owners along the 20-mile Trinity corridor, Dallas' central business district would be extended across the river, bringing office towers onto the west bank. Warehouse space along Irving Boulevard would be turned into a residential and commercial strip. And heavy industry close to downtown would be moved north into the Elm Fork area and south into the McCommas Bluff area.

Much of the waterway north of downtown and in the Trinity Forest area would remain in its natural state. In parts of West Dallas, Oak Cliff and southern Dallas, communities of single-family homes would be preserved. "The process is absolutely necessary for people to really begin to understand we are serious about this project," council member Ed Oakley said. "If we've got an opportunity to develop an alley, we need to have the ability to develop a uniform look." Council member Sandy Greyson said Wednesday that she was concerned zoning changes and design standards would be implemented on a case-by-case basis, leading to inconsistency along the Trinity corridor. "It concerns me that ... as we so often tend to do, we would give people what they want without taking into consideration that we have an overall, overarching plan," Ms. Greyson said.

'Wall of buildings' feared

Ms. Greyson also said she fears a "wall of buildings" and large signs will crop up along the waterfront, blocking scenic views. "I want to make sure we address that before people come in and start building," she said. The land-use plan includes a provision to preserve "view corridors," Assistant City Manager Jill Jordan said. But she said the city will have to work with consultants to determine design standards for signs along the river. "I don't think anyone wants a whole sea of billboards along the corridor," she said. Under the plan, existing industrial and commercial businesses along the downtown corridor would be "grandfathered" – allowed to operate until the property changes hands, Mr. Oakley said. Then they would be phased out with zoning changes and replaced with urban retailers and loft living.

"Residential is coming, office is coming, retail is coming," Mr. Oakley said. "And somewhere down the road ... [industrial businesses] may need to consider that whatever their facility is needs to be in a different location." In other Trinity River news, council members authorized a 20-year agreement Wednesday with the National Audubon Society to manage the Trinity Interpretive Center, a riverfront nature center.

E-mail eramshaw@dallasnews.com

Turtle Creek area landmark to get redo
Maple Terrace apartments will go condo and add units
11:46 PM CST on Wednesday, March 9, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...race.7365f.html

The Trammell Crow Co. said Wednesday that it's working with owners of the historic Maple Terrace apartments near Turtle Creek to convert the building to condominiums. The Maple Terrace apartments were built in 1925. 'We will put it back to its grandeur,' said developer Art Lomenick. The project includes remodeling the 1925 landmark and building a condo tower. "We are in a redevelopment venture to save the old building and grounds," said Art Lomenick, a managing director for Crow Co. subsidiary High Street Residential. Crow formed High Street Residential three years ago to build residential and mixed-use projects in markets around the country. The Maple Terrace redo is its first high-profile project in North Texas.

High Street Residential and Maple Terrace's owners are seeking city approval this week to renovate the old apartment building. "We will put it back to its grandeur in the 1920s and 1930s," Mr. Lomenick said Wednesday. Developers said it was too early to announce prices, the number of condominiums or a start date for the project. The residents in the building aren't being asked to move out yet and will be offered a chance to buy the units. The seven-story Mediterranean-style building at Maple Avenue and Wolf Street was designed by British architect Sir Alfred Bossom, who was also responsible for Dallas' landmark Magnolia Building. The building cost $1 million to build and was laid out with more than 300 rooms that could be configured into various-size apartments.

Plans to redevelop Maple Terrace have been in the works for several years. In 2000, developer Frank Aldridge and David Corrigan, whose family has owned the building since the 1940s, announced plans to convert Maple Terrace into a luxury hotel. But with the recession in the hotel market, that project never got off the ground. Mr. Aldridge and Mr. Corrigan are working with High Street Residential on the latest redevelopment proposal. The city of Dallas' planning department has recommended approval of the project.

"We are going to build the new building in a complementary style," Mr. Lomenick said. "We are in the design process, and marketing will kick off in a couple of months." Across the street from the Maple Terrace, the owners of the 82-year-old Stoneleigh Hotel are working on a similar plan. Prescott Realty Group of Dallas is working with the Stoneleigh's New York owners to remodel the hotel and build a condominium high-rise.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com


http://www.dougnewby.com/images/body/Architecture/Architects/Architects/sir_alfred_bossom_1.jpg
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/03-05/0310maple.jpg

apparently this place has broken ground

GlobeSt.com EXCLUSIVE: Condo Developer Steps Up Construction
By Connie Gore - Wednesday, September 15, 2004 08:15pm
http://www.globest.com/news/116_116...s/126492-1.html

DALLAS-A Dallas developer, playing to a niche condo market, is readying a site to go vertical on a "for sale" development on the Uptown-Highland Park border. The $25-million Drexel Highlander is moving ahead just as one project wraps up and plans start flying for a first quarter 2005 groundbreaking for a third condo development on yet another infill tract.

Robert Dale, principal of Drexel Development Co., says the Highlander's walls will start going up in 30 days. Pre-sales begin in January 2005, with delivery penciled for the fourth quarter on a nine-story, 48-unit building positioned on about three-fourths of an acre at the hard corner of Prescott Drive and Oak Lawn Avenue. "There have been a lot of inquiries because it's a premier location," Dale says.

Designed by Smith & Ekblad of Dallas, the Highlander is 18 units larger than the developer's first "for sale" product, the Drexel Montane at 2885 Woodside St. in Uptown, but will be the middle child when ground breaks on the first phase to an estimated $50-million development with 100 condos at build-out. Dale says the land's under control, but it's not closed so he's not ready to say if it's Downtown or North Dallas, both locations on the developer's "to do" list.

Meanwhile, work is wrapping up on the $12-million Montane, where keys will be ready to turn within 30 days. The Montane's units, of which 11 have been sold, range from 1,400 sf to 2,550 sf and are tagged for sale at $350,000 to $725,000. In comparison, the Highlander's units range from 2,000 sf to 3,500 sf, with prices of $550,000 to $1.4 million.

"We think the market is very strong for 'for sale' product," says Dale, whose firm has built two rental properties in Uptown. "Our intent is to take this product type and continue to develop it." And, he says, that means going beyond the Dallas city limits. Dale and principal Robert Edelman are eyeing "three or four" sites in Mid-Cities and Fort Worth. They've also looked at Houston, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, OK. Dale says it could be "a year or two" before the show goes on the road, but it will happen.

The Drexel team believes the design's success is mortared by an electronic access, quarter-size device that ensures privacy and security from private parking areas to direct-entry elevators--incorporated into rental and condo product alike. The devices can be programmed for certain hours to allow access for services like housekeepers, but block the locks when the time's up. Should an employee or service be tendered, the device is rendered useless. "No one else in Dallas has anything like this," Dale says.

http://www.drexeldev.com/Highlander/images/highlander-new.jpg

looks like its State-Thomas brethren, the Drexel Montane

Spectacular new urbanist project at Big Town site in Mesquite shot down

Finally.

Advertisement
For more than four decades, the Big Town Mall area on the western edge of Mesquite has been on the decline.

After decades of dormancy, the city recently received two proposals for redevelopment of the Big Town area from the same developer, Spence Albert.

Albert is no stranger to Mesquite as he is responsible for the Falcon's Lair North and South projects.

In fact, the project that will more than likely be presented in a public hearing before the city council on Monday calls for the demolition and subsequent environmental clean-up of Big Town Mall.

The mall site, the convention center, the farmer's market area -- all gone under the demolition proposal.

"We have a zoning application for a business park," said City of Mesquite Economic Development Director Tom Palmer. "The Big Town Task Force is recommending establishment of a TIF [Tax Increment Finance] zone for $5 million.

"There has been discussion that the TIF would stay in place for a number of years to help cash flow property development should it occur."

Originally, Albert presented something more grandiose for the area.

The Villages of Big Town was an ultra-trendy, West Village-style, new urbanism type of development similar to those found in Southlake, Frisco, Plano or Mockingbird Station in Dallas.

It also featured the complete leveling of Big Town in its present state -- replacing it with a combination retail/residential development with streetscape infrastructure and even a club overlay district.

And, the TIF district that would have been created with the project was a proposed 30 years -- generating $100 million.

City Councilor David Paschall voiced a number of concerns with the Villages concept at the Dec. 6 council meeting -- including the creation of a TIF with such a large commitment.

"I can't stand corporate welfare," he said this week. "I believe a project should be able to live on its own. Those TIF monies are revenues that would be going to the general fund and as our budgets get tighter, it's hard to justify taking money from the taxpayers and giving it to someone else."

Another concern Paschall noted at the council meeting was that the Villages of Big Town concept was an apartment project -- and that it would have been eight times larger than any other apartment project in the city of Mesquite, he said.

"One of the messages I have received from the people of my district is, 'No more apartments,'" he said. "And, this would be the biggest TIF with the longest lifespan we would have ever put together."

As it turned out, with the Villages concept apparently going by the wayside, the business park proposal fulfill two important purposes for the city.

First of all, Paschall agreed that a commercial or industrial development would be more consistent with the development that has occurred in adjacent areas to Big Town -- such as the Unilever distribution center.

And, the recently adopted development guide recommends commercial projects for the Big Town area.

Secondly, the business park concept could provide much-needed land for industrial and commercial prospects.

Palmer said the city is rapidly running out of industrially conducive land and the Big Town business park concept will fill that void.

"The business park concept would present some quality standards that could serve as a front door to the community," Palmer said. "It would have nice entry features and a retail component could be built in.

"The Big Town name still carries some nostalgic market value. It is down right now, but it could be something that could perhaps be rekindled."




http://www.jhparch.com/pics/portfolio_subitem.128.img3.jpg
http://www.alpertcapital.com/images/lake.jpg
http://www.alpertcapital.com/images/plaza.jpg
http://www.alpertcapital.com/images/street-091604.jpg

W Hotel as of 3/10

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5529
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5530

when will the ritz-carlton begin construction?

this spring

I like the Big Town development, because new urbanism is my thing, but am I the only one that would like to see this closer to downtown?

Doesn't matter so much as there is plenty in the pipeline for the inner-city. In reality, I imagine it didn't pass because Mesquite wants to protect Town East and its surrounding. With Firewheel opening next Christmas and developments like City Lights and the West Village taking away their traditional shoppers they have to protect that investment. So buh bye Big Town Village.

Funds for Trinity bridges approved

Transportation bill includes $76 million for I-30, I-35E spans


07:10 AM CST on Friday, March 11, 2005


By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News



The U.S. House passed a $284 billion transportation bill Thursday that includes every dollar Dallas officials requested for two new bridges spanning the Trinity River.

The U.S. Senate and House must still arrive at a final version, and President Bush must sign that six-year spending plan, which has been stalled for 18 months. But congressional leaders said Thursday that they are confident that will happen well before the current bill expires May 31.

The $76 million allocated for Trinity bridges isn't guaranteed, if only because "a chicken doesn't crow until the egg hatches," said U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas. "But I'm very, very hopeful we get this done, and quickly. It looks good."

The future of Dallas' Trinity River project depends on three bridges – sweeping structures designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The first, a Woodall Rodgers freeway extension bridge that will be named for philanthropist Margaret Hunt Hill, is already fully financed.

If the House version of the transportation bill is adopted, it will help fund construction of the Interstate 30 bridge and Interstate 35E bridge, as well as two highway interchanges on Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway.

"I am beyond ecstatic, and I attribute every penny to Pete Sessions and Eddie Bernice Johnson," Mayor Laura Miller said of the representatives. "This was the big hurdle. The heavy lifting has been done, and it was done by two people."

The most recent transportation bill, which expired at the end of 2003, has been kept alive with three short-term extensions. The White House has threatened to veto the reauthorization bill if it exceeds $284 billion.

In the House bill that passed Thursday, Ms. Johnson, D-Dallas, earmarked $25 million for the I-30 bridge and $15 million for the I-35E bridge. Mr. Sessions allocated $34 million for the I-30 bridge, and U.S. Reps. Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas, and Kenny Marchant, R-Coppell, each allocated $1 million. This represents the full funding the city requested for the bridges.

"We have a huge debt of gratitude to our congressional delegation, Eddie Bernice Johnson and Pete Sessions, and all of their leadership," said City Council member Ed Oakley, who will be in Washington with the mayor Wednesday to discuss appropriations for the Trinity River Project. "Now, all our eyes will be focused on the Senate and the White House."Mr. Sessions said: "Make no mistake about it. The money we are awarded is thanks to a lot of bipartisan work."

If the House version is approved, the $76 million for the Trinity bridges will be coupled with dollars from the Texas Department of Transportation to finance construction, said Rebecca Dugger, director of the Trinity River Project.

"We're happy; we're excited," she said. "We've still got some work to do. But we're one step closer to getting [design] done and breaking ground."


Staff writer Dave Levinthal contributed to this report.

E-mail eramshaw@dallasnews.com

Rantanamo, you rule.

There are some really nice projects going on in Dallas. At this rate, I might have to stop disliking the skyline and general DT area so much. Dallas has always turned me off, probably because of that damn soap opera from the 80's, which had nothing to do with Dallas.


I have to agree with Jason,

I just spent a few days in your city for the first time and found it to be very nice. I was really impressed with how cutting edge some of the new architecture was while other new projects were more traditional. Devlopers also seem to be making an effort to build quality in some places that may not have required that much attention to detail.

I did notice that the further out from the city I got the more suburban sprawl took over. Welcome to America :eek2:

no doubt. Dallas has some bad sprawl. Each burb complete with a shiny new urbanist "town center". Thankfully people are rediscovering the city a little bit.

Harwood, Westbank Break Ground on $100M-Plus Azure
By Connie Gore
Last updated: April 5, 2005 09:21am

DALLAS-Harwood International and Westbank Project Corp. officially are under construction with a $100-million-plus residential tower that's pushing the 65% sales mark. The call to start was sounded this morning at a gold-shovel groundbreaking before Dallas' real estate leaders and elected officials.
The 202-unit Azure, a 31-story tower in Uptown, is the second US project for the Vancouver, BC-based residential high-rise expert. "Harwood had the site and the desire to do extremely high quality," Ian Gillespie, Westbank's owner, tells GlobeSt.com. "It was a little bit of a stretch of us to go to Dallas, but we really liked the idea of teaming with Harwood. There are not many developers who want to do extremely high-quality high rises and what we can't do is compromise ourselves for one project." The Azure will sit at 2900 McKinnon St. on a 1.3-acre carve-out from Harwood's 12-block footprint in Uptown.

Now that Westbank's arrived, Gillespie says Harwood will be its only teammate in Dallas/Fort Worth. And, he adds, there's a good chance that additional projects will come out of Harwood's Uptown ground. But for now, the focus is on the Azure, which he predicts will be "largely sold out" by the time it delivers in spring 2007.

"It's selling a little better than we anticipated," Gillespie says. "One penthouse is sold and a contract's pending on the other. He says condo sales are "zeroing in on 65%," predominately to Dallas-area residents. Prices range from $400,000 to $4.2 million for a unit mix with 881 sf to 5,025 sf of upscale space.

Gillespie says Dallas is in its formative stages in comparison to his homeport, where developers have cranes on the ground for 20 residential high-rise projects. But in five years, Dallas will have arrived both in significantly higher prices and demand, he predicts. "It will slowly ramp up as people adopt this lifestyle," says Gillespie, whose other US project is located in Seattle.

In a previous interview, Gabriel Barbier-Mueller, Harwood's founder and CEO, said he has been waiting for two decades for Dallas to reach a stage for high-rise residential development. For that story, click here.

With the timing now right, Barbier-Mueller last year formed Harwood Living, a 12-member team formed to steer the development of the flagship property for a branded-residential portfolio. Centex won the general contractor's contract for the Azure, designed by James KM Cheng Architects Inc., with offices in Vancouver and New York City, and Gensler Architects, a San Francisco-headquartered international firm with offices in 25 cities. The rest of the team has Dallas-based SWA Group as landscape architect; Gensler and Lauren Rottet of Los Angeles teaming on interior designs; and sales by Gullotto Group/Ebby Halliday Realtors and the Seattle-based Rennie Marketing Systems.

Latest land deal: Facing a station
DART offers properties - for sale or lease - near light-rail
10:47 PM CDT on Thursday, April 7, 2005
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News

Up and down the DART rail lines, today's parking spaces, vacant lots and empty buildings might just become tomorrow's high-rises, office buildings and condominium developments. As land around its rail stations becomes more valuable, Dallas Area Rapid Transit has started taking a different approach to property it owns. For the first time, the transit agency is seeking proposals to redevelop some property, rather than sell the land to the highest bidder or leave the parcels as station parking lots.

"What could go in there will complement the system, bring in additional riders and get people out of their cars. It also will generate some revenue for us," said Jack Wierzenski, DART's director of economic development and planning. In this developer competition, the transit agency is offering nine tracts totaling about 53 acres. Eight of the parcels are near rail stations, and one lies between two stations.

"This says we're doing the job right because developers want to be on that land," Mr. Wierzenski said. "They want to be right on top of that platform."

Interest already is high, with about 140 unique visitors to DART's Web site featuring information about the parcels. The transit agency bought all of the parcels during rail line construction. Developers have expressed regular interest in each of the parcels before the bid competition was announced. They must submit their formal proposals by May 13.

"In the past, DART treated property it didn't need right now as excess property and would sell it," said Peer Chacko, the manager of long-range planning at the City of Dallas. "Now, it's viewed as a resource. Developing that property can be a big driver to trigger other development in that location."

The project also could be a boost to local tax rolls – any land bought from DART and developed would again be subject to taxes. The Dallas Central Appraisal District must decide whether taxes on any land leased from DART or buildings built on that leased land would be subject to taxes, according to the transit agency.

The potential boon to both DART and the city has them sharing notes on station-area development and planning, a change from past mistrust. Before the first rail line opened, many city officials did little to encourage development around the stations. Shortly after the first rail line segments opened in fall 1997, no one from the city attended DART's first economic development seminar.

Growing interest

But interest in station-area development has grown. City planners have started to overhaul their comprehensive plan, considering land around current and even future DART rail stations as economic catalysts. A revised comprehensive plan could be complete by year's end. It could help with redevelopment near the rail lines, including the former industrial area on Illinois Avenue near the Westmoreland Station.

"It has become pretty clear that we have come a long way since the advent of DART," Mr. Chacko said, adding that the city wants to make it as easy for developers to build rail station projects as it is to build a strip mall. "Everyone is expecting that we should do more to facilitate transit-oriented development."

The idea that nearby rail lines enhance property values has caught on in other cities, as well. In Washington, D.C., station-area property fetches a premium price when offered for sale or lease by the transit agency. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority offers about five to eight properties for sale or lease each year, with about 60 total projects completed since the 1970s, said Elisa Hill, the acting manager for property planning and development. Those properties, which range from dense in-town projects to redevelopment at suburban transit parking lots, create about $16 million a year in revenue, she said.

"This area's real estate market is booming," she said, emphasizing that space is at a premium for developers. "It doesn't matter where you are."

In Plano

Locally, Plano city leaders are talking with five developers about converting Rice Field, a local athletic field on Avenue G, into a project offering about 100 condominiums or townhouses for sale. A winning bidder could be chosen this month, and a deal could be signed in three to four months. When the project is built, downtown Plano will have a total of 700 new housing units and bring the city closer to its goal of 1,000 new apartments and condominiums for the Downtown Plano Station area.

"As metropolitan areas grow, people will try to cut down on their commute time and are looking at more accessible properties," said Frank Turner, executive director of Plano's development business center. "Where light rail is available, properties have an edge and a competitive advantage."

Cities including Carrollton and Farmers Branch also have started station-area planning for the arrival of light rail in about five years.

"If a parcel is vacant or it looks like a parking lot, that opportunity for redevelopment exists," said Mr. Turner, adding that more redevelopment likely will occur in Plano.

Some (dated now) rooftopping & misc. photos by someone else who took them while they gained access to The Mondrian, the new res. tower in the West Village:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5483

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5480

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5482

Some ground level stuff (minor) seen in this rendering is on deck at The Mondrian and nearby:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5617

7-Eleven to move HQ to Arts District

11:09 AM CDT on Wednesday, April 20, 2005


By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News



7-Eleven Inc. will move its headquarters to a new development in downtown Dallas' Arts District.


Billingsley Co. and Corgan Assoc.
The new development will be a focal point of the Arts District. The corporate offices will be part of a mixed-use development that includes high-rise condominiums and retail space built around a plaza.

"For the past 78 years, 7-Eleven has made Dallas its worldwide headquarters," said 7-Eleven president and CEO Jim Keyes. "We are delighted to be able to continue to call Dallas our home."

Developer Billingsley Co. has been planning the project for years as a new focal point for the Arts District.

"When the next major cultural buildings come on within the Arts District and the connection is made with this project, it will be something very powerful for the city of Dallas," developer Lucy Billingsley said Wednesday. "This is the most important deal for us, and it’s a giant opportunity to be able to participate in the future of downtown."

Central to the $100 million development will be a 425,000-square-foot office building to house 7-Eleven's home office. The convenience store giant is now located in the Cityplace tower at North Central Expressway and Haskell Avenue.

The new headquarters site is on three acres at the northeast end of Flora Street between Routh Street and North Central Expressway.


File Photo
The convenience store giant is now located in the Cityplace tower. The development will be just a short distance from the $275 million Margot and William Winspear Opera House and the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre that are to be built along Flora Street.

Billingsley Co. has hired award-winning Dallas architect Lionel Morrison and Matt Mooney of Corgan Associates to design the Arts District complex.

Do you have any idea how big the building will be for the 7/11 HQ?

They should build a 7/11 museum, just like we have a Coca-Cola Museum here in Atlanta. They could devote a room to the history and development of the "Slurpy."

Actually, they should design the new building to look like a giant slurpy!

Very impressed - keeping a big corporation in the central city & them even moving further into downtown is great news!

Nick - The site plan is i believe all there is right now. I think the height of the tower will depend on whether the office and residential are consolidated into one building.
http://frontburner2.dmagazine.com/archives/SENT-SITEPLAN.jpg

This is great news. I know the people in Dallas hoped that they go downtown and they got there wish.

From the D Magazine Frontburner:
BIG NEWS FOR DOWNTOWN

The Mayor will make an announcement at noon at City Hall but the FrontBurner Nation doesn't wait on officialese. Here's the scoop, straight from the horse's mouth:
Billingsley Company today announced plans to develop a 10-acre site on the northeast corner of the recently-expanded arts district in downtown Dallas. The corporate offices of Dallas-based 7-Eleven, Inc. will become the anchor tenant in the first phase of the project to be known as One Arts Plaza. The entire project, including new restaurants and galleries, 60 luxury residential units and 425,000 square feet of office space, is expected to cost over $100 million.




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[Click for a larger version of the image]

http://frontburner2.dmagazine.com/archives/SENT-SITEPLAN.jpg (http://frontburner2.dmagazine.com/archives/SENT-SITEPLAN.jpg)




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http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/042005dnbusarts.1f7b4ad0b.html

7-Eleven to move HQ to Arts District

11:10 AM CDT on Wednesday, April 20, 2005


By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

7-Eleven Inc. will move its headquarters to a new development in downtown Dallas' Arts District.

Billingsley Co. and Corgan Assoc.
The new development will be a focal point of the Arts District. The corporate offices will be part of a mixed-use development that includes high-rise condominiums and retail space built around a plaza.
"For the past 78 years, 7-Eleven has made Dallas its worldwide headquarters," said 7-Eleven president and CEO Jim Keyes. "We are delighted to be able to continue to call Dallas our home."

Developer Billingsley Co. has been planning the project for years as a new focal point for the Arts District.

"When the next major cultural buildings come on within the Arts District and the connection is made with this project, it will be something very powerful for the city of Dallas," developer Lucy Billingsley said Wednesday. "This is the most important deal for us, and it’s a giant opportunity to be able to participate in the future of downtown."

Central to the $100 million development will be a 425,000-square-foot office building to house 7-Eleven's home office. The convenience store giant is now located in the Cityplace tower at North Central Expressway and Haskell Avenue.

The new headquarters site is on three acres at the northeast end of Flora Street between Routh Street and North Central Expressway.

The development will be just a short distance from the $275 million Margot and William Winspear Opera House and the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre that are to be built along Flora Street.

Billingsley Co. has hired award-winning Dallas architect Lionel Morrison and Matt Mooney of Corgan Associates to design the Arts District complex.




-----

Here we go:

http://dallasmetropolis.com/gallery/files/1/victoryicontower.jpg

Here it is:

http://www.xvisionx.com/docs/daia/rend02l.jpg




(Edit: The server this rendering is on seems to be up and down...)

A+ score for the core. Put a freaky-abfab flagship store/museum in that office/res phase 1 project. (Would also fit into the whole Arts District motif.)

It would be nice if Atlanta had an Arts District with a Sculpture museum and other specialized museums. Unfortunately, the Arts are not as high on the philanthropic totem pole in Atlanta as they are in Dallas, Ft. Worth and Houston.

I'd love to see the fairly new Nasher Sculpture Museum!!

Oh, supposedly the tallest component of this phase may deliver at around 22/23 stories...according to the Press Conference that also stated the residential is on top. 'Official' groundbreaking this Summer.

WFAA-8 DFW News just also added a short report that the build-out (of the 10 acres Billingsley owns) projects to have 3-4 mid-rises in the 20+ story range.

I would much rather enjoy 4-20 story, mixed use towers than 1 tall one. The tall one gets more press, but the 4 buildings create a neighborhood as well as linking the Arts District with State-Thomas, Near EAst Dallas and the rest of the CBD.

For that distinct area, I agree it's extremely wise to build mid-range.

Good news.:)

Has a rendering now (scale might be out of whack, but, then again -
the project's expansion that includes this new tower and a facelift of the
old building is supposed to be/apparently twice as tall as the original building from nearly 100 years ago.)

http://dallasmetropolis.com/gallery/files/1/stoneleigh.jpg

Nice stuff going on. I really like the Mondrian.

Nice interesting distance shot of the W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences u/c:
(taken by patmns from another somewhat new project)

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5770

^Oh, and the taller building (at this time anyway) just to the right of center is "The Ashton" - which is a new residential tower still finishing up.

Quoted elsewhere:

...But the Hunt tower is pretty much a go ahead project. I know this only because I've seen the final design. Its a pretty awesome building, but I don't have the rights to post the pictures. I will say its not going to be very tall about the same height as the Federal Reserve. Still a pretty awesome looking building. I was impressed that it was not designed by a "high design" architect. Has some fun curves and some different colors that will be introduced into the skyline.

Also, we were involved momentarily with a high rise design of a building in the Arts District near City Lights. Going to be about 18 stories due to the limited size of the lot. We lost the bid early on because of my firms lack of experience in high rise residential (even though we have done highrise hotels...etc... beside the point). But this may be one of the projects one of those article was mentioning. I can tell you there is a lot being talked about in the Arts district right now by different parties. I do not know all the specifics, but have heard talk of a couple projects being approached by different developers. So I'd expect this Arts plaza is just a start of a couple more projects that may be announced in the near future.

//Also posted on page 1 of this thread...
Loose design possibilities for the Hunt Tower (should be safe to disregard the overall brown hues as being dominant) :
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5408
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5407

Guessing this may more resemble some sort of final design, but, I wouldn't know de facto:
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5406

Dallas World Aquarium expansion done.

Museum of Natural History (significant architect to be named.)
Next to Victory and West End, it's lot is located here and slated
for a 2008 start.


Dallas Holocaust Museum:
http://dallasmetropolis.com/gallery/files/1/dalholocaustmemctr2.jpg
http://dallasmetropolis.com/gallery/files/1/dalholocaustmemctr3.jpg
http://dallasmetropolis.com/gallery/files/1/dalholocaustmemctr.jpg

Appropriatations (mostly philanthropic if not all) are still rolling in for some
long-expected additions of significant cultural institutions in the Arts
District. City Hall is behind expansion. A lot of what you see in the
background and foreground of the Wyly (borg cube) rendering will also change
significantly.
The Winspear Opera House (lipstick), The Wyly Theatre (borg cube),
The Annette Strauss Artists Square, and others... A recap of visuals:
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2538
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2539
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2540
http://www.dallasperformingarts.org/images/DCPAF_Winspear_Opera_House_Foster.jpg
http://www.dallasperformingarts.org/images/DCPAF_Charles_and_Dee_Wyly_Theatre_OMA.jpg
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5507

Unity Plaza, where West Village approaches the Cityplace Station.
(M-Line Streetcar turnaround and DART Red/Blue/Future Purple LRT lines
underneath/nearby.)
http://www.dallasaia.org/pics/award_item.27.img_2.jpg

A new rendering of the under construction Gulf States development. Two renovations with additions, and one new-construction mid-rise. Easy for locals to forget, apparently, that this new building is going up as we speak - with all the circus-acts surrounding the 7-Eleven HQ new-construction stuff...

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5857

Park Lane Place is getting the go ahead. (TOD near Park Ln. Station for DART LRT Red Line.)

It also has a website: http://www.parklaneplacedallas.com/
Other info is in this thread somewhere - probably posted by rantanamo.

Very nice W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences construction
progress photos by psukhu:

24Apr05
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5810

28Apr05
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5849

New website open for other related and nearby construction
at Victory Dallas development site:
http://www.theterracecondos.com/
^That website is still in it's infancy apparently, nothing of note to see
there just yet...

Hotel high-rise planned
Turtle Creek project near Mansion to have residential spaces
11:37 PM CDT on Wednesday, April 27, 2005
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/042805dnbusturtlecreek.53ea3f11.html
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

A California hotel developer is planning a high-rise residential and hotel building on a Turtle Creek site between The Mansion on Turtle Creek and the Crescent Court Hotel.
Staff graphic

Foch Investments bought the vacant site this week from Sofitel, a division of hotelier Accor SA, which has owned it since 1999. The more than 2-acre tract at Cedar Springs Road and Turtle Creek faces the Katy Trail.

"We are looking at developing a boutique hotel with a condominium component," said Foch Investments partner David Thurman. He said the company is talking to a boutique hotel group that's "nationally known."

Mr. Thurman said Foch Investments, which is also working on projects in California, Las Vegas and Europe, will spend 60 to 120 days on plans for the project before making a more detailed announcement. The company has hired architects BOKA Powell to plan the building.

Foch Investments was one of several potential buyers, and all were considering high-rise developments, said broker Newt Walker, who negotiated the sale.

"This market in the last four months down there has gotten condo fever," he said. "Prime sites like this have a lot of people looking at them."

^In the background you can see The Mansion Residences. The same architects that designed that will be doing this Turtle Creek project mentioned just above.

As a note for history, the Sofitel Hotel proposal once looked like this.
Again, note, this is the same site and the rendering shows an unbuilt project.
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5124

Dallas' West Village filling-out step by step...

Construction shot by psukhu:
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5811

Construction shot by jsoto3:
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5845

Something more along the lines of fun and cool.

This is a photo of a conversion in progress. The 1217 Main St. Bldg. The rooftop
will be a large garden and the building is supposed to have a lot of external and
internal water features - including a possibility for a waterwall from the top floor
to the sidewalk.

The whole buildling (every floor will be occupiable by patrons; including that
garden rooftop which alone is supposed to be able to accomodate 150 patrons)
is being converted into "The Cascades Restaurant."

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5830

A LOT RIDING ON AIRPORT TRAIN
The speedier Skylink may pull in more connecting fliers - and D/FW revenue

06:40 PM CDT on Saturday, May 7, 2005
By SUZANNE MARTA / The Dallas Morning News

When Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport's new Skylink opens later this month, passengers will trade a plodding, jerky trip on the airport's 31-year-old train for a fast, sleek ride with a view.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport's Skylink will begin carrying passengers from terminal to terminal on May 21. It will be the world's largest airport train. But airport officials are counting on the $880 million project for a lot more than that. Opening to passengers on May 21, Skylink seeks to address one of D/FW's critical flaws. Although the airport's sprawling layout makes it easier for pilots to park big jets, it can frustrate passengers rushing to make connecting flights. The automated Skylink – the world's largest airport train, with a fleet of 64 cars and a route nearly five miles long – will transport passengers between most terminals in about five minutes.

Skylink cars can travel in both directions, so the longest trip between D/FW's four existing terminals and a new international terminal will take just nine minutes.
"This solves the No. 1 customer service issue at D/FW," said Jeff Fegan, the airport's chief executive. Aviation consultant Mike Boyd said the new train transforms D/FW. "It's the equivalent of building a whole new airport with one terminal," he said. "Skylink really brings D/FW up to date."

Skylink could mean more passengers, air service and concessions revenue, and it may even change perceptions of the world's third-busiest airport, D/FW officials said.
Opened in 1974, D/FW isn't an old airport, but it was designed for a different era of air travel, when passengers pretty much got on planes at their home airports and got off the same planes at their destinations. After deregulation in 1978, leading airlines began to develop vast hub-and-spoke networks, which allowed them to serve midsize and smaller cities more efficiently. D/FW grew into a major hub. Today nearly two-thirds of passengers connect, rather than end their trips, at the airport.

Major carriers such as American Airlines Inc. also got a lot bigger, making transfers even more complex. When D/FW opened, "no one ever intended for any airline to be bigger than one terminal," Mr. Fegan said. Now American operates in terminals A, C and part of B. And soon, it will move its international flights into Terminal D, which opens in July.

Connecting passengers are critical to the North Texas economy because they attract direct air service that couldn't be supported by the local market alone.
But connections between carriers at D/FW's four horseshoe terminals can prove lengthy and frustrating for harried travelers, sometimes requiring a trip on a shuttle bus and an additional trip through security. "If you were connecting from San Antonio to Des Moines, you could literally have to walk a half mile," Mr. Boyd said. "As a connecting airport, D/FW was a disaster."

'A NIGHTMARE'

The current D/FW train, Airtrans, has been the bane of connecting travelers – and the butt of jokes – since it opened with the launch of the airport.

Skylink will transport passengers between most terminals in about five minutes.
Officials have jokingly called Airtrans "the little train that could," referring to the way it barely seems to have enough momentum to complete its winding route.
The original train operated several routes around the terminals on the public side of the airport. In 1991, American opened its TrAAin, which uses Airtrans cars and equipment and runs on the secure side of the airport through the carrier's operations in Terminals A, B and C. The loop goes in only one direction and takes 17 minutes to complete.

Until Skylink opens, the TrAAin is the only part of the original Airtrans system that continues to take passengers. The rest of Airtrans was closed to passengers in late 2003 and is used only by airport employees. Tonya Stringer, who travels weekly for her job as a district sales manager, is careful not to waste time when she connects at D/FW, especially when she has to switch terminals. Her strategy? "I just go fast and don't make any stops," she said as she boarded the TrAAin, connecting between flights from Kansas City, Mo., to her home in Little Rock, Ark. "I have 40 minutes between flights, and it will probably take me the full 40 minutes to get to my gate with this train," Ms. Stringer said. "Forget the bathroom, and forget getting food."

Ms. Stringer said she always asks her travel agent to allow an hour between flights at D/FW when possible to avoid missing a connection. "D/FW is great for local passengers," she said. "But for the person connecting, it's a nightmare."

A SHORTER PATH

D/FW has been aggressively marketing Skylink, holding focus groups about such details as selecting station and onboard music and even developing a "signature" chime when the train starts or stops. The goal is to get travelers comfortable with the train, said Joe Lopano, D/FW's executive vice president of marketing. "Once people trust that Skylink is going to move every two minutes, they'll feel more comfortable to go to another terminal to shop," Mr. Lopano said.

Initially, Skylink will be capable of carrying 5,000 people per hour in each direction, using two-car trains. Eventually, the system will accommodate four-car trains.
Each Skylink car can carry 60 people, compared with about 20 on the old train. And at about 35 miles per hour, Skylink is more than twice as fast. Like the TrAAin, Skylink runs on the air side of the terminal, meaning passengers can avoid a second trip through security.

Terminal navigation makes a big difference in airport customer satisfaction studies, said Linda Hirneise, a partner in J.D. Power and Associates' global travel practice.
"Anything to expedite the customer experience will have tremendous rewards in satisfaction," she said. At D/FW, "the walkways are so narrow, and the [passenger] carts are always honking at you to get out of the way," Ms. Hirneise said. "It can be very difficult to get around." With two train stations in each terminal, those marathon walks that wind through the concourse won't be necessary.

Travelers who are beginning or ending their trips at D/FW and check their luggage won't benefit from Skylink because they have to go outside the security gates. They'll still use the shuttle service to return to parking garages at different terminals. But Skylink will be useful for local travelers who bring only carry-on luggage. Road warriors will be able to choose the carrier with the best flight times for the departure and the trip back even if the terminals differ, said Tom Parsons, owner and fare watcher for Arlington-based Bestfares.com. "Before, if you flew out on Delta, you'd make sure you came back on Delta just so you didn't have to use that stupid train" to get back to your car, Mr. Parsons said. "Now you can fly Delta if that's the best time out, and fly American if that's the best time back."

Mr. Parsons agreed that the train's convenience could make D/FW more attractive as a connecting hub. "People might start connecting through Dallas instead of Chicago or Atlanta," he said. "That's where the real payoff comes." The new train also makes the airport easier to sell to new and existing airline tenants looking to expand but counting on quick connections for passengers. "In the airport world, you need size and flexibility," D/FW's Mr. Fegan said. "We had size; now with Skylink, we have flexibility."

Skylink's fast terminal connections factored heavily in a recent D/FW business pitch to Korean Air, which operates in Terminal B. Now if Korean Air passengers want to connect to flights on the carrier's interline partner Delta Air Lines Inc., they have to take a Terminal Link shuttle bus to Terminal E, which isn't served by the TrAAin.
With Skylink, "Korean Air can have as good of connections as American Airlines," Mr. Lopano said.

American chairman and chief executive Gerard Arpey described the train as "very fast and very convenient." "The train is the link that makes our connections work," he said at a recent event for international media. Efficient terminal navigation could translate into more business for American and other carriers whose passengers want to make quicker connections with international networks. "If it takes 10 hours and 30 minutes for an international trip that connects through D/FW and 12 hours if you connect through Chicago, that's a competitive advantage for us," Mr. Fegan said.

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5905

Series of Off-Market Sales Nets Full Block for 227-Unit Mid-Rise
By Connie Gore
Last updated: May 6, 2005 10:27am





DALLAS-After a year of priming the land, Alliance Communities has gotten its hands on a full block in Oak Lawn to bring its Broadstone brand to North Texas. The three-acre block, bought in six back-to-back off-market deals, is being platted for a mid-rise development with 227 rental units.



Five land sales and one property exchange from four sellers have closed in the past two weeks. The last deed flipped two days ago: the 113-unit Reagan Plaza at 2602 Reagan St. The land assembly has cost the developer "north of $4 million," Armand Charbonneau, vice president in Dallas for the Houston-based Transwestern Commercial Services Inc., tells GlobeSt.com. "The seller got significantly more than it's worth as apartments yet the buyer got development land for significantly less than they would have had to pay in that area." The last seller was Oakwood Properties of Dallas, which bought the class C apartment building in 1998.



Nicholas Chapman, an Alliance Communities' development partner in Texas, says construction will start in mid-June on the four-story Broadstone Oak Lawn project and wrap up in September 2006. According to Charbonneau, the developer has retained Steinberg Design Collaborative LLP of Houston to craft the high-end development. "There will be a dramatic increase in prices in that area of Oak Lawn when this project goes up," he predicts. Based on other Broadstone projects, the development tab most likely will exceed $25 million.



Alliance brought the Broadstone brand to Texas about three years ago, starting with the 223-unit Uptown Lofts at 3363 McCue Rd. in Houston. Since then, Houston has landed two more Broadstones and one's on the way in nearby Sugar Land while San Antonio's north central submarket has two developments by the Texas affiliate of the Phoenix-based Alliance Residential Co. Uptown Lofts, which is about the same size as the mid-rise planned for Oak Lawn, has one- and two-bedroom units, ranging from 659 sf to 1,200 sf and rents of $975 to $1,540 per month. Alliance owns one multifamily asset in Dallas, but it's not a Broadstone brand.



Charbonneau says the next move is to start clearing the land. Reagan Plaza and two single-family houses will come down in a few days to make way for the mid-rise and parking garage. The block is bordered by Reagan, Shelby, Brown and Fairmount streets.



Charbonneau and partner, Mark Freeman, started to quietly court developers in May 2004 with Oakwood's apartment building. "The only way to get the price this owner wanted was to go after developers," Charbonneau says. Alliance, though, needed more than one tract. "That was a big coup to get a whole block," he says, adding others tried to get in on the play as the plan took shape. "Everyone wanted to get a piece of that."

Cascades renovation update
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5904

new crane up at the West Village for the new 5-story mixed-use on the Borders/Chase Bank block

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5902

W-Hotel update

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5901

Gulf States renovation and 1407 Main updates. Gulf States is being converted to residential, while 1407 is a new building to go up between Gulf States and the Davis buildings

1407 hole being dug
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5889

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5890


Gulf States renovation
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5891

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5888

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5886

Criswell Center crane has gone up

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5900

CityLights land clearing. One of my favorites in the metroplex. This should be awesome. Right at future light rail, and between a soon to boom Arts District and Bryan Place(Uptown light). Which is better, this or Park Lane Place?

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5944
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5945
http://www.citylightsdallas.com/Citylights_V1.jpg

^ WOW ! I hadn't realized it was right downtown !

^Yup, its only seperated by an elevated freeway from the CBD, and is next to Bryan Place(Uptown light with lots of townhomes, apt and condos is a very dense area). Its only a few blocks from a light rail stop and will be 1 block from the next line to open.


Another "town square" Lifestyle center thingie in the suburb of Highland Village. There have to be 5 million of these things in the metroplex.

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5960
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5958

I'd said yet another lifestyle center, because here's another u/c in Rockwall. Expect lots of these, as there is lots of lakes and lakeside property in DFW.

The Harbor in Rockwall. Not really urban, but at least its on the water and next to a DART owned ROW.
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5957
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[mg]http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5955[/img]
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5954

After sitting through a zocor commercial - you'll see some
fantastic 3D animation fly-throughs of Victory here:
http://www.wfaa.com/perl/common/video/wmPlayer.pl?title=www.wfaa.com/050510_victoryanim_am.wmv

May 10, 2005
Release
VICTORY DEVELOPMENT IN DALLAS TAKES OFF WITH PHASE II CONSTRUCTION
Citing Strong Economic Impact on City, Ross Perot Jr. And Hillwood Executives Unveil Details for Hotel, Residences, Office Space, Shopping And Entertainment

DALLAS, May 10 -- Ross Perot Jr., chairman of Hillwood, one of the top real estate developers in the United States, today kicked into high gear the company's latest large-scale urban construction project by unveiling detailed plans and timetables for Victory Park, the $450-million Phase II of Victory, the $3+ billion, 75 acre mixed-use development project in downtown Dallas.

Citing a strong positive impact on the City, Perot, joined by Hillwood president Jonas Woods and Dallas City Council member and Mayor Pro Tem John Loza, who has championed Victory locally, displayed a model of the project and announced an all-star roster of partners.

These range from some of the country's best-known commercial architects to award-winning restaurateur Tom Colicchio, winner of the "James Beard Best Chef New York" award and creator of highly acclaimed restaurants in New York and Las Vegas, and Dallas' own fashion entrepreneur Ort Varona.

Victory Park will feature six buildings comprising a mix of high-end urban residential, retail, indoor and outdoor recreation facilities, modern and technologically advanced office space and an upscale hotel. In all, the Victory district represents one of the country's most ambitious urban redevelopment projects -- over 4,000 new urban residences and a total of 12 million square feet of space, including approximately 4 million square feet of office and retail space.

The project began in 1998 with the careful remediation of a formerly unusable inner-city brownfield site and the construction of the highly successful $420 million American Airlines Center, home of the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars. Phase II is expected to be completed by 2008, with most of the construction projects estimated to come on line in 2006.

"Dallas is one of the most vibrant cities in the nation, and Victory is poised to invigorate the region with a revolutionary concept in community design," said Perot. "Victory will provide additional sophisticated housing, retail and dining options for Dallas residents and visitors and will be an economic boon for the City."

"Victory's distinct design and unique offerings will attract national attention and major business growth," agreed Loza. "The Hillwood team has proven their commitment to the City by transforming what was a blighted area into a new urban destination."

According to Hillwood, tax revenue (sales, hotel and property) generated by Victory to the City of Dallas, (excluding the city-owned American Airlines Center) is estimated to be $9.8 million annually. Phase II and III are expected to employ 2,000 construction-related workers and create 3,000 permanent jobs. When Hillwood purchased the land in 1998 it had an estimated value of $16 million. By the end of 2008, the completion of Phase III, Hillwood is estimating the value to be $900 million, a 5,500 percent increase.

In outlining details of the Phase II Victory Park development, Hillwood's president called attention to the caliber of associates involved. "Victory Park will consist of an exceptional combination of retail, business, technology, dining and entertainment that will revolutionize Dallas' inner city life," Woods said. "In addition to internationally acclaimed architects and designers involved in the project, such as HKS, Inc., SWA, Orne + Associates, GD&A, Kohn Pederson Fox, Shopworks, Elkus Manfredi, MorrisonSeifertMurphy, Cadwallader Design, ZERO3 and BOKA Powell Associates, as well as Colicchio and Varona, collaborators include Hillwood co-developers Gatehouse Capital and Hicks Holdings LLC in the W Hotel & Residences, the N9NE Group, originator of Las Vegas' famed Ghostbar, and high profile investors such as Donnie Nelson and Michael Finley of the Dallas Mavericks, will make Victory Park one of the most sought after places to live, work, shop and dine," Woods added.

In total, Victory Park's retail space will include nine restaurants: Craft, an offshoot of the New York original that won "Best New Restaurant in America" from the James Beard Foundation, and 'wichcraft also by Colicchio; N9NE Steakhouse, the ultra-lounge Ghostbar and another state-of-the-art nightclub and NOVE, a modern Italian restaurant, all by the N9NE Group; Kenichi, serving pan-Asian cuisine; Luna De Noche, a Tex-Mex grill, and the Victory Tavern. Cutting-edge retail stores will include Ort Varona's 20,000 square-foot LIFT -- with unique storefronts by J. Lindeberg, Adriano Goldschmied (AG) and Global by Ted Baker -- and Fred Perry, G-Star, Future Sports (also by J. Lindeberg) and Quicksilver free-standing stores.

Ground-breaking has already taken place for the first building to open in Victory Park -- the $180-million W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences, a 251- room hotel property with 61 and 83 high-rise homes in two towers, including signature private residences on the top floors of two towers, a 5,000-foot Bliss spa, pool and fitness facilities and retail shops. Other components opening in 2006 include Victory Plaza, a two-building complex of approximately 200,000 square feet of distinctive retail and office space adjacent to the American Airlines Center. Victory Plaza at the American Airlines Center will feature an unprecedented outdoor media installation featuring the most sophisticated high-definition LED technology currently available in the world.

Also under construction and opening in 2006 will be The Terrace, a 95-unit seven-story condominium situated on The Park, an urban oasis for recreation and relaxation, and The Vista, with 125 upscale rental residences and 25,000 square feet of retail space. The Icon, destined to become one of the country's premier rental properties, with 260 apartments and hotel-style services and amenities on a par with the finest private homes, will open in 2007.

Phase III of Victory is expected to include three more new buildings, including One Victory Tower, at 45 stories and 600 feet high, the tallest residential structure in Texas. Designed by the international architecture firm Kohn Pederson Fox, it will feature 130 condominium residences. One Victory Tower will be joined by a 25-story residential building with 150 units and 30,000 square feet of ground floor retail, and 2200 Victory Avenue, with 300,000 square feet of office and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, designed by Dallas-based BOKA Powell.

The Victory district also will incorporate a cutting-edge integrated technology system, creating a wireless district, a dedicated "Media Network" to support broadcast programming, zoned music and audio and live feed capability.

A one-acre public park also has been committed for outdoor recreation and art displays throughout the year and a new Museum of Nature and Science is planned on land purchased from Hillwood. In addition, the Victory development team has helped to fund the revitalization of Dallas' celebrated Katy Trail, a linear exercise path connecting Victory Park to the neighborhood of Highland Park.

Hillwood, a Perot company, is ranked as one of the top commercial real estate developers in the country and the top residential developer in Dallas-Fort Worth. The company's developments currently house facilities for 79 companies listed on either the Fortune 500, Global 500 or Forbes List of Top Private firms. In addition to Victory, Hillwood is best known for its development of the 17,000-acre AllianceTexas development, located 15 miles northwest of DFW Airport.

That video was great.Sat there and watched it three or four times. Great news for Dallas. You have the W, Ritz, Azure, 7-11 and more either under construction or will break ground this year alone.

St. Anne's, Prestonwood area res. highrise, Galleria res. highrise, Stoneliegh, Sofitel site, 1407 Main, The Icon, Turtle Creek retirement center, and several downtown renovations could all be newly under construction by fall. Add to that, the first of the Trinity Bridges and Park Lane Place(which has a couple of residential towers planned)

Hopefully, the Victory (Park) websites continue the tradition of great renderings and videos et al of the master plan in it's entirety.

For now, how 'bout some interesting little screencaps of just the parts that were on the video and news broadcasts:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5990

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5997

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5996

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5995

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5994

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5993

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5992

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5991

VICTORY

PROJECTS UNDER WAY:

W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences, a 33-story building with 144 condominiums, 251 hotel rooms and 42,500 square feet of retail space. Opens May 2006.

The Terrace, a seven-story, 95-unit condominium building with 24,000 square feet of retail space. Opens summer 2006.

The Vista, a 125-unit apartment building with 25,000 square feet of retail space. Opens summer 2006.

STARTING SOON:

Victory Plaza, 120,000 square feet of office space and 73,000 square feet of retail space on the south plaza of American Airlines Center. Opens May 2006.

The Icon, a 28-story apartment tower with 252 residential units and 10,000 square feet of retail space. Opens in 2007.

STILL TO COME:

One Victory Tower, a 45-story, 300,000-

square-foot office building and 130-unit residential tower with 85,000 square feet of retail space. To open in 2008.

2200 Victory Avenue, a 300,000-square-foot office tower with 20,000 square feet of retail space. No date set.

Residential Tower J, a 25-story, 151-unit residential building. No date set.

A project that hasn't been mentioned on here is the Northpark Center expansion. Northpark is Dallas' oldest indoor shopping mall, and was its biggest until the last Galleria expansion. Northpark competes with the Galleria and Willow Bend as the area's most upscale malls. It is simply not just a mall in Dallas, it is an institution that was formerly owned by the Nasher family, and had some of the art displayed at the Nasher Sculpture Center. For those looking for location, this is right at Central Expressway and Northwest Highway and is right across Central Expressway from the future Park Lane Place development.

Here are the expansion stats

Neiman Marcus 213,500 sq.ft.
Dillard's 299,500 sq.ft.
Foley's 250,000 sq.ft.
Nordstrom 200,000 sq.ft. Opening November 2005
AMC 15 Theatres 88,500 sq.ft. Opening April 2006


Specialty Stores
Existing: 90 Stores and Restaurants
2006 Expansion: 205 Stores and Restaurants


Gross Building Area
Existing: 1,200,000 sq.ft.
2006 Expansion: 2,351,600 sq.ft.


Thanks to LakeHighlands at Dallasmetropolis for all the great info and pics

renderings(nearly impossible to find)
keep in mind, the current mall is the lower right L. It will be a box from overhead when finished. Just as the squarefootage says, it will pretty much be doubled in size.
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5178
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5174

older overhead shots

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4545
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4547

newest pics(awesome craneage)
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6000

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6001
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6003

new garage(most of Northpark's parking is in garages)

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6004

from inside
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6006
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6009
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6020

new Nordstroms
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6022

new AMC theater
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6024

...without the residential tower component. Sorry for the overkill:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6027

Farmers Branch Station:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5978
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5981




Downtown Carrollton/Carrollton Square Station:

They're planning on allowing for high-rise activity in 'urban core' defined
boundaries... (although renderings don't portray as such.)
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5963
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5977
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http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5965
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5966
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5967




Frankford Rd./North Carrollton Station:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5968
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5969
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5970




Trinity Mills Station:

Again, possibility is laid out for high-rise activity if ever called for and whatnot.
Again, not portrayed in visuals.
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5971
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5972
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5973
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http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5975
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5976

U/C shot by Psukhu of the W Hotel & Res. project:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6035

---

Newsclips from the DMN:

Gold shovel time

More than a year after announcing the project, Crescent Real Estate
Equities and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. are breaking ground on the
Ritz-Carlton Dallas and the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton at McKinney
Avenue and Pearl Street. Workers have been busy in the last week
putting up the construction fence, and construction is set to start on
May 25. At a morning ceremony, there will be a tent, speeches, golden
shovels and all the other required accoutrements of a Dallas groundbreaking.

Going up

True to their word, the folks at Granite Properties have begun construction
on Granite Park Three, an office tower near the southeast corner of the
Dallas North Tollway and State Highway 121. The 369,000-square-foot,
14-story office will be the largest building in the West Plano and Frisco
office markets. It's set to open in July 2006.

---

News clip from Dallas Medical Center - Children's Medical Center:

Second phase of construction under way
The second phase of the construction project includes a five-story
addition to the main hospital building, a new outpatient radiology center
and the construction of a new eight-story tower. The five-story addition
will open for patient care in April 2005. It features 12 state-of-the-art
operating rooms, an additional 18,000 square feet of laboratory space, shell
space for future cardiac expansion, a central sterile area and central plant
and engineering support areas.

Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2005 on a third tower with
anticipated completion in 2008. The third tower will feature a new
medical records department, new dietary and dining, two new floors of
pediatric ICU beds and a new surgical recovery area to support the
operating rooms.
Outpatient radiology center
In addition, during the second phase of construction a new outpatient
radiology center opened at the Children's PAvilion in January 2005. The
17,500-square-foot center accommodates new radiologists' offices, a 16 slice
CT Scanner, two 1.5 Tesla MRIs, two sonograph rooms, two fluoroscopy
(R & F) rooms and two general radiology rooms. In addition, the center offers
the necessary patient waiting and staff support space to make the center a
stand-alone outpatient center of excellence.

The expansion solidifies the separation of inpatient and outpatient radiology
services. The new outpatient radiology center relieves significant pressure
off of the inpatient radiology suite at the main hospital, which also is
expanding by 6,800 square feet. The improved inpatient suite, which is
scheduled for completion in fall 2006, will provide additional office space
and accommodate a new CT scanner and a new angiography machine while
also providing new technology and research capabilities with a PET CT
scanner and a 3 Tesla MRI.

http://www.childrens.com/about/images/05render.jpghttp://www.childrens.com/about/images/06render.jpghttp://www.childrens.com/about/images/07render.jpg

---

News clip from UT-Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas:

UT Southwestern Biomedical Research Center Phase 4
A Cost-Effective Solution in Two Stages
As the fourth installation in a six-part master plan for the north campus
of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, a new biomedical
research center had been planned for some time. However, certain variables
made it difficult to identify which users would be occupying the space. Rather
than designing and building out the space based largely on client speculation,
which would likely have resulted in numerous change orders and cost
overruns, Omniplan developed a plan to design and bid the project in two
stages. First, Omniplan designed an enclosed structural shell for the 16-story
structure, which could easily be finished out at a later date. Then, once the
school had identified the users, Omniplan was able to work directly with them
to design an optimal interior, complete with a conference center, animal
resource center, and faculty and staff dining. In addition to the research
facility, this project also encompassed underground and aboveground parking
structures, a landscaped plaza, and expansion of the thermal energy plant.
http://www.omniplan.com/wn_utswmc_IV.html

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6025
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6026

---

My note:

Keep an out for icondallas.com. It's owned by hanoverco. who's doing
the 28-story Icon Tower (residential) at Victory.

No index page on that domain - maybe sometime in the near future...

1217 Main St. conversion (restaurant-building)

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6033

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6034

"Gold shovel time

More than a year after announcing the project, Crescent Real Estate Equities and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. are breaking ground on the Ritz-Carlton Dallas and the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton at McKinney Avenue and Pearl Street.

Workers have been busy in the last week putting up the construction fence, and construction is set to start on May 25.

At a morning ceremony, there will be a tent, speeches, golden shovels and all the other required accoutrements of a Dallas groundbreaking. "

09:25 PM CDT on Thursday, May 12, 2005
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...l.a0780845.html

14May05 u/c photo by WestTexan:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6040

some others by WestTexan and Tnekster

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6043
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6041
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6044

I lived in Dallas for 8 years, but left nearly 4 years ago. I'm not sure I'd recognize the place anymore. Great job on showcasing the city through photography. Are there any threads that feature D/FW Airport's construction of the new terminal and train system? There's so much going on at D/FW and since the airport doesn't seem to care about updating their web pages with current photos, I thought I'd check here.

I'll try to find as much as I can, but the pics on the web site are pretty good. Most of the work going on is probably inside now. We'll get better looks over the summer as things open up.

New project not far away from the Hyatt Classic Residences @ Turtle Creek condo tower project.

-------------------------------------

Condos are strictly for seniors
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/052105dnbussunrise.ca366ee0.html
Project will offer dining, fitness facilities, allow residents 60 and older
11:30 PM CDT on Friday, May 20, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
A Turtle Creek condo project is taking senior living to a new level.

A 23-story tower at Hall and Sale streets will be condos for residents 60 and older.

Virginia-based Sunrise Senior Living Inc. said Thursday that it will begin construction later this year on the 140-unit project.

"We believe it is going to start in the low to mid-$300,000s for the one-bedrooms and go all the way up to $1 million," said Sunrise spokesman Jamison Gosselin.

Located across from Lee Park and a block from Turtle Creek, the 350,000-square-foot project will include fine and casual dining, a fitness facility, an indoor pool, activity rooms and a luxury spa.

And two floors of the building will be dedicated to units for residents needing assisted living.

"This is going to be another choice for seniors to select from the many options in the marketplace out there," Mr. Gosselin said.

The project will open in early 2008.

Residents in the building will own the property and can sell it or pass it along to heirs, unlike other seniors projects that are rental or units that go back to the project managers when a resident leaves or dies.

"On the condo side, there will be a monthly service fee that goes to support the services," Mr. Gosselin said. On the assisted-living floors, "we haven't decided yet if it will be a monthly fee or an upfront fee." He said none of the pricing had been determined.

Mr. Gosselin said the Dallas project and a similar one in Maryland are the first two condo projects his company has done.

"I'm not surprised that somebody would target this growing market," said Dallas-based housing consultant Ron Witten. "It is a little bit surprising that they would exclude any buyers."

Mr. Witten said there are lots of age-restricted master-planned communities, but he's never heard of a high-rise project like this one.

"A lot of projects end up being age-restricted by the market, but not by design," he said.

Sunrise Senior Living, one of the country's largest senior housing developers, has two other rental projects under way in North Texas ? one in North Dallas and another in Plano.

"Seniors today are seeking ways to build equity in real estate but shed the burdens of maintaining a home," Sunrise chairman Paul Klaassen said in an announcement.

"Our new senior-living concept offers Dallas seniors the financial benefits of home ownership complemented with services and amenities."

The Sunrise project is about two blocks from where Classic Residence by Hyatt plans to build an even larger high-rise seniors community.

The Hyatt rental project would also open in 2008.

- This should be pretty close to being up-to-date for Dallas above 10 stories.

- As I get more time, I'll update Fort Worth projects (or someone else can) and I'll insert them into this post in list format.

- Also, all the other notable developments in Dallas or Fort Worth will be listed in a fresh update in their own respective categories in list format (ie 4-10 story dev., infrastructure, arts/museums, stadia, all that other miscellanea...)

- Then, the suburbs' updated list.

- After that, they should all probably go into the first post of this thread as well.


Dallas (municipal)
New Construction Projects Stories Complete/Status
One Victory Tower (I) 45 2008
Conv. Ctr. Marriot Hotel xx On Hold
City Lights Res. Tower 32 Planned
W Victory Hotel & Res. Tower North 31 May '06
The Azure 31 Spring '07
The Icon at Victory I 28 Approved
The Icon at Victory II xx Planned
Victory Res. Tower J 25 Planned
St. Ann Court 24 Approved
Harwood Glacier Tower res. proj xx On Hold
Hyatt Classic Residence xx Early '08
Hall Arts Dist. LS site (2 res. bldgs.) xx On Hold
Sunrise Condominiums project 23 Early '08
Cresta Bella 22 Late '07
Stoneleigh Residences 22 Approved
The Ashton 21 Mar '05
Ritz Carlton Hotel & Res. 21 2007
The Mondrian 20 Apr '05
Lincoln McKinney Ave. tower proj. 20 Planned
Galleria North Condo. project 20 Planned
Harwood Maple Ave. project xx On Hold
One Victory Tower (II) xx 2008
Hunt Hdqtrs. Tower xx Planned
One Arts Plaza 7-Eleven Hdqtrs. xx Early '07
Gulf States Bldg. II 17 Summer '06
UTSWMC Biomedical Research Ctr. 16 2004
W Victory Hotel & Res. Tower South 15 May '06
Mercantile Condo Tower xx Planned
Prestonwood/Arapaho Condo. project 15 Planned
Ritz Carlton Hotel & Res. II xx Planned
Sofitel Site Hotel & Res. project xx Planned
One Arts Plaza Residences xx Planned
Park Ln. Place (multi. res. bldgs.) xx Spring '07
Mockingbird Stn. exp. (multi.res.bldgs.)xx Planned
Children's Med. Ctr. Twr. III 12 Planned
Children's Med. Ctr. Twr. IV 12 Planned
State-Thomas Hall St. tower proj. 11 Planned
Joule Urban Resort Tower II 10 March '06
Routh St. Complex condo. project 10 Planned
Maple Terrace Condo. Tower project xx Planned
CMC/UTSWMC Research Tower xx Planned

//not incl. unannounced portions of West Village Master Plan
//not incl. unannounced portions of Victory Park Master Plan
//not incl. the remainder of unannounced International Center Master Plan
* list comprised of structures 10 stories and greater since '04
** structures listed w/stories as "xx" are placed in their approx. likely list position


Renovations/Res. Conversions Stories Complete/Status
Republic Bank Tower I 36 2006
Mercantile Tower 36 Planned
1600 Pacific 33 Planned
Fidelity Union Tower I - Pacific Place 31 2007
1200 Main - The Metropolitan 26 2008
Fidelity Union Tower II - Pacific Place 21 2007
Statler-Hilton/Grand Hotel 20 On Hold
Joule Urban Resort Tower I 17 March '06
Gulf States Bldg. I 16 Summer '06
Dallas Power & Light Bldg. 16 2006
Praetorian Bldg. 16 Planned
Atmos Building I 13 Planned
Children's Med. Ctr. Twr II expansion 12 2004
Atmos Building II 12 Planned
Atmos Building III 10 Planned
Continental Building 11 Planned
Civil Courts Bldg. expansion 10 2006

* list comprised of structures 10 stories and greater since '04

yet another announcement

California company to build in Uptown
Residential/retail tower planned
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/s.../23/story2.html
Sandra Zaragoza
Staff Writer

One of the last undeveloped sites in Uptown's popular State-Thomas neighborhood may soon sprout an 11-story residential/retail building.

Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Califco L.L.C. , a developer and manager of real estate, has plans to build the mixed-use project on a 1/3-acre lot at the corner of Hall and North Central Expressway, north of downtown Dallas.

Califco is a subsidiary of California-based SEJ Properties L.P., which owns Plymouth Park shopping center in Irving.

"With the scarce amount of land left in the Uptown area, along with the revitalization of the downtown area, our firm was motivated to develop in the area and offer residents something different," said Jonathan Shokrian, regional director of Califco L.L.C.

Blaise McGinley of Dallas-based Orange Studio Inc. , which has been tapped to design the building, says preliminary plans call for a tower with 13,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and 25 to 30 residential units. Parking may be sandwiched between the retail and the residences or may be underground.

The site marks the northern entrance to Uptown's State-Thomas neighborhood and is behind the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market.

Dallas-based R. L. Ross Co. represented Califco in the land transaction, which is expected to close soon. A purchase price was not disclosed. In the meantime, Califco plans to work with Clear Channel Communications Inc. (NYSE: CCU), which owns a 3,000-square-foot parcel with a large billboard next to the site. Califco plans to either purchase the parcel or work with the company to find a solution. If the billboard remains, "we would try to incorporate it into the development," McGinley said.

The estimated cost for the project is $10 million. The company is soliciting bids for a contractor.

Califco will be watching the residential market to determine whether the units will be condos or apartments. Construction may begin as early as this fall, Shokrian said.

A mixed-use project will fit "spectacularly on that site," said Tracy Curts, executive director of the Uptown Public Improvement District, an entity that is funded primarily by a 4.5 cents tax per $100 in property value that works to improve the appearance of Uptown.
Popular district

Major urban residential developers such as Post Properties Inc. (NYSE: PPS) and Gables Residential Trust (NYSE: GBP) helped to transform the State-Thomas neighborhood, adding upscale apartment buildings, some of which are now being converted to condos.

Condos in new projects in the Uptown market are moving rapidly with units selling in the $400,000 range, said Michael Puls, president of Foley & Puls Inc., a residential consulting and research company.


With national homebuilders in the area and projects under way such as the 202-unit high-rise Azure and 144 condos at the W Hotel & Residences, "the area south of Mockingbird will be extremely competitive (for condo developers) in the next five years," Puls said.

Califco's project will be one neighbor away from Post Properties' "588," an 11-story, 127-unit complex that is undergoing conversion into condos. The one- and two-bedroom units are selling for $200,000 to $300,000 each.
Hot retail site

Post Properties serves as witness to strong demand from retailers in the neighborhood. Post boasts about 45,000 square feet of street-level retail in four of its residential properties. The retail space is more than 90% leased, according to the company.

Shokrian said Califco saw that demand.

"A reason we decided to go mixed-use was that most of the residential developments in the State-Thomas area -- with the exception of a few properties -- lacked ground retail," Shokrian said.

David Valdez, vice president of Henry S. Miller Commercial's international division, will lease the retail portion of the project.

"With the visibility and the access -- it has a lot of promise," Valdez said. "We want tenants that are going to be destination tenants, such as a day spa, tanning salon or a Pei Wei restaurant. Those types of tenants will make that corner really successful."

Valdez believes the development will attract neighborhood residents as well as draw from the east side of Central, where many new residential projects are popping up.

Jack Gosnell, executive vice president for Dallas-based United Commercial Realty's UCR Urban, said there's a need for more neighborhood support services in the area.

"If you go up and down McKinney Avenue, you'll struggle to find a (retail) location," he said. "Just the Wal-Mart traffic alone will support it. Your density is there."

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6079

And another announced tower

In Uptown, it's back to the office
Lincoln seeks tenants for area's biggest tower since 1999


10:50 PM CDT on Monday, May 23, 2005


By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


So far, the Uptown building boom has focused on residential and retail.

But that may soon change.

Developer Lincoln Property Co. is seeking tenants for the biggest office tower to be built in the area in more than a decade. Lincoln's building will have 400,000 square feet of space in 20 stories.

The site is on McKinney Avenue, a couple of blocks from the Crescent complex.

Officials with Lincoln Property could not be reached for details about the timing of the development. But the Dallas-based commercial builder is sending out brochures to prospective tenants and has put up a sign on the site at McKinney and Harwood Street.

The last big office tower built along McKinney was 2100 McKinney, which opened in 1999 across from the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank. That tower has 360,000 square feet of office space on 18 floors.

The office vacancy rate in Uptown and Turtle Creek is about 12 percent, which is less than half the citywide number.

"Supply presently is tight," said Jon Altschuler, managing director of Stream Realty Partners. "While demand currently is not exceptionally deep, there are several tenants floating around of size that could certainly serve as the impetus to jump-start a new development."

Plus, most brokers expect that Lincoln Property would move its own offices from the Lincoln Plaza skyscraper on Akard Street to the new building.

"I think the market is ripe for one or two new buildings in the Uptown area," and Lincoln is likely to build, said Joel Pustmueller of Peloton Real Estate. "There are only a handful of office development sites left, so overbuilding isn't likely this time around."

Architect HKS Inc. designed Lincoln's building, real estate brokers say.

"They've designed a really nice property, and they're an exceptional developer of office space," Mr. Altschuler said. "If anyone could make it work, you'd think it would be Lincoln."

There are a few other Uptown office projects in the works.

Harwood International plans to begin construction this year on a 23-story, 273,000-square-foot glass-and-metal tower at the corner of Harry Hines Boulevard and Moody Street.

The developer has been working on the project since early last year.

Ross Perot Jr.'s Hillwood development firm also plans to start construction this year on its 45-story One Victory Plaza tower, which will have 300,000 square feet of office space.

And CarrAmerica Realty Corp. has been working with Dallas-based Rosewood Corp. on a multi-tenant office building that would be constructed on Pearl Street near Cedar Springs Road.

"The market can get overbuilt very quickly, and since this is Dallas, you'd have to bet that it most likely will," said Mr. Altschuler.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/05-05/0524office.jpg

the two projects going on at the West Village

http://img199.echo.cx/img199/3567/img00296gk.th.jpg (http://img199.echo.cx/my.php?image=img00296gk.jpg)
http://img265.echo.cx/img265/165/img00114gz.th.jpg (http://img265.echo.cx/my.php?image=img00114gz.jpg)

That Cascades Restaurant building:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6093



The owner says over at the DFWU forum that he and his group changed the prospective name to "LuQa and the Petrus Lounge" after a few months of discussion.

Signage on the St. Ann Court site.
In the International Center, basically adjacent to Victory Park.

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6100

Downtown's One Arts Plaza (7-Eleven Hdqtrs.) siting:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6097

Ritz-Carlton

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...z.e404383a.html

Construction starts on the Ritz-Carlton
At $200 million, tower is investment firm's priciest project


11:07 PM CDT on Wednesday, May 25, 2005


By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


The almost $200 million Ritz-Carlton hotel and condo tower is the most expensive project Crescent Real Estate Equities has ever built.

Officials with the Fort Worth-based investment firm kicked off construction Wednesday – more than a year after the deal was announced.


Courtesy Image
The Ritz-Carlton hotel and condo tower. "It always takes a little longer to get these things started than you'd like," said Ken Rehmann, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co.'s executive vice president of operations and chief financial officer. "This will be the only Ritz-Carlton in Texas."

The 21-story tower is set to open in the fall of 2007 at the corner of McKinney Avenue and Pearl Street in Uptown.

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, and the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton will have 217 hotel rooms and 70 luxury condominiums in a classical-style building designed by architect Robert Stern.

The hotel rooms, a restaurant, meeting space, and a spa and fitness center will take up the first eight floors of the building.

The condominiums are on the upper floors and were originally priced from $800,000. The units still for sale range from $1.3 million for a two-bedroom to more than $6 million for a four-bedroom penthouse, Crescent says.

Manhattan Construction Co. is the project's general contractor.

Crescent president Denny Alberts said the only project his company's ever done that's close to this in cost is a $120 million office tower in downtown Houston.

Crescent is planning more construction in Uptown.

"That's phase two," said Mr. Alberts, pointing to the vacant corner of Pearl and Cedar Springs Road. "I would bet it will be more condos."

Crescent amassed most of its property portfolio through acquisitions, but it's looking more and more at construction, said chairman John Goff.

"We are working on two office deals right now in Southern California," he said. "We can develop in certain markets at a price less than we could buy it across the street."

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

Construction starts on the Ritz-Carlton


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http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6096

CityLights. Wow, its really happening

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6101

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6102

W-Hotel's neighbor, Terrace on the Park, gets underway
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6098

W-Hotel and Residences

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6099

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6105

LATEST NEWS
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Dallas Business Journal - 11:55 AM CDT Friday
Downtown building in line for makeover
Sandra Zaragoza
A developer who is planning a $150 million makeover for a vacant building across from Dallas City Hall is preparing to apply for $27 million in city funding, according to a source close to deal.

The unnamed developer's move to request city tax incentives comes on the heels of the Mercantile deal that fell apart on Wednesday. Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises called off negotiations with city officials in a dispute over city funding. The company was seeking upwards of $60 million in tax incentives for a project that would have converted the Mercantile National Bank on Main Street into a retail and residential complex.

Now, a Canada-based developer has plans to transform a vacant building, 500 S. Ervay St., into a 350-unit condominium project with 30,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. A hotel component could also be part of the complex.

The building's makeover would convert it into a landmark structure in the neglected southern end of downtown, according to the source.

A number of atria are planned for the interior of the building, which would be named "Atria" to reflect that. A five-story wing would be added to the eight-story building.

Atria's preliminary plans also call for a white peaked roofline reminiscent of the Rocky Mountain roofscape at Denver International Airport. The rolling roof would stretch across half of the building and emit a soft glow. Space underneath the roof would be used as an entertainment/concert venue with seating for 500 to 800.

The development would offer both condominiums ranging from 900 square feet to 1,100 square feet and penthouses. Some of the condos will feature balconies with French doors.

The project could begin as early as January with a move-in date for residents of spring 2007.

Brad Aflatouni, CEO of Dallas-based Transglobal Realty Advisors, who is representing the Canadian developer in the transaction, says the deal is expected to close soon. The building's owner, 500 S. Ervay L.P., could not be reached for comment, but in January the company did confirm that the building was under contract.

The Dallas Central Appraisal District values the building at $2.5 million, but a source estimates a $9 million sale price.

The developer is currently in talks with a local fashion organization to develop a program that would bring international designers and specialty shops to Atria. If an agreement is reached, retail space will be expanded to accommodate additional retailers.

Suburbs' condo craze continues



Developers planning an 11-story luxury tower in Addison


12:22 AM CDT on Friday, May 27, 2005

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

More evidence that the high-rise condo boom is taking hold in the suburbs: Developers are planning an 11-story condo tower in Addison near the southeast corner of Belt Line Road and the Dallas North Tollway.

Dallas luxury homebuilder Sharif-Munir and Dallas developer Redwood Residential Properties are planning to build the Amalfi on Montfort Road at the south end of the Village on the Parkway shopping center.

LAYNE SMITH/Staff Artist


The Italian-themed residential tower will have 80 condos that start at $600,000. The average unit will be more than 3,000 square feet, and the largest condos will come with parking for three cars.

Frills at the Amalfi include two private parks, a pool and exercise spa, a parlor, a library and a clubroom. The developers say the front entry court will have a waterfall "reminiscent of the Amalfi coastline" in Italy.

Builder Mickey Munir predicts that many buyers will come from nearby neighborhoods. "We think it's going to be old country clubbers who have lived in their houses forever and don't want their yards anymore," he said. "We think it's people with multiple homes.

"There might be some corporate condos because we are close to Addison Airport."

The developers plan to open a marketing center in a nearby storefront soon.

"We have to get 35 to 40 contracts, and then we'll start construction," Mr. Munir said. "Hopefully that will be in February, but we'll start sooner if we get enough contracts."

The Amalfi is the third high-rise condo project announced recently on the tollway corridor.

High-rise housing analysts say that it's too early to predict demand.

"How deep is that market, and how many units should they do?" said analyst Mike Puls of Foley & Puls Inc. "I kind of like the location in the Belt Line Road corridor, where you can walk to retail."

The Amalfi site "has something going for it for the urban lifestyle," he said.

Redwood Residential said it has done other developments in Texas and Florida. Sharif-Munir has built custom homes in North Texas for 27 years.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/05-05/0527condo.jpg

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6107
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6108

Finally a rendering and reminder of the story
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6133

In Uptown, it's back to the office
Lincoln seeks tenants for area's biggest tower since 1999


10:50 PM CDT on Monday, May 23, 2005


By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


So far, the Uptown building boom has focused on residential and retail.

But that may soon change.

Developer Lincoln Property Co. is seeking tenants for the biggest office tower to be built in the area in more than a decade. Lincoln's building will have 400,000 square feet of space in 20 stories.

The site is on McKinney Avenue, a couple of blocks from the Crescent complex.

Officials with Lincoln Property could not be reached for details about the timing of the development. But the Dallas-based commercial builder is sending out brochures to prospective tenants and has put up a sign on the site at McKinney and Harwood Street.

The last big office tower built along McKinney was 2100 McKinney, which opened in 1999 across from the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank. That tower has 360,000 square feet of office space on 18 floors.

The office vacancy rate in Uptown and Turtle Creek is about 12 percent, which is less than half the citywide number.

"Supply presently is tight," said Jon Altschuler, managing director of Stream Realty Partners. "While demand currently is not exceptionally deep, there are several tenants floating around of size that could certainly serve as the impetus to jump-start a new development."

Plus, most brokers expect that Lincoln Property would move its own offices from the Lincoln Plaza skyscraper on Akard Street to the new building.

"I think the market is ripe for one or two new buildings in the Uptown area," and Lincoln is likely to build, said Joel Pustmueller of Peloton Real Estate. "There are only a handful of office development sites left, so overbuilding isn't likely this time around."

Architect HKS Inc. designed Lincoln's building, real estate brokers say.

"They've designed a really nice property, and they're an exceptional developer of office space," Mr. Altschuler said. "If anyone could make it work, you'd think it would be Lincoln."

There are a few other Uptown office projects in the works.

Harwood International plans to begin construction this year on a 23-story, 273,000-square-foot glass-and-metal tower at the corner of Harry Hines Boulevard and Moody Street.

The developer has been working on the project since early last year.

Ross Perot Jr.'s Hillwood development firm also plans to start construction this year on its 45-story One Victory Plaza tower, which will have 300,000 square feet of office space.

And CarrAmerica Realty Corp. has been working with Dallas-based Rosewood Corp. on a multi-tenant office building that would be constructed on Pearl Street near Cedar Springs Road.

"The market can get overbuilt very quickly, and since this is Dallas, you'd have to bet that it most likely will," said Mr. Altschuler.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/05-05/0524office.jpg

From bad news to great news

City, developer revive Mercantile plan

05:46 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 1, 2005


By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA-TV



During a last-ditch trip to Washington on Wednesday, Dallas city leaders revived a deal to redevelop the downtown Mercantile complex.

The complex between Main and Commerce streets has been vacant since 1993, and three previous attempts to redevelop the complex have failed.

Developer Forest City began negotiations last summer, but city leaders began scrambling last week when the deal collapsed.

"Dallas is officially married to Forest City for a downtown deal at the Mercantile Tower, so we're very excited," mayor Laura Miller said following Wednesday's meeting.

The deal involves about $60 million in tax incentives to redevelop the entire Mercantile block. The main building with a historic clock tower will stay, but the remaining three buildings will go. A new building, an underground parking garage and green space will take their place, bringing retail and 375 apartments.

In Washington, the mayor said it's about the same money as before, but the plan was expanded and fast-tracked.

"It's a more ambitious plan," Miller said. "We're going to bring more apartments on line (and) more retail, so it's a better deal for the citizens - and it was worth it for the five hours we spent here with Forest City."

The plan calls for transforming the historic Continental Building into condos; the city will share in the profits from those sales. Forest City will also develop the Atmos Energy complex nearby.

"We're just thrilled to be back at the point to where we can start the hard work of getting that to happen," said Forest City's Ron Ratner.

The deal must still be approved by the full City Council, but three council members were part of the negotiations and most everyone else appears to be on board.

Forest City said it will finish purchasing the Mercantile site by September, with plans to begin construction in six to nine months.


http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/d....2d16232d9.html

Like the way that Uptown is coming to the CBD, while the CBD itself is engaged in renewal !

another Merc article

Deal Revives Merc Project

All but dead last week, plans for downtown are seen as bigger, better
09:03 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 1, 2005
By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News


Top Dallas officials and executives from a nationally renowned urban development firm say they've reached an agreement to turn nearly three downtown blocks' worth of blighted skyscrapers into residential units and retail facilities – a week after the developer effectively declared the deal sunk.

Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises will turn the Mercantile Bank clock tower into 225 apartment units, create 150 more apartments after demolishing other sections of the Mercantile Bank complex and build 150 for-purchase condos inside the nearby Continental building, according to the deal's terms, reached during a six-hour meeting Wednesday at a Forest City satellite office in Washington, D.C.

Dallas, in turn, will give Forest City between $58 million and $60.5 million worth of tax incentives toward the Mercantile complex and $5 million toward the Continental building, said city officials who attended the meeting.

Forest City also will transform the four-building TXU Gas Co. complex, which Atmos Energy donated to the city this year, into roughly 265 apartment units, meeting participants said.

The deal is a dramatic reversal of fortunes for Dallas after Forest City last week cut off nearly two years of negotiations, accusing a city official of reneging on tax incentive promises that executives considered crucial to financing the deal.

Dallas officials consider the Mercantile complex's redevelopment essential to downtown's rebirth as a vibrant, urban neighborhood filled not only with office towers, but thousands of residential units, retail outlets, restaurants and parks.


'We're married'

Wednesday's deal still faces some hurdles, including approval by the full City Council. But meeting attendees – including Mayor Laura Miller, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill and council members Mitchell Rasansky and Ed Oakley – say they all support the agreement. In Dallas, other council members expressed support, too.

"We're married. There's no time for a honeymoon, but the city of Dallas and Forest City are definitely hitched," Ms. Miller said.

Asked if last week's announcement severing talks was just a negotiating technique, Forest City Executive Vice President David Levey said his company was "very serious" about killing the deal.

Not only did Dallas not offer enough incentives, Mr. Levey said, but it also hadn't sufficiently proved it could fund the incentives in the form of backing from a lending institution.

But Wednesday's meeting changed everything, he said.

"It was one of the most impressive meetings I've ever been involved in," Mr. Levey said. "We're in the business of making deals work, and the city was willing to make this deal work. We compromised. And from our point of view, we made the project bigger and more exciting than before."

What's next? Forest City plans to make a $100,000 payment today to retain rights to the Mercantile complex, which it plans to purchase in September. Meanwhile, the City Council will vote this summer on incremental elements of the deal, Ms. Miller said.


Profit sharing

Dallas and Forest City say they must also agree on the terms of a proposed profit-sharing agreement that would provide the city a cut of Forest City's revenue on the finished developments. Such a plan is new to these negotiations.

A ground-lease agreement for a portion of the project must also be solidified, officials said.

But barring complications, Mr. Levey and City Manager Mary Suhm agreed that groundbreaking on the Mercantile complex is projected to occur within six to nine months. Mr. Rasansky even passed out Dallas hats to Forest City officials, who gladly put them on, attendees said.

"We've got a deal that we're comfortable with," Ms Suhm said. "It's kind of bigger, faster and better than before, even."

Ms. Suhm's top economic development deputy, Assistant City Manager Ryan Evans, did not participate in Wednesday's meeting after the mayor and Mr. Levey blamed him for almost undoing the deal last week. Mr. Evans had sent Forest City a letter in May stating that Dallas wasn't willing to accept Forest City's terms for the project, prompting Forest City to pull out of negotiations.

From this point on, Mr. Evans said, his participation in the Mercantile complex deal will be "the same as always."

Mr. Evans said Wednesday that he hopes the deal comes through but at a "reasonable cost" to the city. He reiterated his concern that too many tax incentives could drain Dallas' downtown development resources.

The City Council is slated next week to create a 30-year, $124 million tax increment finance district for downtown, from which most of Forest City's tax incentives would come. Such districts allow developers to use property tax generated by new development to improve infrastructure, beautify their property's surroundings, demolish structures and upgrade building facades.

Council member Lois Finkelman said the council "must take a serious look" at the effect Forest City's tax incentives might have on other downtown redevelopment efforts. But she added, "I'm very optimistic about the deal."

Council member Maxine Thornton-Reese, however, expressed concern that economic development projects in Dallas' southern sector would suffer because of the emphasis officials are placing on downtown efforts.

"I don't want it to fall behind because of the Mercantile," she said. "We can't cater to a few people who want downtown" redevelopment.But most council members expressed optimism.

"If everyone at the meeting is satisfied, and they're a good cross-representation of this council, then I'm pleased. I greatly look forward to what they come back with," council member Bill Blaydes said.


Downtown catalyst

For Don Raines Jr., president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, the project would revitalize downtown in ways no other single project can.

"Anytime there's a major investment into downtown, it helps considerably. But this is such major, exciting, fantastic news," Mr. Raines said, adding that the project would be a catalyst for additional redevelopment.

That's been the mayor's contention all along: As long as the Mercantile complex sits empty, it will inhibit overall downtown growth. Fix it, no matter the cost, and it'll be worth it.

Ms. Miller acknowledges that the Mercantile deal will limit the scope of other projects, "but we will do other projects, and it'll come on a first-come, first-served basis. Without this project, other projects don't happen at all. This is the critical piece."

And the Mercantile complex, Continental building and TXU Gas buildings aren't the only properties Forest City is eyeing, although Mr. Levey wouldn't divulge which ones he'd like to redevelop.

"We'd like to do more, not less," Mr. Levey said, adding that Dallas' goal of creating 10,000 downtown residential units – it's reached about one-fourth of that number – is too conservative.

"About 25,000 units. That's what we'd like to do," Mr. Levey said. "You may not get to that number, but you have to shoot higher."

E-mail dlevinthal@dallasnews.com

DEAL HIGHLIGHTS

FOREST CITY WILL:

•Convert the vacant Mercantile Bank clock tower into 225 apartment units, the Continental building into 150 condos and the four-building TXU Gas Co. complex into about 265 apartment units.

•Demolish the remainder of the Mercantile Bank complex and build 150 apartment units on the land.

•Create 50,000 square feet of retail space as part of the redevelopment project.

DALLAS WILL:

•Provide Forest City with between $58 million and $60.5 million in tax incentives to redevelop the Mercantile complex and $5 million in tax incentives for the Continental building.

•Deed the TXU Gas Co. complex to Forest City.

•Create a park nearby.

SOURCES: Forest City Enterprises and Dallas officials

Europeans buy Mockingbird Station
Location on rail line attracted attention, developer says
11:26 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 1, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

A European investment group has bought Dallas' popular Mockingbird Station retail, apartment and office complex.

Mockingbird Station has 211 apartments, along with shops, restaurants and about 140,000 square feet of office space. Mockingbird Station, which is east of Southern Methodist University on North Central Expressway, has won industry awards and attracted visitors from all over the world.



And the same things that make the complex popular with local customers apparently drew foreign investors.

"It's been considered one of the foremost examples of a transit-oriented development in the country," said Mickey Ashmore, president of United Commercial Realty, which has been hired to lease and manage Mockingbird Station along with Capstar Commercial Real Estate Services.

"The new owners intend to market it properly, and long-term, it's got a lot of potential."

Real estate brokers say the buyers are represented by Real Estate Capital Partners, which has offices in New York and the Washington, D.C., area. The project was sold by Colorado-based Simpson Property Group – one of the original developers – and a Michigan pension fund.

Details of the transaction have not been announced, and the new owners and Real Estate Capital Partners could not be reached. The leasing companies both confirmed the sale.



Real estate brokers say the buyers are represented by Real Estate Capital Partners, which has offices in New York and the Washington, D.C., area. The project was sold by Colorado-based Simpson Property Group – one of the original developers – and a Michigan pension fund.

Details of the transaction have not been announced, and the new owners and Real Estate Capital Partners could not be reached. The leasing companies both confirmed the sale.

When it was announced in 1997, Mockingbird Station was the first mixed-use development designed to take advantage of Dallas' fledgling mass transit system. Built around the Mockingbird light rail station, the complex opened in 2001 and was an instant hit.

Along with 211 loft apartments, the development includes an eight-screen Angelika cinema, a Virgin Entertainment superstore, shops, restaurants and about 140,000 square feet of office space. The deal includes a building site at the north end of the complex that is set up for a high-rise hotel or residential building.

"The office building is 68 percent leased, and the retail is above 85 percent leased," said Johnny Johnson, a principal with Capstar Commercial. "The new owners want to make it the destination location it was always intended to be."

Ken Hughes – Mockingbird Station's original developer – said he isn't surprised that project has attracted a buyer.

"Europeans tend to better understand mixed-use developments," said Mr. Hughes, who sold out of the project last year. "Clearly they understand much better than American investors the value of being on a transit station."

The area around Mockingbird Station is booming.

Across Mockingbird Lane, construction is under way on the $80 million Hotel Palomar and high-rise condominiums.

And on land north of Mockingbird Station, Prescott Realty Group is studying plans for a mixed-use development.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/v3/06-02-2005.NB_02mbird.GOK1JVMF8.1.jpg

also, here are some prelim drawings of what is being worked on for the block immediately north. This could really be sweet.

http://www.jhparch.com/pics/portfolio_subitem.106.img1.jpg
http://www.jhparch.com/pics/portfolio_subitem.106.img2.jpg
http://www.jhparch.com/pics/portfolio_subitem.106.img3.jpg
http://www.jhparch.com/pics/portfolio_subitem.106.img4.jpg

new Mercantile rendering

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6167


1200 Main office to residential conversion
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6169

W-Hotel update
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6224

Tax district OK'd for downtown projects

07:27 AM CDT on Thursday, June 9, 2005


By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News


Dream up a downtown Dallas teeming with restaurants, residential units and high-end retail on par with any of the city's other sectors.

After Wednesday's City Council meeting, Dallas political and business leaders say, that dream is attainable, and soon. As expected, the council unanimously voted to create a tax increment finance district that could pour up to $124 million in subsidies into developments in most of downtown and sections of Uptown.

The council also formally created the Downtown Dallas Development Authority, a nine-person "limited local government corporation" consisting of private-sector leaders directed to coordinate aspects of downtown redevelopment such as building permit approvals, competitive bidding of projects and development plan amendments. Previously, the City Council had to approve such actions, which often led to delays that spanned weeks or months.

Also Online

Strengthened ordinance limits sound of construction, stereos
The vote caps months of turbulent negotiations among private and public officials over who would lead efforts to continue downtown's rebirth as a vibrant urban neighborhood, and how.

Even early this year, the creation of a quasi-private local government corporation seemed remote. Several council members opposed any private oversight of downtown development affairs, arguing that a public domain such as downtown should be controlled by publicly elected officials.

"But we reached a solution that was logical, innovative and a real partnership," said Assistant City Manager Ryan Evans, who oversees Dallas' economic development efforts. "Before long, you won't be able to recognize downtown – in a good way."

Said Mayor Laura Miller, "This is the critical piece. It turns us into a center for development."

The developments come a week after the city reached a tentative deal with Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises to convert nine downtown buildings, including the long-vacant Mercantile Bank complex, into residential apartments, condos and retail space. Forest City stands to benefit from more than half the money provided by the finance district, which City Hall dubbed "Downtown Connection."

Tax increment finance districts allow developers to use property tax money generated by their improvements to, for example, enhance nearby infrastructure and building facades, create streetscapes and perform demolition. Officials in part credit an earlier downtown tax increment finance district for helping attract numerous restaurants, several retailers and more than 2,500 new residents to downtown during the last decade.

"This is all about the next wave of big downtown projects and filling in big gaps that still exist," said Alice Murray, president of the Central Dallas Association, which represents downtown business interests. "This is a banner day. We weren't anywhere close to unanimous on the council a few months ago, but there was a public outcry to get the Mercantile deal and to get downtown done."

Ms. Murray also noted that the new tax increment finance district should help fund the creation of a park spanning the canyon-like Woodall Rodgers Freeway between Uptown and downtown's Arts District, as well as initiatives to attract new retailers to Main Street and nearby thoroughfares.

The council on Wednesday evening also appointed four of the Downtown Dallas Development Authority's nine members.

They include Myron Mims, a private real estate lawyer who will serve as the authority's chairman; Alice Rodriguez, a JP Morgan Chase banker; Larry Good, an architect with Dallas-based Good, Fulton & Farrell; and Dan Blizzard, vice president of operations for Belo Corp., parent company of The Dallas Morning News.

State Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, who is granted one appointment to the authority, selected Tony Long, a Trammell Crow Co. executive and chairman of the Central Dallas Association. The other positions remain vacant. City and Central Dallas Association staff will assist the authority.

The council is scheduled to approve on June 22 several items related to the new tax increment finance district, including authorization to acquire, by eminent domain if necessary, land needed to create a Main Street public park. And it is scheduled to vote to authorize the city manager to negotiate a final agreement with Forest City.

Chip Johnson, a developer with Dallas-based Barker Nichols LLP, which this summer will open downtown's first full-service grocery in decades, said Wednesday's votes will help ensure his project's success.

"Any new project within a mile and a half of us is going to have a great impact," Mr. Johnson said. "After a while, development creates its own momentum."

State of the Union Tower
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon....131423def.html
Complex's empty offices are about to become homes, shops
11:14 PM CDT on Thursday, June 9, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

It's been empty as long as the Mercantile National Bank building and has about as much office space. But for years, the huge Union Tower Complex on Thanks-Giving Square has been pretty much ignored.

That won't be the case for long. Starting this summer, the derelict skyscraper is getting a $106 million residential makeover.

"We're going to create a big neighborhood over here," said developer Ted Hamilton, who also converted downtown Dallas' Davis Building and the Dallas Power & Light complex into housing. "This is a humongous building. It has more than a million square feet of space."

The former office building will house 432 apartments, 19,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and 737 parking spaces.

But first, the developers have to clear out acres of abandoned furniture and office equipment and demolish the interior of the 32-story tower at Akard and Bryan streets.

"We think the whole project will take around 18 months," Mr. Hamilton said.

The building will be called the Mosaic, a reference to the millions of blue green ceramic tiles on the exterior.

"We went through a lot of names," Mr. Hamilton said. "This building didn't have a strong identity like the Davis Building or DP&L."

Once it did.

From offices to empty

When the 32-story Mayflower Building opened in 1960, it was one of the tallest buildings in Dallas. Built in a partnership with Fidelity Union Life Insurance Co., the brick glass and tile tower joined the 21-story Fidelity Union building that went up in 1952. Both structures were designed by Dallas architect Hedrick C. Wyatt.

Dallas went through an office building boom between 1950 and 1960. More than 60 office buildings went up, and only New York added more office space during that time.

But by the early 1990s, Dallas' midcentury buildings were mostly out of fashion.

The Union Tower Complex has been mostly empty since 1992, when Fidelity Union Life Insurance was acquired by a Minneapolis firm. Weak demand for downtown office space and environmental problems with the building contributed to the lack of interest.

New demand for living space in Dallas' core is driving the building's renaissance, and Hamilton Properties bought the complex last year.

Meriman Associates is the architect on the redevelopment, and Andres Construction has been hired as general contractor.

Mr. Hamilton estimates that the apartments will average more than 1,100 square feet and start at around $900 a month.

Amenities

Other features planned for the building include a pool and recreation area on top of the north side parking garage and a dog park on the 21st floor.

The developers plan to preserve some of the historic lobby areas of the building as well as an executive apartment that's still furnished in 1960s swank.

"We call it the Ricky Ricardo apartment," Mr. Hamilton said.

Unlike the historic Davis Building, which opened 2003 ? and the DP&L buildings, which opened Thursday ? the Union Tower Complex will get a more modern style makeover. The developers have also gotten tentative approval to cut new windows in one side of the building that faces Thanks-Giving Square.

"Reportedly this was the biggest office building in Texas when it was completed," said Larry Hamilton, Ted Hamilton's father, who founded Hamilton Properties in Denver. "The project is a good link between the historic districts downtown and the Arts District."

Hamilton Properties is receiving about $9 million in public incentives for the project.

'New frontier'

Most of the downtown apartments built recently have been in the area from Elm Street south. That's starting to change.

Redevelopment is also scheduled to begin this summer on the Republic Bank Building, another building that faces Thanks-Giving Square. Gables Residential Trust is doing the Republic project.

"We have focused our attention on the revival of Main Street while other areas of downtown are equally important," said Dallas City Council member Veletta Forsythe Lill. "We are thrilled the Hamilton family has decide to seek this new frontier.

"That area has good pedestrian access and mass transit," she said.

The Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail line runs right in front of the Union Tower Complex.

More than 2,500 additional apartments are under construction or planned in the central business district.

The downtown rental projects have been attracting a broader base of tenants, said industry analyst Mike Puls, who said he isn't worried yet about an oversupply.

"There are a substantial number of people leaving the suburbs looking for more fun" in terms of where they rent, Mr. Puls said.

"The downtown market still has potential, and there are fewer new apartment deals that can go to Uptown because the land prices are so high."

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

http://www.dallasarchitecture.info/uniontwr.jpg

^ This is one way to get your office vacancy rate down in a hurry.

^This is why numbers alone can never tell the true story. Dallas has many buildings like this and the Mercantile that are totally abandoned, yet count against the vacancy rate. Downtown Dallas actually has a very low vacancy rate when you are talking about real office space. That's why you are about to see a boom in the LoMac and northern downtown areas with office space construction.

This area around Thanksgiving Square will also be awesome once you get more residents and retail around it. The square itself is great and just needs more residents.

Good points. Exciting times for Big D !

Ritz-Carlton Dallas Hotel & Residences site photo update:
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6230

W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences u/c photo updates:
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6227
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6228
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6210
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6211
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6212

Zom Uptown I (Not official name/final name) u/c photo:
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6229

Must point out that ZOM I is on the block between The Ashton and Azure.

Must also point out that in the fourth W pic, you see a guy in a cherry picker. That guy is on the Victory Plaza(The one with the video screens in the renderings) site on what looks like a crane base.

The progress line on the W

http://img96.echo.cx/img96/627/whtl4bb.jpg

The W taking its place in the skyline
http://www.pbase.com/montecarloss/image/44433208/original.jpg

The final crane raising
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6238

I will try to keep up with Oaklawn stuff, but there is a ton. Here's a new one, West Side. Its a twin to the next door neighbor, Tribeca, that has been a huge success

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6239
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6240
http://www.westside-condos.com/images/Cedar%20Springs%20Elevation.jpg
http://www.westside-condos.com/images/Westside.jpg

Tribeca
http://www.tribeca-dallas.com/photos/Tribeca-1819-100.jpg
http://www.tribeca-dallas.com/photos/Tribeca-1819-026.jpg
http://www.tribeca-dallas.com/photos/Tribeca-sign.jpg

Most Oaklawn projects are non-mixed use, urban style townhomes or shorter condo buildings. There are a ton of them going on.

Latest W update. Also, in front of the W, the hole is the Terrace Park Condos

http://imagehost.biz/ims/pictes/328070.jpg
http://imagehost.biz/ims/pictes/328066.jpg
http://img264.echo.cx/img264/8291/rtr109lk.jpg

Also, a mock-up of the Victory Plaza facade has gone up

7-Eleven project has an artistic inspiration

Architects planning modern look for new headquarters building


10:45 PM CDT on Monday, June 20, 2005

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

Developer Billingsley Co. is giving a first look at 7-Eleven Inc.'s new headquarters in downtown Dallas.

The modern-style concrete and glass high-rise was designed by local architects and will house the first office space built in the Arts District since the 1980s.

Billingsley Co.
The One Arts Plaza tower will be built of unembellished concrete, steel and glass. Its 'front door' will be Flora Street.

"We are working on construction details right now and plan to break ground in July," said Lucy Billingsley, whose firm is building the $100 million project at Flora and Routh streets.

7-Eleven announced in April that it would relocate its 1,000-person headquarters from Cityplace on North Central Expressway in early 2007.

Along with the convenience store chain's offices, the 24-story One Arts Plaza tower will contain an additional 180,000 square feet of multitenant office space, plus 71 luxury condominiums on top.

"Most people will be looking at our building down Flora Street, which is our front door," said architect Lionel Morrison with Morrison Seifert Murphy.

Mr. Morrison's firm and architects at Corgan Associates who worked on the project also had to acknowledge their competition in the Arts District – high-profile designers of the cultural landmarks including the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center and Nasher Sculpture Center.

"We are surrounded by these buildings done by world-class architects on essentially unlimited budgets," he said.

Instead of expensive stone or elaborate metal panels, the One Arts Plaza exteriors will be constructed of unembellished concrete, steel and glass.

"We don't have the budget to make this a limestone building," Mr. Morrison said. "But we need to hold our own in this company."

The building's upper levels are accented by a large section of glass wall and balconies for the condominiums.

On the ground floor, two glass and steel wings facing a plaza will have retail space and help mask the parking garage.

E-mail stevebrown@dallsnews.com

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/v3/06-21-2005.NB_21711.G5J1KEPC5.1.jpg
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/06-05/0620711.jpg

More good news for downtown. A quoted post from dallasmetropolis since there is no official announcement.

An 11-story building is going up on the southeast corner of Field and Wood. The new building will be an addition to the current 13 story Employer's Insurance building at 1301 Young Street. http://www.bwmtexas.com/photos/employers.jpg

There is currently a surface parking lot in this area


The architect renderings and models are available in the atrium of the Employer's Insurance building. In addition, the plans also call for the demolition of the building on the southwest corner of Akard and Wood - 403 S Akard (currently a urine-infested dump). http://www.dallascad.org/AcctPhoto.aspx?ID=00000100801000000


If you want to see the renderings, bring your driver’s license. This is a federally-leased building and metal detectors are involved. GSA has contracted for this to be built, so it will be built. They estimate demo to begin in August 2005 and construction to begin 2-3 months after that. I'll try to get pictures later.....................



The current building near City Hall
http://www.bwmtexas.com/photos/employers.jpg

The addition
http://www.bwmtexas.com/photos/gsa-wood.jpg
http://www.bwmtexas.com/photos/gsa-west.jpg

all in all, not Dallas' biggest news, but it does represent another crane or two downtown over the next couple of years. In the first half of this decade there was rarely a crane downtown. This half of the decade will see several. Big time turnaround with announcements almost coming weekly.

This is the new building site on Main between the Davis and Gulf States. Big hole being dug for the foundation so far. Can't wait for the crane to go up

http://img237.echo.cx/img237/420/paben35bc.jpg
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5857

Gulf States building renovation progress
http://img39.echo.cx/img39/9969/pan12da.jpg

2 office towers set for Victory
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...y.31b9b7bb.html
Galleria builder joins Hillwood to construct first work spaces
10:28 PM CDT on Tuesday, June 21, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

Houston developer Hines is teaming up with Ross Perot Jr.'s Hillwood development firm to build two office towers at Uptown's Victory project.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION

The 33-story W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences with 144 condominiums, 251 hotel rooms and 42,500 square feet of retail space. To open in May.

The Terrace, a seven-story, 95-unit condominium building with 24,000 square feet of retail space. To open in May.

The Vista, a 125-unit apartment building with 25,000 square feet of retail space. To open in May.

The buildings will be constructed near Continental Avenue and Stemmons Freeway, at the south end of the 75-acre Victory complex between the West End entertainment district and American Airlines Center.

"We have signed a joint venture with Hines to build an 800,000-square-foot office complex," Jonas Woods, Hillwood Capital president, said Tuesday. "They have the kind of experience and have demonstrated the quality we want.

"It made sense for us to team up with them on the first office space in Victory," he said.

Hines built the Galleria Dallas mall and office high-rises all over the globe.

Construction so far in Victory has concentrated on hotel, residential and retail. But the project's master plan called for millions of square feet of office space.

With Hines' addition to the development, construction of speculative office space will take a higher profile.

"We hope it's no more than six months away from a groundbreaking," said Mr. Woods. "The first building will be 18 stories with retail on the ground floor."

He said the office project is "subject to pre-leasing, but we are making very good strides." He said rental rates are projected to be in the "high $20s" per square foot annually.

That's more than most new suburban office buildings charge but still less than the luxury space at the nearby Crescent.

The complex will be Hines' first Dallas office project in several years. Clayton Elliott, a Hines senior vice president, said Victory's quality and location helped make the decision easy.

"It is seeing firsthand the new development going on down there," Mr. Elliott said. "There are eight additional buildings coming on line in the next few years.

"It's really getting to be a great urban environment for tenants to have another choice for their office," he said.

Dallas architect BOKA Powell is designing the two-phase project. BOKA Powell has worked on other buildings proposed for Victory, including a 45-story office and condo tower to be built across the street from American Airlines Center.

Almost $450 million in development is under way at Victory, including the W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences set to open in May; two smaller residential buildings to be finished next summer; and two retail and commercial buildings to open in May on the south side of American Airlines Center. Already, several restaurants have signed on to be Victory tenants.Next week, Victory's developers are scheduled to announce plans for yet another residential tower ? "The House" designed by Philippe Starck. The project will be done with London and New York-based Yoo Ltd.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

Big sneak-preview party the other night at "The Metropolitan" site.

Recent screen snapshots of the 3D animation now provided on themetropolitandallas.com website, and made by renderings.com...

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6264

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6263

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6260

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6265

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6261

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6262

Updated listing for Dallas municipal:


Dallas (municipal)
New Construction Projects Stories Complete/Status
One Victory Tower (I) 45 2008
Conv. Ctr. Marriot Hotel xx On Hold
City Lights Res. Tower 32 Proposed
W Victory Hotel & Res. Tower North 31 May '06
The Azure 31 Spring '07
The Icon at Victory I 28 Mid '07
The Icon at Victory II xx Proposed
The House ('Vict.Res.Twr. J'-Yoo/Starke)26 Approved
Arts District Tower res. site (Brooks) 25 On Hold
St. Ann Court 24 Approved
One Arts Plaza 7-Eleven Hdqtrs. 24 Early '07
Harwood Glacier Tower res. proj xx On Hold
Hyatt Classic Residence xx Early '08
Hall Arts Dist. LS site (2 res. bldgs.) xx On Hold
Sunrise Condominiums project 23 Early '08
Cresta Bella 22 Late '07
Stoneleigh Residences 22 Approved
The Ashton 21 Mar '05
Ritz Carlton Hotel & Res. 21 2007
The Mondrian 20 Apr '05
2000 McKinney (Lincoln off. proj.) 20 Planned
Galleria North Condo. project 20 Planned
Harwood Maple Ave. project xx On Hold
One Victory Tower (II) xx 2008
Ritz Carlton Hotel & Res.Tower II 19 Proposed
One Victory Park off. bldg. I 18 Approved
One Victory Park off. bldg. II 18 Approved
Gulf States Bldg. II 17 Summer '06
UTSWMC Biomedical Research Ctr. 16 2004
Rosewood Court (CarrAmer. off. proj.) 16 Planned
W Victory Hotel & Res. Tower South 15 May '06
Mercantile Condo Tower xx Planned
Prestonwood/Arapaho Condo. project 15 Planned
Hunt Hdqtrs. Tower 14 Approved
Sofitel Site Hotel & Res. project xx Planned
One Arts Plaza Residences xx Planned
Park Ln. Place (multi. res. bldgs.) xx Spring '07
Mockingbird Stn. exp. (multi.res.bldgs.)xx Planned
Children's Med. Ctr. Twr. III 12 Planned
Children's Med. Ctr. Twr. IV 12 Planned
Employers Insur. Bldg. II 11 Approved
State-Thomas Hall St. tower proj. 11 Planned
Joule Urban Resort Tower II 10 March '06
Routh St. Complex condo. project 10 Planned
Maple Terrace Condo. Tower project xx Planned
CMC/UTSWMC Research Tower xx Planned

//not incl. unannounced portions of West Village Master Plan
//not incl. unannounced portions of Victory Park Master Plan
//not incl. the remainder of unannounced International Center Master Plan
* list comprised of structures 10 stories and greater since '04
** structures listed w/stories as "xx" are placed in their approx. likely list position


Renovations/Res. Conversions Stories Complete/Status
Republic Bank Tower I 36 2006
Mercantile Tower 36 Planned
1600 Pacific 33 Planned
Fidelity Union Tower I - Pacific Place 31 2007
1200 Main - The Metropolitan 26 2008
Fidelity Union Tower II - Pacific Place 21 2007
Statler-Hilton/Grand Hotel 20 On Hold
Joule Urban Resort Tower I 17 March '06
Gulf States Bldg. I 16 Summer '06
Dallas Power & Light Bldg. 16 2006
Praetorian Bldg. 16 Planned
Pegasus Villas 16 2005/6
Atmos Building I 13 Planned
Children's Med. Ctr. Twr II expansion 12 2004
Atmos Building II 12 Planned
Atmos Building III 10 Planned
Continental Building 11 Planned
Civil Courts Bldg. expansion 10 2006

* list comprised of structures 10 stories and greater since '04

^
Things added/edited -

Added:
xx-story The House (at Victory) by Yoo/Starke
(Same project as previously titled Victory Residential Tower J)

(2) 18-story office bldgs. by Hines at Victory

11-story Employers Insur. Bldg. addition

16-story renovation of Pegasus Villas added.
(Previously omitted in error.)

16-story Rosewood Court (CarrAmerica/Rosewood office proj.)
(Previously omitted in error.)

25-story Arts District Tower + being 'On Hold' (Brook Partners res. site - formerly office proposal since around '99/'00 ish. Stories could still vary whenever officially announced.)
(Previously omitted due to uncertain status.)

Edited:
One Arts Plaza 7-Eleven Hdqtrs. revised to 24 stories vice being unknown.

Hunt Hdqtrs. Tower revised to 14 stories vice being unknown.

Ritz-Carlton Dallas Hotel & Residences Tower II revised to 19 stories vice being unknown.

Icon I targeted at Mid-'07.

Some dates of completion re: Victory projects probably still need to be added. Hard to keep up.

Victory development to add two office towers
Christine Perez - Staff Writer
http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2005/06/20/daily20.html?jst=b_ln_hl

Hillwood, the real estate company owned by Ross Perot Jr., has formed a joint venture with Houston-based Hines to build more office space in Victory Park, the massive mixed-use development that encircles American Airlines Center in Dallas. Plans call for two 18-story buildings totaling close to 800,000 square feet of space. The first phase, One Victory Park, will include 350,000 square feet of office space and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail shops and restaurants. The developers are hoping to attract larger users, unlike the first work spaces to be built in the project, Victory Plaza, a two-building, 180,000-square-foot component directly south of American Airlines Center, which Hillwood is developing on its own.

Before moving forward with construction on One Victory Park, the joint venture with Hines, Hillwood is looking to get commitments on 50% of the space. The goal is to deliver the building in mid-2007, said David Hicks, senior vice president at Hillwood. One Victory Park was designed by Dallas-based BOKA Powell. "The larger tenants I'm in discussions with need a total of about 1 million square feet in 2007 or 2008," Hicks said. Ross Perot Jr., chairman of Hillwood, said Hines is the "perfect partner for the office program at Victory Park." "Their experience and resources will help us create one of the world's most dynamic office districts," he said. Hines is well known for developing the Galleria shopping centers in Dallas and Houston, as well as the office towers surrounding the Galleria in Dallas and other corporate build-to-suits.

Hillwood and Hines will face competition from other Uptown developers eager to pull the trigger on their planned office projects. They include Lincoln Property Co., which wants to build 2000 McKinney, a 20-story, 400,000-square-foot tower on McKinney Avenue at North Harwood Street; Harwood International, which is planning a 24-story, 280,800-square-foot building called St. Ann Court at the corner of Harry Hines and Moody; and CarrAmerica Realty Corp., which is collaborating with Rosewood Corp. to develop Rosewood Court, a 16-story, 350,000-square-foot building at Cedar Springs Avenue and Pearl Street.

Owned by Hillwood and Hicks Holdings, Victory is a $3 billion-plus, 75-acre urban district in Uptown, adjacent to the West End district of downtown Dallas. At full build-out, the project will contain more than 4,000 residences and 4 million square feet of office and retail space. Besides the W Hotel, which will provide 251 hotel rooms and 144 condominiums, residential components at Victory include The Vista, a 125-unit apartment complex, and The Terrace, a 95-unit condominium project. All three should be ready for occupancy in late spring 2006.

About 60 of the condos have already been reserved by buyers, said Lea Anne Laughlin with Hillwood. They range in size from 850 to 2,000 square feet, and in price from $190,000 to $660,000. Apartments in The Vista range in size from 700 to 2,000 square feet and will rent for about $1.75 per square foot. If condo sales continue at their brisk pace, Hillwood will consider converting some of the apartments to condos, Laughlin said. The Vista and The Terrace were designed by WDG Habib and Zero3, both based in Dallas. Each development will include about 25,000 square feet of retail space.

Hillwood also recently sold a tract of land east of Victory Plaza to Hanover Corp., which is planning to build a 28-story, 260-unit multifamily development. Tentatively called The Icon, completion is scheduled for mid-2007. Hillwood will retain control the 10,000 square feet of retail space within the apartment complex. Next week, Hillwood will announce a new residential component called The House, which will sit on the southern side of Victory Park. The project will be led by Yoo Ltd., a London-based company run by renowned designer Philippe Starck and developer John Hitchcox.

Hicks said Victory is leading an urban renaissance.

"We're creating a city within a city," he said. "We're responding to demand from tenants that want to attract the best and the brightest employees, many of whom want to live in an urban environment. Companies concerned with upcoming labor shortages are looking hard at moving back downtown."

How have all these office-to-residential conversions impacted the office vacancy rate in Central Dallas ? Enough to envision a demand for new office over the next very few years ?

I guess the version of the vacancy rate that publications love to use will be affected, but not the real vacancy rate which has hovered around 10% Most of these towers being converted have been abandoned for years but for some reason remain against Dallas' vacancy rate.

If you define downtown as what people define visually inside the freeway loop, then Dallas has two announced office towers already: Hunt's corporate HQ and 7-11s corporate HQ(One Arts Plaza). If you mean what Dallas considers their CBD, then you must realize that southern uptown, which includes Victory, Lo-Mac and the International Centre are all part of Dallas' CBD. That would mean several office towers have been announced already.

Understood. Thanks !

W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences 24 Jun 05:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6274




The Azure site:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6273




Ritz-Carlton Dallas Hotel & Residences site:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6277




Yoo/Phillipe Starke condo tower site:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6276

And, one of the M-Line streetcars running around town with the same bright orange ad-wrapping:

http://img150.echo.cx/img150/1632/143wrapped057cq.th.jpg (http://img150.echo.cx/my.php?image=143wrapped057cq.jpg)

http://img150.echo.cx/img150/1980/143wrapped045tz.th.jpg (http://img150.echo.cx/my.php?image=143wrapped045tz.jpg)

http://img150.echo.cx/img150/290/143wrapped033up.th.jpg (http://img150.echo.cx/my.php?image=143wrapped033up.jpg)

http://img150.echo.cx/img150/5488/143wrapped026yv.th.jpg (http://img150.echo.cx/my.php?image=143wrapped026yv.jpg)

http://img150.echo.cx/img150/7592/143wrapped015fg.th.jpg (http://img150.echo.cx/my.php?image=143wrapped015fg.jpg)

Victory Park rendering via computer animation for 2005-2008:

http://dallasmetropolis.com/gallery/files/1/wiconstarckoneplazaterracevista.jpg

Latest news on the 26-story project "The House":

Hillwood Announces New Philippe Starck and Yoo Development at Victory Park
Monday June 27, 2:13 pm ET
The House by Starck and Yoo
Award-Winning Designer and YOO Unveil Approximate $80 Million Luxury Condominium Project in Dallas


DALLAS, June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Hillwood has announced the latest building planned for Victory Park. "The House" by Starck and YOO, an approximate $80 million plus, 26-story condominium, designed by Philippe Starck and YOO, UK, ltd., will be the newest of the residential properties at the 75-acre, $3 billion Ross Perot, Jr. development project in Downtown Dallas.

According to Jonas Woods, president of Hillwood, Philippe Starck and YOO bring an unparalleled track record of success to this new project. "Philippe Starck is known throughout the world for cutting-edge designs that reflect the sensibilities and sensitivities of a modern consumer," Woods said. "Starck and YOO bringing their award-winning concepts and execution to Victory Park underscores the level of elegance and sophistication that personify this exciting and energetic new urban community."

The House by Starck and YOO will consist of 150 residences, 140 "Standard" one to three bedroom units ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 square feet located on floors 5 through 22. The building will also contain 10 Penthouse units of two to three bedrooms plus dens ranging from 2,000 to more than 3,500 square feet on the upper four floors. Penthouses on the 25th floor are two-story units with spectacular panoramic views of the cityscape.

The building also features 30,000 square feet of retail space on the ground level that is slated to become the home of an upscale grocery store, restaurants and boutiques.

For John Hitchcox, chairman of YOO, Dallas is an important link in his worldwide chain. "Victory Park is exactly the type of development we selectively choose to be associated with," Hitchcox said. "This project reaffirms our global commitment to being a part of major cosmopolitan cities and developing the finest properties that combine the best of amenities, location, and cachet."

Among the amenities within the property is the elevated outdoor terrace on the 5th floor level that covers the parking garage. This outdoor space provides an elevated oasis above the vibrant street life of Victory Park below. A fabulous swimming pool, cabanas and lounge area as well as outdoor seating and dining areas are planned amidst beautiful landscaping with orchards and greenery. This level also includes a fitness room, owners lounge, and a library/business center, all designed by Philippe Starck and YOO.

"My intent was to design a fully-integrated building that presents free-flowing forms and reflects a free-flowing lifestyle in both the interiors and exteriors," said Philippe Starck, creative director of YOO. "The idea that a property can exist on its own, while still being integrated with its environment and the cityscape upon which it gazes, will be fully explored and developed at Victory Park," Starck continued.

Bret Bobo, COO of YOO, points to unique and upscale services and amenities as one way the property will distinguish itself. "We will have 24 hour/7 day a week on-site concierge service in our private lobby. Private security and a video surveillance system will monitor the property and our staff will be available to assist homeowners with maintenance requests, deliveries and other personalized services, including valet parking. The House by Starck and YOO will put the 'life' and 'style' into lifestyle," he concluded.

About Victory Park

Located in the heart of Dallas, Victory Park, developed by Hillwood, a Ross Perot, Jr., company, is one of the country's most significant and innovative master-planned urban communities. Victory is creating a new lifestyle environment with a carefully crafted collection of emerging and reputation retail, distinctive dining, modern office space, dramatic residential units, hotels and signature entertainment venues, including the American Airlines Center. For more information on Victory, go to http://www.victorydallas.com.

About YOO

YOO is an innovative design, branding and marketing company founded by John Hitchcox and Philippe Starck. Its mission is to go far beyond building design and development and create icons of modern living. Innovative marketing and quality of design can add value to property and increase sales opportunities for developers. YOO signals all of this directly to the consumer, delivering design with focus and harnessing creative ideas with a purpose. The company has projects in New York, London, Buenos Aires, Tel Aviv, and Miami and other areas around the world. For more information on YOO, go to http://www.yooarehere.com.

About Philippe Starck

Philippe Starck is one of the most celebrated and commercially successful designers in the world today. His work is about thinking, designing and better living. Upon gaining recognition in Paris in the 1970's for his remarkably innovative and successful nightclub designs, Starck was selected by then-president Francois Mitterand to refurbish one of the private apartments in the Elysee Palace. Starck moved on to create elegant interiors for the Royalton and Paramount hotels in New York, the Delano in Miami and the Mondrian in Los Angeles. He also successfully moved into the area of product design with chairs, lamps, motorbikes, boats and a line of house wares and kitchen utensils all benefiting from his distinctive touch.


________________________________________________


Starck unveils Victory condo plans

03:49 PM CDT on Monday, June 27, 2005


By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News



The last time Phillipe Starck made a splash in Dallas was with a nightclub during the 1980s real estate boom.

So it's only fitting that the French designer is back in town to participate in the current boom -- high-rise condos.

On Monday, Mr. Starck took the wraps off plans for a 26-story, 150-unit residential tower he's doing in Uptown's Victory project.

"I can bring something unique from around the world," said Mr. Starck, who is also doing other residential projects in Boston, New York and Miami with his partner, London developer John Hitchcox. "The people in the U.S. have a small view of the global market. I am the global view."
That view will come with an average price tag of more than $500,000.

Mr. Starck's condo tower will be built in partnership with developer Hillwood on Lamar Street at the south end of the Victory project. It's the latest in a string of recent announcements in the 75-acre Victory project.

Read more in tomorrow's Dallas Morning News or at DallasNews.com.

The House
http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/4203/capture17iq.jpg

LuQa(1217 Main) update. Extreme Makeover!!

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6300
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6349
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6347
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6346
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6298

D/FW International Airport - Terminal D, Skylink, Hyatt Hotel and highway infrastructure. Texas's largest construction project over the last few years.

http://img268.echo.cx/img268/3135/img04143xh.th.jpg (http://img268.echo.cx/my.php?image=img04143xh.jpg)http://img268.echo.cx/img268/9229/img04339gr.th.jpg (http://img268.echo.cx/my.php?image=img04339gr.jpg)http://img268.echo.cx/img268/6751/img04376qj.th.jpg (http://img268.echo.cx/my.php?image=img04376qj.jpg)http://img268.echo.cx/img268/2297/img04381tr.th.jpg (http://img268.echo.cx/my.php?image=img04381tr.jpg)http://img268.echo.cx/img268/3254/img04112tm.th.jpg (http://img268.echo.cx/my.php?image=img04112tm.jpg)
http://img268.echo.cx/img268/3318/img04404gy.th.jpg (http://img268.echo.cx/my.php?image=img04404gy.jpg)http://img268.echo.cx/img268/3641/img04423ip.th.jpg (http://img268.echo.cx/my.php?image=img04423ip.jpg)http://img268.echo.cx/img268/2472/img04518xc.th.jpg (http://img268.echo.cx/my.php?image=img04518xc.jpg)http://img268.echo.cx/img268/3135/img04143xh.th.jpg (http://img268.echo.cx/my.php?image=img04143xh.jpg)


The exterior
http://www.dfwairport.com/cdp/terminald/images/15.jpg
http://www.dfwairport.com/cdp/terminald/images/14.jpg
http://www.dfwairport.com/cdp/terminald/images/9.jpg

new Skylink tram system
http://www.dfwairport.com/cdp/skylink/images/4.jpg
http://www.dfwairport.com/cdp/skylink/images/5.jpg
http://www.dfwairport.com/cdp/skylink/images/6.jpg
http://www.dfwairport.com/cdp/skylink/images/9.jpg

new roadway infrastructure
http://www.dfwairport.com/cdp/projects/images/3.jpg
http://www.dfwairport.com/cdp/projects/images/4.jpg
http://www.dfwairport.com/cdp/projects/images/5.jpg
http://www.jdabrams.com/Projects/Images/0202/0202-05.jpg
http://www.jdabrams.com/Projects/Images/0202/0202-07.jpg
http://www.jdabrams.com/Projects/Images/0202/0202-11.jpg


now near completion
http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/8363/7160070op.th.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/my.php?image=7160070op.jpg)

New rendering of St. Anne's in its place. This should be an awesome pic of a whole new skyline in a couple of years considering all the new towers going up in those lots.

http://img266.echo.cx/img266/1173/stannescourtlarge6uz.jpg

Firewheel Towncenter in Garland(opens in October)

http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/1.jpg
http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/2.jpg

http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/3.jpg
http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/4.jpg
http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/5.jpg
http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/6.jpg
http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/7.jpg

http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/8.jpg


http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/9.jpg

http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/10.jpg

http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/11.jpg
http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/12.jpg

http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/13.jpg

http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/14.jpg

http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/15.jpg

http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/17.jpg

http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/16.jpg

http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/18.jpg

http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/19.jpg

http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/20.jpg

The Metropolitan on the left(windows being taken out on the opposite side) and LuQua(The small building with the red on it) Dramatic change for LuQua

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6375

The Interurban Building which opens July 15th Apartments above a downtown grocery store.

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6376


http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6377


http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6378

Uptown I (formerly ZOM Rosewood)

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6373
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6374

the construction wall is the Azure construction site

Azure

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6381

W-Hotel almost topped out

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6379
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6380

Sugar Film Productions HQ (big commercial producer) on McKinney Ave

http://sugarfilmproduction.com/SugarExtNV.jpg

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6382

More pics of Firewheel Towncenter in Garland

http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/21.jpg
http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/22.jpg
http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/33.jpg
http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/23.jpg
http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/26.jpg
http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/29.jpg
http://home.att.net/~lakehighlands/32.jpg

1407 Main and Gulf States Building

The hole and dirt at the bottom is 1407 main and the older building is the Gulf State renovation

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6387

Awesome shot of the W

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6390

ZOM Uptown I
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6388

Ritz-Carlton digging

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6392

Residential conversion underway

1600 Pacific on Thanks-giving Square

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6371

You can see the windows being taken out.
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=263

The other side
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6386

Have they started building on the Azure yet? Don't know why I expected that to be furthur along in development than I thought it would look. Same with Ritz-Carlton.Also the W is going to be great once it's finished. Looks like it's almost topped off.

LuQa from above. What a contrast.

before
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3707

after
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6389

1407 Main update. Dig dig dig dig

http://xvisionx.no-ip.info/docs/forum/dav1l.jpg
http://xvisionx.no-ip.info/docs/forum/dav2l.jpg

and Gulf States renovation progress next door
http://xvisionx.no-ip.info/docs/forum/dav3l.jpg

Have they started building on the Azure yet? Don't know why I expected that to be furthur along in development than I thought it would look. Same with Ritz-Carlton.Also the W is going to be great once it's finished. Looks like it's almost topped off.

Both of them just broke ground in late May/early June. Both are digging now for the foundations and underground parking. The W north tower is about at top-out, but the south tower still has a few floors to go.





Buyer plans to take away tower's blues

California developer to turn former office space into homes


08:49 PM CDT on Sunday, July 10, 2005


By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


An empty downtown office tower may soon lose the blues.


The 18-story 211 N. Ervay building is being purchased by a California developer that also owns two nearby towers.

3J Development LLC of San Diego plans to convert the 47-year-old office building at Ervay and Elm streets into residential units.

Clad in blue metal panels, the vacant tower has been praised by preservationists but is despised by some downtown boosters – including Mayor Laura Miller – who don't like its colorful 1950s architecture.

The new owners plan to redo the exterior.

"We are going to make the exterior look very nice," said Joseph Sapp, 3J Development president. "I don't know what it will be yet, but it won't be turquoise.

"We are playing with lots of different scenarios," he said.

3J Development is buying 211 N. Ervay from a local investor. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

Since January, Mr. Sapp's firm has also purchased the 33-story 1600 Pacific tower, the 16-story Praetorian Building and an Elm Street parking garage.


A lack of parking has previously discouraged developers and investors away from redoing 211 N. Ervay.


"Our parking garage will serve all three buildings," Mr. Sapp said. "We now have over 1 million square feet in downtown Dallas if you include the parking structure."


Mr. Sapp said he hasn't decided if the buildings will be converted to rental units or condos.


He expects to begin construction on the first renovation within nine months.


I'm rooting for the color to stay. Some of our other 'blues' have already been taken away.
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6413
http://www.collum.net/images/211_sidebar.jpg



and another look at the soon to open Interurban Building and the Urban Market grocery
http://xvisionx.no-ip.info/docs/forum/int1l.jpg
http://xvisionx.no-ip.info/docs/forum/int2l.jpg
http://xvisionx.no-ip.info/docs/forum/int3l.jpg

Camden Lofts nearing completion in the Farmers Market area

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2592

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/4506/30893oe.jpg

^^ that 2nd photo looks like a painting or a rendering picture lol.

Have they started on Victory Plaza outside the AAC yet. I remember that Becks video and it looked like they would start on that in June.

^Ninja just does incredible color with his pics. Very talented guy.

Don't think they've started on Victory Plaza, though I could be wrong. The base and underground garage was built when the AAC was built, so I'd imagine they can take their time. The mock-up has been built over the last couple of weeks though. Its a very, very, very interesting look. I'll just say that I can't even imagine a building, let alone two looking like that. Imagine a building clad in metal guardrail with small square windows.

anyways more Oaklawn stuff

From RECON july 8, 2005
DEVELOPERS MOVE IN ON REMAINING OAK LAWN PROPERTIES

DALLAS (DallasNews.com) – Land near Uptown without Uptown’s high prices is being sought by developers. The 24-block neighborhood north of Oak Lawn Ave. is being redeveloped into new apartments, townhomes and condos.

Alliance Communities has torn down an entire block of old apartments and homes at Shelby Ave. and Brown St. to make room for a 230-unit apartment complex. The complex, which is scheduled for completion next summer, will have four stories of rental units and a parking garage.

The developer also has bought another four acres at Wycliff and Dickason Avenues for a 300-unit apartment community. Construction begins in the fall on this community, which will have units above parking. Rents should be 85 percent of the rents in Uptown or Turtle Creek. An average unit will rent for about $1,260 per month.

At Congress Ave. and Knight St., a 116-unit apartment complex built in the 1960s is being remodeled into condominiums by J. Stotle Baird. Baird’s project is called Waterford Square. Condos will start at $102,000 for one-bedroom units and just less than $122,000 for two bedrooms.

LuQa lookin hot

http://img345.imageshack.us/img345/7478/img06259ce.jpg
http://img303.imageshack.us/img303/8726/dsc01472yc.jpg
http://img303.imageshack.us/img303/2509/dsc01427pp.jpg


The Metropolis conversion underway + model

http://img351.imageshack.us/img351/6558/dsc01388zi.jpg
http://img351.imageshack.us/img351/7044/dsc01409ud.jpg
http://img351.imageshack.us/img351/6541/dsc01417mn.jpg

This graphic represents the next stage for DART's new SE line. Parts of Central Expressway's I-345 portion will be lowered to at-grade allowing the rail line to more easily pass over to east Dallas and Deep Ellum

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6422

Question for Troy or Rant. I seen the plans for expansion for Dart. I know one line is opening in 2009. Did they start construction on that yet? and when will they start on the others?

unoffficially, the opening of the Victory Station was the first northwest station. But then they stopped there. Since then it has been non-stop meetings and engineering reports, etc. After 9/11 sales tax decreases push the timeline back a couple of years. Finally, the final plans are being released, with the above graphic being the first to being construction next year. To the dismay of many they will not open station incrementally, but rather whole line sections at a time. If it was station by station, you'd probably see some late 2007s and 2008s. Sucks because the southeast line stations are very very close to Pearl Station and the line to Fair Park is sorely needed, but so is the Parkland Station.

Forgot to post this announcement: For anyone thinking rail doesn't spur development

Medical district area 'ripe for redevelopment'




09:20 PM CDT on Thursday, July 14, 2005


By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


The dusty stretch of Motor Street west of Maple Avenue isn't on any chamber of commerce tours.

But the bedraggled blocks of old industrial property are about to be transformed into an Uptown-style development with apartments, retail and, eventually, a DART light-rail station.

"Five years from now, this whole area will be changed," said John Allums, executive vice president of developer FirstWorthing Corp. "We are trying to create a neighborhood."

FirstWorthing and its partner, Greenway Investment Co., will break ground in September on the first phase of a 16-acre mixed-use complex that will stretch along the south side of Motor Street within sight of one of the country's biggest medical districts.

The project is a block from the sprawling Parkland Memorial Hospital complex and near the growing University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

The $30 million first phase of Cityville at Southwestern Medical District will include 263 apartments and 43,000 square feet of retail space in four- and five-story buildings at Motor and Cass streets.

"It will have an urban flavor," Mr. Allums said. "And it's planned with an entry plaza facing the new DART station."

DART is scheduled to open an elevated train station at Motor and Bengal streets in 2009. And the stretch of Motor Street between Maple and Harry Hines Boulevard will get a makeover into a five-lane divided and landscaped roadway.

"We can't wait for DART and the reconstruction of Motor Street," Mr. Allums said.


High hopes

FirstWorthing has been planning the project for almost two years. The developer has other urban-style rental complexes just east of downtown and on Lower Greenville Avenue.

The Motor Street project – designed by Dallas architects James, Harwick + Partners Inc. – will include loft-style apartments, flats and rental townhouses in a series of bright-colored buildings. The apartments will rent for about $1.15 per square foot, well below the prices of similar units in Uptown and Oak Lawn.

"Our studies have shown that everything we build will be absorbed," Mr. Allums said.

About the same time FirstWorthing starts Cityville, Parkland Health & Hospital System will break ground on a 58,000-square-foot Ambulatory Surgery Center at Motor and Harry Hines. The building is set to open in late 2006, Parkland spokeswoman Candace White said.

UT Southwestern just finished a 14-story biomedical research tower on Forest Park Road just north of Inwood. It also bought an old city operations center across the street. "We are in the process of redeveloping it as a research park," said Ruben Esquivel, UT Southwestern's vice president for community and corporate relations.

"We hope to break ground early next year."

Other developers have been giving the Motor Street area the once over, but the medical facilities got there first.

"Parkland has swallowed up big tracts of land over there," said real estate broker Robert Todd, who's been active in the area for more than a decade.

The growth of the medical district and the coming of DART's light-rail line connecting Farmers Branch with downtown Dallas are fueling redevelopment, he said.

More than 20,000 people work in the medical district, and there are 80,000 more in the adjoining Stemmons Freeway corridor.

"We have over 1.5 million patients either in the hospitals or outpatients visiting our clinics each year," Mr. Esquivel said. "And we have over 4,000 students in addition to the employers."

Mr. Esquivel says he's eager for developers to remake the area.

"The potential for economic development here is excellent," he said. "We are very glad to see that private developers are coming into this area with housing and commercial and retail."


City lends a hand

A newly approved city tax-increment-financing district for the area will pump more than $10 million in public improvements into the neighborhood.

"The pros [in real estate] have been watching this area for a long time," Mr. Todd said. "Private enterprise is coming in to meet the big need for housing."

Three apartment communities have been built between Motor Street and Mockingbird Lane to serve the medical district. All have exceeded projections.

One of those complexes was built last year by developer Carleton Residential. The 225-unit at 5225 Maple is more than 95 percent leased, said Printice Gary, managing partner at Carleton Residential.

"Almost all of our renters are students at UT Southwestern Medical," he said. "What's going on in that neighborhood is all going to be good.

"At some point the city might consider rezoning the entire area, which is principally industrial now," he said.


'Built-in clientele'

The hundreds of new residents along Motor Street can't come quickly enough for Charlie Bond. He's president of Elliott's Hardware, which has its flagship store at Maple and Motor.

"This area has been ripe for redevelopment for a number of years," said Mr. Bond, whose store started out in a frame house on Maple Avenue 58 years ago.

Most of Elliott's old industrial neighbors, such as Red Star Yeast and Lofland Co., are gone. Now Mr. Bond is looking forward to new neighbors who will move into the apartments right behind his store.

"We'll have a pretty good built-in clientele," he said. "There is no point for them to go anywhere else when they can walk over here."

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Nice shots of the Metropolitan model. This conversion is already underway downtown.

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Urban Market sneak preview in the newly renovated Interurban Building. Not a big deal in many cities, but a huge deal in a city trying to win downtown back

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Seeing is believing
With the first of three bridges due to break ground in December, progress on the trinity river corridor project will soon be clear
Lisa Tanner
Staff Writer
Work is progressing on the massive Trinity River Corridor Project -- but not everyone has noticed.

The $1 billion-plus project aims to transform part of the Trinity River Corridor and 6,000 acres of the Trinity Forest into an urban park and recreation area, as well as improve the transportation corridor around downtown.

As those involved in the project speak to the community, they're often asked the same question: When will it begin?

The answer is that work actually began several years ago, and much has been done already to move the major components of the project forward.

But there will be no missing that progress when the first of three signature bridges starts to go up following its planned groundbreaking in December.Not only will the bridges be among the most visible components of the project, they will play a pivotal role in improving transportation in the downtown area.

The transportation improvements will be made by the Texas Department of Transportation, the North Texas Tollway Authority and the city of Dallas, with funding coming from sources including local, state and federal funds.

Another major component of the project will be Trinity Parkway, a toll road that will have four lanes on one section and six in another and will relieve traffic from U.S. 175 on the southern side to State Highway 183 to the north. Construction of the road is expected to begin in 2007 and finish in 2011. Engineering firm Halff Associates is handling the environmental-impact statement for the project on behalf of the North Texas Tollway Authority.

The Trinity River Corridor transportation improvements are expected to generate more than $10 billion in economic development during the next 25 years and spur the creation of 7,500 permanent jobs in Dallas.

Overall, the Trinity River Corridor Project also will provide recreational opportunities including hike-and-bike trails, interpretive and equestrian centers and a water rapids course.

The plan adds environmental benefits while increasing flood protection for some areas and promoting commercial development of the surrounding land.

And, after years of often-heated debate, the project is solidly under way.

One of the first components completed was a boat launch for recreational use at Sylvan Avenue, which opened in January 2002. And development of the lower chain of river wetlands is currently under way.

It's been a long road. The first public discussions about the project began more than 10 years ago and, in May 1998, city of Dallas voters approved about $246 million for the project. Additional funding will come from state, federal and other agencies as well as private fund-raising efforts.

The payoff is expected to be immense. City leaders look for the full slate of enhancements to the Trinity area to boost Dallas' image by creating a trademark venue and a new look for the city's downtown area.

"It will change the face of downtown Dallas," said Alice Murray, president of the Central Dallas Association. "The goal is to make it our Central Park. But it will help the city in more ways than recreation because transportation will be improved."

With downtown Dallas becoming more of a residential neighborhood every year, the Trinity River area will offer a key component of support to that neighborhood.

"It will be an amenity not just for downtown but for the region," Murray said. "And anything that draws people toward downtown is a wonderful thing."

The project also will spur commercial development activity, which will spell tax and revenue for the city, she said.

Thirty-year fiscal benefits of the land use change alone are expected to benefit Dallas County, Dallas Independent School District and the city of Dallas to the tune of $279.1 million.

Signature bridges
The project will include three signature bridges, designed by Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava.

Currently, "There's a lot of activity and some dirt flying," said Rebecca Dugger, director of the Trinity River Corridor Project for the city of Dallas.

Design work is under way on the first bridge, which will be named the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in recognition of a $12 million donation to the project by Hunt Petroleum Corp. in honor of Margaret Hunt Hill, civic leader and daughter of company founder H.L. Hunt. A December groundbreaking is planned, Dugger said.

The bridge is being built first because it has already gone through the schematic design and the environmental assessment by the Texas Department of Transportation. It was identified by the 1998 Texas Department of Transportation investment study as a needed reliever route to carry traffic from West Dallas and Oak Cliff to the major freeways and into downtown.

Construction on the bridge is expected to be complete in 2008. The bridge will include six lanes for vehicles and feature cables attached to a 400-foot central arch that will support the structure. The total estimated cost is $93 million, with the city's contribution capped at $28 million, which will come from the 1998 bond funds. The North Central Texas Council of Governments will contribute $13 million, the Texas Transportation Commission $17 million, the federal government $7 million and TxDOT will make up the remainder.

Although Calatrava has been selected as the prime consultant on the bridge, a contracting company has not yet been determined. The construction portion of the project is estimated to cost about $63 million.

The Margaret Hill Hunt Bridge will serve as an extension of Woodall Rodgers and will be built between the Continental Avenue and Union Pacific Railroad bridges. By linking the existing Woodall Rodgers freeway across the river to Singleton Boulevard, it will ease traffic between West Dallas and North Oak Cliff through downtown.

The design for the Interstate 30 bridge was unveiled in November 2004. It includes a center arch rising 300 feet above the roadway and a 1,000-foot center span and will be named in honor of local philanthropist Margaret McDermott.

Design and construction cost is estimated at $150 million with funding coming from sources including Dallas County, federal and state agencies and local citizens.

Construction is anticipated to start in late 2006 with a mid-2010 opening of the bridge, which will improve east-west regional traffic flow through the area, including downtown Dallas.

To improve the north-south traffic flow, an I-35E bridge will be located between the existing Jefferson and Corinth bridges. It is expected to cost about $165 million but construction and opening estimates are not yet available.

Although the clearing of ground in the area isn't a big attention-getter, it is taking place and once work begins on the first bridge, "people will really take notice," Dugger said. Already there is a great deal of public interest, she added.

But certain components of the process take a great deal of time, such as an environmental-impact statement necessary before work can begin on Trinity Parkway.

The aim is to begin construction in 2007 on the road, which will help relieve traffic congestion in the I-30 and I-35E corridors, especially the Canyon, Mixmaster and Lower Stemmons areas. The parkway will extend from U.S. 175 in southeast Dallas to connect with S.H. 183 to the north.

Marketing Dallas
The Trinity project also will help those who market the city to visitors.

"It will be a tremendous asset as we sell the city of Dallas," said Phillip Jones, president and CEO of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. Because large groups book their meetings many years in advance, "we're selling the future Dallas," he said, to groups that will hold their meetings here in 2010 and beyond.

"Visitors want to go where people are, and this will add an element to Dallas that we currently don't have," Jones said. The project will complement not only the Dallas Convention Center and downtown but also adjoining areas, including Victory Park, Uptown, Deep Ellum and the Arts District, he added.

"Dallas is in the middle of a renaissance and in five years people won't recognize Dallas. All great American cities reinvent themselves," he said.

City leaders have long known that more needed to be done with the Trinity River Corridor -- that it was too great an asset not to be utilized, said Craig Holcomb, executive director of the Trinity Commons Foundation and a former Dallas City Council member.

The Trinity Commons Foundation is a nonprofit group dedicated to advancing the improvements to the Trinity River Corridor.

"A $1 billion project takes a lot of time to plan," Holcomb said. But now that people can begin to see the project happening, that lends credibility to the effort and helps make it real, he said.

"This will help keep Dallas in the first tier of American cities," Holcomb said.

But it takes money. Which is where the Trinity Trust steps in, aiming to raise $110 million.

It was established by the Trinity Commons Foundation to raise private funds for the project. To date, the group has helped raise money for the design fees for the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and also the I-30 bridge, said president Gail Thomas.

She's meeting with representatives of key families in the city to raise interest in the naming rights for other project landmarks, including lakes and even an island.

"It's an opportunity to remember the great, spirited people who contributed to the city," she said. "There is enormous interest in the project because it will change the way people live in Dallas."

ltanner@bizjournals.com

YES!!! I can't WAIT for those beautiful bridges to rise!

Uptown center's lot sold

Quadrangle parking area destined to be apartments or condos

11:41 PM CDT on Tuesday, July 19, 2005

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

A parking lot at the Quadrangle in Uptown is set to become apartments or condominiums.

Fairfield Residential, one of the companies building housing in the Victory project, has bought 2.5 acres of the Quadrangle complex.


Fairfield Residential bought the property at Vine and Howell streets from Champion Partners. The Dallas developer and investor has owned the Quadrangle since 2003. Terms were not disclosed.

With its location just a block off McKinney Avenue, the Quadrangle property is a likely candidate for mid-rise or high-rise apartments or condos.

"We are planning to do a residential development there," said Fairfield Residential's Barry Howard. "Right now, we are working to decide what is most appropriate for the neighborhood.

"We would not break ground before 2006," he said.

The developer will replace all of the parking now on the open lot.

Champion Partners founder Jeff Swope declined to discuss the sale but said his firm remains committed to the Quadrangle retail and office complex.

"We've put several million dollars into it, and we are continuing to try and improve the tenant base," he said.

Built in the 1960s, the Quadrangle was Dallas' first urban retail complex. It was redeveloped in 1986 with an office high-rise and remodeled retail buildings. That redevelopment also included a plan to turn the parking lot into a residential building.

Fairfield Residential is one of Uptown's busiest builders. The company built the 232-unit Bryson at City Place apartments near Lemmon and McKinney avenues.

At the Victory project just north of downtown, it's building the Terrace, a seven-story condominium building, and the 125-unit Vista apartments.

In the Addison Circle community on the Dallas North Tollway, Fairfield has gotten preliminary approval from Addison to build a seven-story, 140-condo building.

Gulf States update

renovation now in full swing

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The "before" shot from Ninjatune. Most of Dallas' announced new highrise projects will be rising in this picture over the next couple of years.

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W now topped out
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LuQa update. Wowee!

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Joule Urban Resort project underway. The photo is looking at the side of the builing in relation to the rendering. Between the highrise and the Iron Cactus below, they have demolished a small retail building and will be adding a ten story addition, seen right of the main tower in the rendering. Of course the main tower is under renovation.

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For those that don't remember

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Staying power
Surrounded by successful redos, a downtown skyscraper will be getting new life as a grand hotel
08:02 PM CST on Thursday, December 23, 2004
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
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Love has something to do with Robert Colombo's latest venture. Why else would he tackle the daunting prospect of turning a boarded-up 78-year-old office building into a posh hotel? It's taken almost two years of preparation, but Mr. Colombo's deLuxe Hotel Group is about to begin restoring an empty office tower at 1530 Main St. into the Joule Urban Resort. "I first saw the building in 1997 or 1998, and it reminded me of a New York residential hotel," said Mr. Colombo, who spent most of his career in the hotel and restaurant business. "Maybe that's why I fell in love with it."

Location is also key. Sitting midway between Neiman Marcus and the Magnolia Building, the project is surrounded by successful redevelopments. It faces the popular Stone Street Gardens mall, with its eclectic collection of restaurants, and the Kirby Building and Wilson Building apartment communities are a few doors down. "We have an opportunity here to do something unique – an important project for the city," said Mr. Colombo, who's embarking on the project with investor Tim Headington of Headington Resources. "It will be something Dallas has not really seen before."

Modern

Looking at the gothic-inspired office tower, it's hard to believe the building was advertised as being "modern" when it debuted in the 1920s. The 17-story building was built as the headquarters for the Dallas National Bank. In later years, it housed a department store and a retail arcade. With its small floors and long, thin profile, the building was inefficient for modern office space. But that kind of layout is perfect for hotel rooms. Dallas-based ArchiTexas – an experienced renovation architect – will oversee this effort to save a piece of Main Street history.

The intricate stone exterior of the building will be restored to mint condition, but as soon as you step through the front door, you'll leave the 1920s behind. Award-winning New York designer Adam Tihany will create an ultra-contemporary theme for the lobby, rooms, restaurant, lounge and other spaces. "It will be a great juxtaposition of old vs. new," Mr. Colombo said. "There is a grand old facade and a new, contemporary interior." Mr. Tihany, whose Aleph Hotel in Rome won European design awards, is better known in the United States for his work on top nightclubs and restaurants, including Per Se in New York. "We've asked Adam to do something at the very highest end of contemporary design," Mr. Colombo said.

'Bonanza'

The hotel will have 124 rooms and suites, and developers are building an adjoining 10-story wing on the tower to house a restaurant, meeting rooms, additional guest rooms and a spa with a rooftop pool. The project will cost more than $25 million. "We've already finished all the interior demolition," said Mr. Colombo, who hopes to open the hotel in early 2006. "It couldn't happen fast enough for me," said Tom Taylor, who has renovated several restaurant and retail buildings in the same block. "It's going to be a spectacular improvement to have a five-star restaurant and a boutique hotel. "That's a bonanza for downtown." Merrill Lynch Capital is providing funding. The project is getting a boost from the Center City Tax Increment Finance board, which agreed to provide several million dollars in redevelopment incentives. "It's going to be fabulous and will have a huge impact and add activity on Main Street," said Alice Murray, president of the Central Dallas Association.

Something different

Mr. Colombo predicts his niche hotel will be popular with visitors and locals who want something different. "We will create a reason for people to come downtown on the weekend," he said. In the 1980s, Mr. Colombo was known as one of the founders of the Sfuzzi restaurant chain, which got its start on McKinney Avenue. He's also worked in management at several New York hotels, including the Plaza, Grand Hyatt and Bryant Park. "We think this project will be unique in that it will add something to the fabric of the city," Mr. Colombo said. "And to not do anything with that building would be an absolute shame."

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com
__________________

Small luxury hotels are drawing some of the city's top chefs. Last week William Koval told his bosses he will leave downtown's historic Adolphus hotel and the French Room after 11 years to head food service at Joule Urban Resort, a small luxury property scheduled to open downtown in March 2006. He'll be in charge of Fuel as well. That will be the name of the Main Street hotel's fine-dining restaurant.

Since he's got time before opening, he plans to cook with chefs in Atlanta, Chicago and New York City and then travel in Asia and Europe to hone his skills and train his palate. His mandate: "to have the best restaurant in the Southwest." No pressure.

TOD boom continues

I thought this article was interesting in light of the discussion light rail.

Development Trio Eyes Q1 Start for $35M-Plus Model Project
By Connie Gore
Last updated: July 19, 2005 06:27pm

(To read more on the multifamily market, click here.)
FARMERS BRANCH, TX-A trio of movers and shakers in the development world hopes to break ground in early 2006 on the first phase of a mixed-use model with a light-rail station as the drawing card. Upward of $35 million will be spent on the first wave of construction: 250 to 300 multifamily units and 30,000 sf of retail.

Harwood International Inc., Centex Corp. and Humphreys & Partners Architects LP are partnering with the City of Farmers Branch on the transit-oriented concept, which is destined to end up as a development model for similar projects along the proposed DART line in the Greater Dallas area. "It's the first for us and the first for a lot of developers," Tap Pritchard, Harwood's COO, tells GlobeSt.com.

The Farmers Branch City Centre project will launch with a 7.4-acre tract, but there's another 49 acres banked for the plan's expansion and roughly 30 more that could be bought and scraped if it proves successful, says Michael Spicer, the city's community services director. Farmers Branch officials signed the development pact in April 2004 after nearly five months of negotiations with Harwood and two decades of gaming out a vision for acreage in and around city hall at the junction of Valley View Lane and Stemmons Freeway.

The start date has been penciled and erased several times, but players now say the groundbreaking will take place in Q1 2006 if DART stays on track to build and open a light-rail station by 2010 inside the city line. "Today, I'd say there aren't many obstacles in our way," Pritchard says. The developers have allowed a three-year window for the urban-style residential and retail project to stabilize before the station opens, he explains.

Pritchard says the Harwood team has been in talks with other cities for similar developments on DART's light-rail expansion roster. "The land deals are sensitive," he says. "They will come to light as the year progresses."

Farmers Branch City Centre is patterned to some degree after Ken Hughes' Mockingbird Station, the first one in Texas to be positioned directly on top of a DART station. In Harwood's initiative, Pritchard says the transit-oriented concept will be blended with the light-rail station design so that "you won't know when you've left our development and entered theirs."

Oaklawn remains the hottest

Developer to level Park Cities units

Apartments built in '41 to make way for luxury townhomes

11:14 PM CDT on Wednesday, July 20, 2005

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

A block of aging apartments at Lemmon Avenue and the Dallas North Tollway in Highland Park is being demolished to make way for luxury townhomes.

Gables Residential – Uptown's biggest apartment builder – says it hopes to have the units finished by fall 2006 and rent them for around $3,000 a month.
BETSY BOCK/Staff Artist

"We are only doing 57 units there," said Gables Residential's Tom Bakewell. "It will be super-low-density – lower than the zoning allows, which the Town of Highland Park loves."

The two and three-story townhomes will average about 1,800 square feet and rent for between $1.65 and $1.75 per square foot. That's at the top of the local rental market.

The project replaces the Westchester Apartments, which were built in 1941 at a cost of $500,000. The 104-unit complex on 3 acres was once Dallas' largest apartment community.

The Colonial-style buildings were built by Dallas developer Leo Corrigan and were originally rented furnished with "period furniture," according to news reports.

Gables is leasing the land from Intercity Investments.

The last tenants moved out of the property June 1, Mr. Bakewell said. "We should start demolition in about a week."

New tenants will get a memento from the Westchester.

"We pulled all the old oak floors out of there and salvaged them and hopefully will be reusing them," Mr. Bakewell said. "The site also has a lot of old, big trees we want to save, which is why we reduced the number of units."

Gables, which is based in Florida, has owned the 55-unit Highland Terrace apartments across the street from the Westchester for about a year.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

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First Baptist Dallas: Criswell Center update

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exciting development for Dallas, IMO

Hillwood, Belo Stamp Landmark 10-Year Lease in Victory Plaza
By Connie Gore
Last updated: July 21, 2005 09:42am

(For more retail coverage, click GlobeSt.com/RETAIL.)
DALLAS-Planning to take its message live to the crowds, Hillwood and Belo Corp. have preleased 5,000 sf of street-level retail space to set up a broadcast station on a prime corner of Victory Plaza. The dirt work for the 100,000-sf, mixed-use building is just getting under way.

"Part of what they produce will be simulcast throughout Victory," says Jonas Woods, president of Hillwood Capital. He tells GlobeSt.com that the landmark lease has a 10-year term and a pair of five-year options to back a plan that is hoped will catapult the $600-million-plus Victory development into the ranks of Times Square and Rockefeller Center.

Belo's ABC affiliate, WFAA-TV, will broadcast live, beginning in mid-2006, from Victory Plaza East Tower, a twin-building development with 200,000 sf of office and retail space. The 75,000 sf of retail space has reached 90% preleasing with the Belo pact and the office floors are 40% taken, according to Woods.

Woods says Hillwood and its partners first approached the media conglomerate on the list of possible tenants because it's Dallas based plus it has connections as an ABC affiliate and a "strong" presence in local market. "Because of that, they were the first choice," he says, adding talks began just a few months ago.

"The most important aspect is what it does for Victory Park as a neighborhood," Woods says. "It will generate interest between the celebrities inside those spaces to the crowds gathering outside these locations."

Woods says construction crews are just now "mobilizing" on the Victory Plaza East's tract at the northwest corner of Houston and Wichita streets. The building will go up across the street from the W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences, which topped out last Thursday.

In keeping with Hillwood's media plan for the development, Belo will equip the station with the most sophisticated high-definition video technology that's available. The studio space will be a second location in Dallas for Channel 8. Other Belo media lined up to share the space are reporters from the Dallas Morning News, al dia, Quick and other outlets with a team on assignment.

"For more than 50 years, WFAA has been directly connected to downtown Dallas, which is why this new studio is absolutely a natural," Kathy Clements, the station's president and general manager, says in a press release. "WFAA is the first station in our region to build anything on this scale." The upcoming broadcast format is being likened to ABC's "Good Morning America," aired live each day from New York City. Plus, it's taking a cue from stations in Chicago and Raleigh-Durham that have recently built studios in their downtowns.

Orne + Associates Inc. of Los Angeles designed the twin-tower project, which is being raised by the partnership of Hillwood, a Ross Perot Jr. company, and Hicks Holding Co., owned by Tom Hicks.




WFAA plans glass studio
Channel 8 Victory Plaza telecasts set for next year

12:12 AM CDT on Thursday, July 21, 2005
By MANUEL MENDOZA / The Dallas Morning News

WFAA-TV (Channel 8) announced plans Wednesday to open a storefront studio next year at Victory Plaza, the retail-office project that will flank the south entrance of American Airlines Center with two buildings of high-end restaurants and shops.
The glass-enclosed studio at Wichita and North Houston streets is intended to take advantage of the street life envisioned for the plaza, similar to the interaction between tourists and the television studios of Good Morning America in Times Square and the Today show at Rockefeller Center.

An artist's rendering of the Victory Plaza project includes a glass- enclosed storefront studio for WFAA-TV (Channel 8). The station will maintain its headquarters on Young Street. Belo Corp., owner of Channel 8 and The Dallas Morning News, has signed a long-term lease for the 5,000-square-foot space with the Hillwood development firm, said WFAA president and general manager Kathy Clements. "Our audience gets accessibility to us, including participating in local programs."

The idea for the studio came from Hillwood, which found interest among other major network affiliates in North Texas before deciding on Channel 8, said Jonas Woods, president of Hillwood Capital. While TV stations in Chicago and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., are using similar downtown facilities, it will be the first of its kind in North Texas. The concept is to bring a new element to this type of shopping-dining-entertainment district.

Channel 8 officials are not ready to reveal which shows would be broadcast from the new studio, but Ms. Clements said the possibilities include the daytime talk program Good Morning Texas , allowing Victory Plaza visitors to see and meet the show's celebrity guests.

Some newscasts also will originate from the space, Ms. Clements said, giving Channel 8 the option of incorporating street interviews with viewers. The station also is designing a new show with the studio in mind. "We now have the venue to think differently about how we broadcast," Ms. Clements said.

To the south, the studio faces the W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences, now under construction and scheduled to open next May with hundreds of condominiums and hotel rooms and thousands of square feet of retail space. South of the W, two other condo-apartment buildings are under way, with openings next summer.

Among the other tenants announced for Victory Plaza, which includes 120,000 square feet of offices and 73,000 square feet of retail in two low-rise buildings, are N9NE Steakhouse and clothing store G-Star. Combined with foot traffic from other projects in the booming downtown-Uptown corridor, the plaza is expected to draw more than 11 million visitors a year, Mr. Woods said.

Some of the Victory Plaza stores and restaurants could begin opening as early as May, with an official grand opening in fall 2006. Channel 8 plans to have an early presence and begin broadcasting in earnest by September 2006, Ms. Clements said. The space also will contain some offices, but Channel 8 will continue to have its headquarters on Young Street downtown near Reunion Arena.

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Hey!.. I recognize some of these :D

(aka ninjatune)

W update courtesy of crescentboi

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Gables Villa Rosa in Uptown

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Vantage Turtle Creek(office)

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3839 McKinney West Village addition(McKinney and Blackburn, intersection with West Village, Hank Haney and the Mondrian)

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a reminder of what it will be

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Downtown market open for business

12:44 PM CDT on Friday, July 22, 2005


By MICHAEL E. YOUNG / The Dallas Morning News

Downtown office workers flooded the area’s latest attraction on Friday, stretching their coffee breaks and lunch hours to sample the wares at Urbanmarket, a grocery store with a couple of twists.

Unlike the typical suburban superstore, Urbanmarket fills a relatively cozy 20,000 square feet of the refurbished Interurban Building on Jackson Street with products mundane to exotic, including a generous sampling of natural and organic items. But unlike some specialty stores, Urbanmarket stocks staples -- toilet tissue and paper towels, pet food and laundry soap.

And unlike just about any grocery store anywhere, Urbanmarket features a full service bar and food service covering breakfast through dinner.

“For the people living in apartments around here, this is all they need,” said Saundra Clark of Oak Cliff, who works nearby for SBC.

Don Raines Jr. couldn’t agree more.

“I’m just kind of standing here amazed,” said Mr. Raines, president of the Downtown Residents Council. “I’ve been living downtown for 5½ years. I have a feeling I’ll be over here almost every day.”

Mr. Raines, an urban designer by trade, said Friday’s opening of downtown’s first grocery store has an impact far greater than just convenience for the 3,500 people who call downtown home, and the tens of thousands who work there.

It’s an institution that fosters a sense of community in an area that doesn’t fit the definition of “community” in the usual sense.

Too many people still think downtown closes down at 5 p.m., Mr. Raines said, and have no idea of the redevelopment going on -- projects that could triple the present population to 10,000 by the end of the decade.

“You always hear, ‘Which came first, the chicken or the egg?’ I think in downtown, the chickens came in advance,” he said, “and this is the egg.

“And it’s another reason to be downtown.”

E-mail myoung@dallasnews.com


At last: a downtown market

Urban Market opened Friday in the refurbished Interurban Building, a high-rise in Dallas' central business district. Denizens of downtown have waited a long time for a real supermarket, and at 20,000 square feet, this one qualifies. Here's how Urban Market stacks up:

Rung on the food chain: High-end mix of staples and sustenance that's half grocer, half urban bistro: Advil and Iams when you need 'em. Urban Tacos (pulled pork) and a bottle of wine when you want 'em.

What's in store: Half the grocery side is conventional, as in Blue Bell ice cream, Heinz ketchup, bagged salad greens. Half is natural and specialty items: Woodchuck hard cider, Terra kettle chips, Onion Brothers beef-Vidalia onion patties. Plus a butcher counter, salad bar and chef's case of house-made takeout. Shoppers who are looking to cook should be able to find what they need – but if all you want is dinner to go, you can get that here, too.

Don't wait to be seated: The café and full bar invite hanging out and take you from smoothies to paninis. At the quesadilla bar, create your own or pick one from the menu, such as ancho-chile chicken or bacon-cheeseburger. (Yes, that's a quesadilla.)

Bottom line: Foodie-urban dweller's paradise with the right practical stuff, too.

1500 Jackson (one block south of Neiman Marcus). 214-741-FOOD (3663). Hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

What else?

The upper floors of the Interurban Building, where Urban Market is located, are being developed as lofts. Here are some of the special services geared to the store's downtown, high-rise clients:

•Delivery within two miles (includes Uptown).

•Personal shopper available. Eventually available online (www.urbanmarketdallas.com). Weekly specials will also be online.

•Catering.

•Free parking for "to-go" orders on Wood Street (between the store and the Dallas Public Library).

Kim Pierce

From Good Fulton & Farrell and the Dallas Business Journal

The Design District is a roughly 160-acre area just west of downtown Dallas and on the northside of the Trinity River corridor. Currently the area has roughly 2.4 - 2.5 million sf of existing building space. A master plan done by Good Fulton & Farrell shows that over 20 years, the Design District could grow to include:
- 1.5 million sf of retail/showroom space
- 2.4 million sf of office space
- 4,000 residential units
- 550 hotel rooms




Trinity Lofts



The Trinity Lofts is the first residential and retail project to take place in the Design District. It will be built by converting a three-story office building into a four-story, 66 unit building. There will also four new three-story buildings constructed. In total, Trinity Lofts will contain 92 residential units with 80 being conventional units and 12 being live-work units. Up to 24,000 sf of showroom space will be included in the project. The Trinty Lofts could be ready for move in by fall of 2006.



Homing in on Design District
Trinity Lofts to be overlooked area's first residential and retail development
Sandra Zaragoza
Staff Writer

Change is in the air for the Dallas Design District.

The aging designer and showroom hub has long been the home of furnishing vendors, antique shops and other wholesalers and retailers aimed at the national interior design market.

Now those vendors could find a closer market, with development of the Design District's first residential and retail project, called Trinity Lofts. Trinity Lofts will include 80 conventional residences, 12 live-work spaces and 24,000 square feet of showroom space.

The planned project underscores increased interest in the Design District, a relatively overlooked area despite its proximity to downtown.

That interest includes a $33.5 million tax increment financing district recently created by the city to stimulate retail and residential development in the area, and a commitment by Dallas-based Crow Holdings, which owns 26 acres of the 160-acre area, to provide $6.3 million for district improvements. Crow Holdings also is considering a residential, office and retail development.

But first to get residential construction going in the area are longtime Design District developers Jim Lake Jr. and Mike Morgan of Dallas-based Jim Lake Cos. In partnership with Stephen Barnes of Dallas-based residential developer Alpha-Barnes Cos., they plan to begin construction on the $15 million Trinity Lofts project within the next 90 days.

Tenants may move in as early as fall 2006. Richardson-based Texans Credit Union is providing financing.

The Design District "was originally a warehouse district. Now it has the ability to be a window glass to the Trinity," said Morgan, who, in 1967, developed the existing building at 1403 Slocum Street that will become the first component of the Trinity Lofts project. "You can see the buildings in the area changing almost daily."

Lake believes the project will lure artisans, designers, architects and other design-oriented businesspeople. The live-work units, which combine residences with showroom space, will fill a pent-up demand for that type of product, he said. A yellow sign at the Slocum Street building already has piqued the interest of people in the area.

"We are simply responding to the market and to what we've heard from our existing tenant base (who have) expressed interest in that type of product," Lake said.

The district was officially rezoned for residential uses in 2004, and a small group of individuals already call the area home.

The Trinity Lofts project has views of the Dallas skyline, the Victory project and is a short distance from the West End. It is also yards away from the Katy Trail, which will be extended through the planned Old Trinity Trail and ultimately connect to the Trinity River Corridor Project, a $1 billion-plus project that will transform part of the corridor and forest into an urban park and recreation area.

Plans call for the vacant, three-story Slocum Street office building to be converted into a four-story, 66-unit building with 24,000 square feet of ground-floor showroom space and an atrium. Some space will be dedicated to retail users, such as a restaurant.

A vacant parking lot behind the building will be the site of four other buildings facing Dragon Street that will offer live-work spaces and conventional apartments.

"People feel very comfortable in the Design District," Lake said, adding that the area has 24-hour security. "It's a community of businesses and people take care of their property."

The area's first residential project comes on the heels of Dallas City Council's creation of a $33.5 million Design District TIF, which was unanimously approved on June 8.

The Design District TIF is designed to stimulate development in the blighted area, and funds will go toward infrastructure improvements, landscaping, signage and improving the Old Trinity Trail, among other public improvements.

Jim Lake Cos., which has converted a clutch of dilapidated buildings in the district into office and showroom space, is in the process of applying for TIF funds. The company's latest project, still under development, is the International on Turtle Creek, a 157,640-square-foot design center that will have showrooms, design firms and restaurants when it opens this fall.

Trammell Crow Co. built the first center with design businesses in the Design District, originally a warehouse district, in 1954. In the 1970s, developers began to convert warehouses to meet the increasing demand for showroom space. That included Trammell Crow, which redeveloped more than 30 warehouses into designer showrooms.

Crow Holdings continues to have the highest stake in the Design District, owning 26 of the district's 160 acres, as well as the nearby 1,620-room Wyndham Anatole hotel.

An unnamed Canadian landowner is said to own about 10 acres in the district, and Jim Lake Cos. owns and leases 850,000 square feet to various design and office users.

Steve Bancroft of Crow Holdings, City Council member Ed Oakley and Mike Morgan of Jim Lake Cos. were instrumental in getting the Design District TIF in place.

As part of the TIF, Crow Holdings plans to invest $6.3 million in public improvements that will be used to "change the identity of the Design District," Bancroft said. It will likely finance the Old Trinity Trail project, signage and street upgrades.

The TIF will help to kickstart development in the area, Bancroft said: "If you look at the area, it is vastly underdeveloped, and private development would not otherwise occur on a dense scale unless a private-public partnership was in place.

"I think it gives the opportunity to be like an Uptown or West Village. It may grow up to be an Uptown, but it's not an Uptown today," he said.

Over the next 20 years, the Design District is expected to grow by 1.5 million square feet of retail and showroom space and 2.4 million square feet of office space, according to a masterplan developed by architecture and planning firm Dallas-based Good Fulton & Farrell. Additionally, about 550 hotel rooms and more than 4,000 residential units are expected to be added.

The Design District is estimated to have 2.4 million to 2.5 million square feet of existing building space.

According to Bancroft, Crow Holdings is looking to redevelop at least one of its Design District buildings into a retail, office and residential project.

One of the potential locations is said to be 1400 Turtle Creek Blvd., but Bancroft would say only that three buildings are under consideration for redevelopment. He declined to say when that development would take place.
New development

For now, Jim Lake Cos. -- the area's most active developer -- will pioneer the residential component.

Jim Lake Cos. is "the first (developer) breaking ground in residential in the area," Bancroft said. "The project has an edge to it. If (Lake) is careful to position the product (rates) below the Uptown area and delivers a good product, he has the chance to be pretty successful."

Dallas-based Beeler, Guest, Owens Architects designed the Trinity Lofts' "contemporary, artsy feel" with brick and stucco accents and galvanized steel. Texas BBL L.P. was selected as contractor.

The four new three-story buildings will offer 12 live-work units with attached garages. A stairwell will connect the bottom work or showroom space with the upstairs residential. A third story will offer two-bedroom residences.

"Half of the residential will be priced below $1,000 a month," Barnes said, adding that the rents will range from $830 to $1,500 for residential units. Live-work space rents will run slightly higher, from $2,300 to $2,800 per month.

In comparison, monthly rents in Uptown, which has a 95.9% occupancy rate, average $1,160, according to M/PF Yieldstar.

"What we've seen is that people are pretty willing to go into pioneering locations as long as the price is set correctly," said Greg Willet of Dallas-based M/PF Yieldstar.

Showroom space in the project will average about $12.75 per square foot, triple net. The Stemmons Freeway submarket's office rates averaged $14.46 in the second quarter of 2005, according to research by Dallas-based Cushman & Wakefield of Texas Inc..

Lake agrees that moderate pricing will help make the residential component of the project a success.

"We are very sensitive about pricing this at the lower end. We do not want to oversell ourselves on what we think would be successful in this market," Lake said.

szaragoza@bizjournals.com

Are there getting to be too many abandoned malls/big box stores as new malls get built?
__________________
Dillard's, Barnes & Noble moving to Firewheel
They'll move to new development in October
07:48 PM CDT on Saturday, July 23, 2005
By WENDY HUNDLEY / The Dallas Morning News


Barnes & Noble and Dillard's plan to close their stores at Richardson Square Mall when the nearby Firewheel Town Center opens in October, company officials say.

SMILEY N. POOL/DMN
Richardson Square Mall's sign shows the traces of former tenants. The mall's owner, Simon Property Group, plans to upgrade the struggling shopping center.
The owner of Richardson Square Mall, Simon Property Group Inc., expects to upgrade the struggling shopping center rather than sell it.

"I know that renovation is in the works at Richardson," said Simon spokesman Les Morris, who declined to provide details.

Residents and city officials have long expressed concern about the future of the 28-year-old mall at Plano and Belt Line roads.

"They assure us they're going to redevelop the mall," said Michael Wanchick, Richardson's assistant city manager for development services.

"It has a retail future. Beyond that, we're waiting."

Simon – the nation's largest mall developer – had been shopping for a buyer for its Richardson property. Concerns were heightened when Firewheel Town Center began construction less than five miles away in Garland. The grand opening is scheduled for Oct. 7 to 9.

Simon Property Group owns both retail centers. Firewheel will have some of the same stores that are now at Richardson Square – Dillard's, Barnes & Noble and Old Navy.

But that's where their similarities end.

Firewheel, at the intersection of Bush Turnpike and State Highway 78, will be an open-air center with 750,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, and 75,000 square feet of second-floor offices.

The trendy mixed-use center will be a marked contrast to Richardson Square Mall's traditional boxy, enclosed design.

Carolyn Brown, a spokeswoman for Barnes & Noble Booksellers, said the company plans to open its new store at Firewheel on Oct. 5. The Richardson Square Mall bookstore will close about the same time, she said.

Dillard's will also begin winding down operations in Richardson for the Oct. 5 opening of its Firewheel store, spokeswoman Julie Bull said. The employees will be transferred to the new store, she said.

A spokeswoman for The Gap Inc., which owns Old Navy stores, said the company does not discuss store openings and closings.

It's unclear what shape the renovated Richardson Square Mall will take.

"We've examined several scenarios, but we're not in a position to discuss them publicly," Mr. Morris said.

Richardson city officials say they've been told that the company plans to demolish all or part of the mall for the redesign.

"We seriously doubt it would be an enclosed mall," Mr. Wanchick said. "The whole shopping center industry is changing. People want to pull in front of a store and buy what they want."

While city officials don't have a timetable for redevelopment, Mr. Wanchick said mall tenants are on short-term leases.

"We're encouraged by the fact that Simon isn't going to try to put marginal uses back in those vacant spaces," he said. "They're looking at demolishing a portion, if not the entire mall, and rebuilding in a way that's more suited to today's malls."

Looks like the days for those huge indoor malls are slowly but surely coming to an end. Rantanamo has pictures of the new towncenter in Garland on page 9.

Richardson Square simply has a horrible location, is way small for a mall these days, and has been in decline for years. It was renovated a few years ago after losing Montgomery Wards and a Super Target was added on. Its pretty nice inside, and is certainly no where near the state that Big Town was when it closed. A mixed-use new urbanist project has been successful just down the street, so hopefully the same can happen in this case. Its not surprising at all for the mall to be on the brink to people in the area. It really is pretty close to Firewheel(and Colin Creek in Plano), which are much larger and newer. Firewheel may even make life tough for Colin Creek being that its 5-10 minutes down the freeway.

I've always believe this would happen eventually. Actually have been hoping for it.

Developers plan Garland Road luxury condos
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/s...ry5.html?page=2
Proposal likely to face zoning battle
Cynthia D. Webb and Christine Perez//Staff Writers

Two Dallas developers are working on an ambitious new project that could transform the struggling Garland Road corridor, an area of State Highway 78 nestled around White Rock Lake and the Dallas Arboretum.

Leon Backes, president of Provident Realty Advisors Inc. , and developer Mark Miller have formed Emerald Isle Partners L.P. to develop The Emerald, a 25-story, $50 million luxury condominium tower on the west side of Garland Road at Emerald Isle.

The tower would replace a strip of one-story medical offices, which will be razed.

Initial plans call for between 180 and 225 condos, ran
ging in size from 1,400 square feet to 3,800 sq
uare feet and in price from $385,000 to $1 million. Designed by Dallas-based WDG Habib, The Emerald also would include an upscale restaurant.

The developers, anticipating a contentious zoning battle, say they've had more than 100 meetings with home and business owners in the area in an attempt to drum up support for the project. If their plans are approved, construction will start in the first quarter of 2006 and wrap up in early 2008.

The Emerald could be a catalyst for additional commercial development in the area, Backes said.

"When you factor in the proximity to White Rock Lake Park and the Dallas Arboretum, two world-class amenities, the stagnation or decline in the Garland Road corridor just doesn't make sense," he said. "A $50 million-plus investment in the community will change perceptions and take the neighborhood in a different direction, one that is more reflective of the residents already there."

The Emerald would be the first major residential development the area has seen since 1999, when Trammell Crow Co. built The Reserve at White Rock, a 588-unit apartment complex near Buckner Boulevard and Garland Road. The $50 million project, developed as an upscale property, was sold in late 2003 to Dallas-based Unified Housing Foundation, which specializes in affordable housing.
'Emerging market'

Cassie Gibson, market research analyst with Residential Strategies Inc., calls East Dallas "an emerging market."

"We track all of the townhome and condo activity, and we have definitely seen a major push east of North Central Expressway," she said. "The price of land in Uptown has skyrocketed, and there's not a lot left. The challenge in East Dallas will be making the transition from the old to the new. Will it work to put $400,000 condos next to apartments that rent for $500 a month?"


Amenities like White Rock Lake and the Arboretum will help lure buyers, Gibson said.

"It's a beautiful area and a condo development there should do well," she said. "The question is, how deep is the market? All of the new condo developments seem to be priced at $400,000 and above. If someone would come in with condos in the $200,000 range, I think people would be standing in line to buy them. Once you push it up to $400,000, the market gets smaller."

Mary Poss, former mayor pro tem and ex-Dallas City Councilwoman for District 9, which includes Garland Road, is serving as a consultant for Emerald Isle Partners. She said The Emerald could jump-start retail activity along Garland Road, especially at Casa Linda Plaza, a 325,000-square-foot center just north on Buckner Boulevard.

"Any big project will encourage redevelopment and bring better stores," she said. "We deserve a lot better than what we have today."

Built in 1947, the Albertson's-anchored center has a vacancy of about 15%. This does not include the 12,000-square-foot Casa Linda Theater, an East Dallas landmark acquired last fall by Theatre Brothers Ltd. , a partnership led by real estate investors Barry Waranch and Keith Koop. The group is working to redevelop the theater, which has been dark since 1999.

Scott Singleton with the Dallas office of Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Center oversees leasing at Casa Linda Plaza. He said interest in the property is picking up.

"We've signed four or five new tenants in the last five or six months, including Lover's Pizza and Pasta and Tokoly Consignments, a furniture consignment store," he said. "Any new improvements in the area, such as the new condo project, would help the area and help the center."

Waranch and Koop also own the 2-acre Emerald site Backes and Miller have put under contract. The land deal is contingent upon rezoning, which would allow development of the condo tower to proceed.
Zoning battle

The zoning application process, which will start in the next few weeks, will be a "tough, uphill battle," Poss said.

"It will be up to the community, the planning commission and the council to determine if this is the right project," she said.


Still, Miller, a lifelong East Dallas resident, is optimistic that residents will ultimately support The Emerald.

"The buzz is quite positive," he said. "People are ready for change along Garland Road and realize a sizable investment in our community will help upgrade services and bring additional needed investment to the east side."

But not everyone is a fan.

"We'll be able to step out of our doors and see a 25-story building," said Brad Rogers, who has lived in the area all of his life.

Rogers cites a 1999 study of Garland Road, conducted by the city while Poss was in office, which "discourages further encroachment of residential uses into the retail/commercial corridor along Garland Road."

"Personally, I feel (The Emerald) will set a horrible precedent," he said. "It would strain the infrastructure of Garland Road and open the door for everyone to come in and make changes."

Poss said the study should be used only as guideline: "It's not locked in. It was designed to get funding," she said, referring to local and state funding to widen and improve Garland Road.

That would fit in with Miller's idea of rebranding the Garland Road corridor into the "Lake and Garden District," giving it its own identity, similar to Uptown or West End or Deep Ellum.

Michael Miles is chairman of the Northeast Dallas Chamber of Commerce, which includes the Garland Road corridor.

While the chamber isn't officially commenting on the condo tower -- Miles says a Garland Road committee is in the works to look at its impact -- he personally believes the project has merit and would benefit the area.


But changes in the area will mean a real shift and, he says, "We want to be careful on how we approach it."

Miles stresses that the tower has to be part of an overall plan for the area of Garland Road that stretches from Williamson Road to Interstate 635, as well as the city's newly released comprehensive land-use plan, dubbed "Dallas Forward."

City Planning and Zoning Commissioner Bill "Bulldog" Cunningham said, "I've heard people say the only good thing on Garland Road is the Dallas Arboretum. The (Emerald) land is sitting in an area that hasn't had any movement, commercially speaking, in a long time."

Cunningham said he's not sure how he will vote for the zoning changes.

"I have to make a decision based on best use of the land, and I don't have enough information," he said. "It's going to be one of those long, passionate zoning cases."
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Updated list:


Dallas (municipal)
New Construction Projects Stories Complete/Status
One Victory Tower (I) 45 2008
Conv. Ctr. Marriot Hotel xx 2009/10
City Lights Res. Tower 32 Proposed
W Victory Hotel & Res. Tower North 32 May '06
The Azure 31 Spring '07
The Icon at Victory I 28 Mid '07
The Icon at Victory II xx Proposed
The House ('Vict.Res.Twr. J'-Yoo/Starke)26 Approved
Arts District Tower res. site (Brooks) 25 On Hold
The Emerald (at White Rock Lake) 25 Proposed
St. Ann Court 24 Approved
One Arts Plaza 7-Eleven Hdqtrs. 24 Early '07
2000 McKinney (Lincoln off. proj.) 24 Planned
Harwood Glacier Tower res. proj xx On Hold
Hyatt Classic Residence xx Early '08
Hall Arts Dist. LS site (2 res. bldgs.) xx On Hold
Sunrise Condominiums project 23 Early '08
Cresta Bella 22 Late '07
Stoneleigh Residences 22 Approved
The Ashton 21 Mar '05
Ritz Carlton Hotel & Res. 21 2007
The Mondrian 20 Apr '05
Galleria North Condo. project 20 Planned
Harwood Maple Ave. project xx On Hold
McKinnney @Fairmont site xx Planned
One Victory Tower (II) xx 2008
Ritz Carlton Hotel & Res.Tower II 19 Proposed
One Victory Park off. bldg. I 18 Approved
One Victory Park off. bldg. II 18 Approved
Gulf States Bldg. II 17 Summer '06
UTSWMC Biomedical Research Ctr. 16 2004
Rosewood Court (CarrAmer. off. proj.) 16 Planned
W Victory Hotel & Res. Tower South 15 May '06
Mercantile Condo Tower xx Planned
Prestonwood/Arapaho Condo. project 15 Planned
Hunt Hdqtrs. Tower 14 Approved
State-Thomas Hall St. tower proj. 13 Planned
Sofitel Site Hotel & Res. project xx Planned
One Arts Plaza Residences xx Planned
Park Ln. Place (multi. res. bldgs.) xx Spring '07
Mockingbird Stn. exp. (multi.res.bldgs.)xx Planned
Quadrangle res. site (mid- or high-rise)xx Proposed
Children's Med. Ctr. Twr. III 12 Planned
Children's Med. Ctr. Twr. IV 12 Planned
Employers Insur. Bldg. II 11 Approved
Joule Urban Resort Tower II 10 March '06
Routh St. Complex condo. project 10 Planned
Maple Terrace Condo. Tower project xx Planned
CMC/UTSWMC Research Tower xx Planned

//not incl. unannounced portions of West Village Master Plan
//not incl. unannounced portions of Victory Park Master Plan
//not incl. the remainder of unannounced International Center Master Plan
* list comprised of structures 10 stories and greater since '04
** structures listed w/stories as "xx" are placed in their approx. likely list position


Renovations/Res. Conversions Stories Complete/Status
Republic Bank Tower I 36 2006/7
Mercantile Tower 36 Planned
1600 Pacific 33 Planned
Fidelity Union Tower I - Pacific Place 31 2007
1200 Main - The Metropolitan 26 2008
Fidelity Union Tower II - Pacific Place 21 2007
Statler-Hilton/Grand Hotel 20 On Hold
Joule Urban Resort Tower I 17 March '06
Gulf States Bldg. I 16 Summer '06
Dallas Power & Light Bldg. 16 2006
Praetorian Bldg. 16 Planned
Pegasus Villas 16 2005/6
Atmos Building I 13 Planned
Children's Med. Ctr. Twr II expansion 12 2004
Atmos Building II 12 Planned
Continental Building 11 Planned
Atmos Building III 10 Planned
Civil Courts Bldg. expansion 10 2006

* list comprised of structures 10 stories and greater since '04

^ http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/6238/w00t5nk.gif
wOOt!

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/realestate/sundayhomes2/D_IMAGE.1051fdc5dff.93.88.fa.7c.221a8f26.jpg

David Griffin & Co. Realtors announces Trinity Townhomes

July 24, 2005


David Griffin & Co. Realtors' Beth Borman and Keith Cox announce Phase I of Trinity Townhomes, developed by METRO Townhomes + Homes. Phase I offers two-bedroom, 2½-bath townhomes with views of the Trinity River and downtown Dallas. Pre-construction pricing ranges from $299,000 to $369,000.

"We are now accepting lot reservations," Ms. Borman, agent associate and top producer with David Griffin & Co. Realtors, says. "We have been receiving strong interest after METRO's success with its Oak Lawn townhome projects."

Trinity Townhomes are priced from $299,00 to $369,000. The temporary sales center is open from 2 to 4 p.m. on July 24.
Adds Mr. Cox, company vice president and top producer, "Oak Cliff has been waiting for a long time for a great mix of residential products. Trinity Townhomes is an integral part of the redevelopment south of the Trinity River, especially because of its location adjacent to Dallas parkland."

Elegantly understated modern design using stone, metal and stucco decorates the exterior of the townhomes while minimalist interiors offer clean lines. Each home features a Douglas fir front door.

Interior features at Trinity Townhomes include custom open-tread staircases with bamboo treads, natural slate flooring in foyers and bamboo wood flooring throughout the second level. Additional interior features include 10- and 11-foot ceilings and Elco recessed halogen lighting.

In keeping with the neighborhood's treasured history, Trinity Townhomes offers floor plans named The Kessler and The Oak Cliff. The Kessler has three levels with two bedrooms, 21/2 baths, a study and a rooftop terrace with views of the downtown skyline and Oak Cliff. The Oak Cliff has three levels with two bedrooms, 21/2 baths, a study and a bistro balcony on the second level with views of the Trinity River and downtown. The optional Oak Cliff floor plan offers a different configuration of the third level, with the master open to an additional space that can be used as a study or sitting area.

All kitchens feature European-style cabinetry with under-cabinet lighting, granite countertops with a glass mosaic tile backsplash and a stainless-steel appliance package with a gas cooktop. Well-appointed master baths have dual vanities, a jet tub, custom cabinetry and under-mounted European-style sinks and faucets.

Visit the temporary sales center at 408 W. 8th St., Suite 102, in the Bishop Arts District, open from 2 to 4 p.m. today. Contact Ms. Borman at 469-939-7935 or Mr. Cox at 214-526-0174 for more information or visit www.davidgriffin.com.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...in.14979e6.html
__________________
"Mr. Simpson, the state bar forbids me from promising you a big cash settlement. But just between you and me, I promise you a big cash settlement."

New renderings of State-Thomas's soon to be tallest that has been upgraded to 13 stories now

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6481
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6480

reminder article

California company to build in Uptown
Residential/retail tower planned
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/s.../23/story2.html
Sandra Zaragoza
Staff Writer

One of the last undeveloped sites in Uptown's popular State-Thomas neighborhood may soon sprout an 11-story residential/retail building.

Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Califco L.L.C. , a developer and manager of real estate, has plans to build the mixed-use project on a 1/3-acre lot at the corner of Hall and North Central Expressway, north of downtown Dallas.

Califco is a subsidiary of California-based SEJ Properties L.P., which owns Plymouth Park shopping center in Irving.

"With the scarce amount of land left in the Uptown area, along with the revitalization of the downtown area, our firm was motivated to develop in the area and offer residents something different," said Jonathan Shokrian, regional director of Califco L.L.C.

Blaise McGinley of Dallas-based Orange Studio Inc. , which has been tapped to design the building, says preliminary plans call for a tower with 13,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and 25 to 30 residential units. Parking may be sandwiched between the retail and the residences or may be underground.

The site marks the northern entrance to Uptown's State-Thomas neighborhood and is behind the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market.

Dallas-based R. L. Ross Co. represented Califco in the land transaction, which is expected to close soon. A purchase price was not disclosed. In the meantime, Califco plans to work with Clear Channel Communications Inc. (NYSE: CCU), which owns a 3,000-square-foot parcel with a large billboard next to the site. Califco plans to either purchase the parcel or work with the company to find a solution. If the billboard remains, "we would try to incorporate it into the development," McGinley said.

The estimated cost for the project is $10 million. The company is soliciting bids for a contractor.

Califco will be watching the residential market to determine whether the units will be condos or apartments. Construction may begin as early as this fall, Shokrian said.

A mixed-use project will fit "spectacularly on that site," said Tracy Curts, executive director of the Uptown Public Improvement District, an entity that is funded primarily by a 4.5 cents tax per $100 in property value that works to improve the appearance of Uptown.
Popular district

Major urban residential developers such as Post Properties Inc. (NYSE: PPS) and Gables Residential Trust (NYSE: GBP) helped to transform the State-Thomas neighborhood, adding upscale apartment buildings, some of which are now being converted to condos.

Condos in new projects in the Uptown market are moving rapidly with units selling in the $400,000 range, said Michael Puls, president of Foley & Puls Inc., a residential consulting and research company.


With national homebuilders in the area and projects under way such as the 202-unit high-rise Azure and 144 condos at the W Hotel & Residences, "the area south of Mockingbird will be extremely competitive (for condo developers) in the next five years," Puls said.

Califco's project will be one neighbor away from Post Properties' "588," an 11-story, 127-unit complex that is undergoing conversion into condos. The one- and two-bedroom units are selling for $200,000 to $300,000 each.
Hot retail site

Post Properties serves as witness to strong demand from retailers in the neighborhood. Post boasts about 45,000 square feet of street-level retail in four of its residential properties. The retail space is more than 90% leased, according to the company.

Shokrian said Califco saw that demand.

"A reason we decided to go mixed-use was that most of the residential developments in the State-Thomas area -- with the exception of a few properties -- lacked ground retail," Shokrian said.

David Valdez, vice president of Henry S. Miller Commercial's international division, will lease the retail portion of the project.

"With the visibility and the access -- it has a lot of promise," Valdez said. "We want tenants that are going to be destination tenants, such as a day spa, tanning salon or a Pei Wei restaurant. Those types of tenants will make that corner really successful."

Valdez believes the development will attract neighborhood residents as well as draw from the east side of Central, where many new residential projects are popping up.

Jack Gosnell, executive vice president for Dallas-based United Commercial Realty's UCR Urban, said there's a need for more neighborhood support services in the area.

"If you go up and down McKinney Avenue, you'll struggle to find a (retail) location," he said. "Just the Wal-Mart traffic alone will support it. Your density is there."

Work begins on One Arts Plaza

Ground was broken this week on the initial phase of a $125 million mixed-use complex in downtown Dallas.

The 23-story One Arts Plaza, being developed by Dallas-based Billingsley Co., will house the headquarters of Dallas-based 7-Eleven Inc. (NYSE: SE) when it is completed in April 2007.

It is the first of a four-building campus on a 10-acre site off Ross Street between Routh and Boll streets, and is the first new high-rise in downtown Dallas in 18 years.

The entire project will include 425,000 square feet of office space, 30,000 square feet of retail space, 60 luxury residential units and a sculpture garden and entertainment plaza.

The project is just east of the development site for the new Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. It also is within walking distance of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, Annette Strauss Artist Square and the Margaret and Trammell Crow Collection of Asian Art.

Billingsley Co.'s holdings in Texas total nearly 6 million square feet. Other area developments include the Turnpike Distribution Center and Luna Industrial Park.

Web site: www.billingsleyco.com.

W Hotel update as well as the site for the two midrises just to the south of the W and their new crane.

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6546

from today

watch for links

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/2596/37031ui.jpg

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/1263/370410243cd.jpg (http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/3624/37048nh.jpg)

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/282/372010245vn.jpg (http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/9931/372012803xv.jpg)

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/4079/37241al.jpg

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/2572/372110241ml.jpg (http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/8413/372112809bi.jpg)

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/7773/372310249hx.jpg (http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/7854/372312803kk.jpg)

swivel's great pics of the new Dallas Power & Light conversion that is now moving people in. Awesome conversion

http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/3084/36139yo.jpg
http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/4287/36126zu.jpg

LuQa getting close to finish. Another great conversion
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6548

Dallas is on fire...must visit again in near future! Damn, that pool looks mighty nice!

Incredible pano of the topped out W, as well as cranes for the Terrace and Vista and the newly raised crane in the foreground fot Victory Plaza. The second pano is looking across the lowest of Uptown. The two story structure in the foreground on the left is the St. Anne's site. The structure will remain as a restaurant and the tower will rise behind it. Thanks again to Ninjatune.

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/9352/pan3editlarge2dj.jpg
http://img281.imageshack.us/img281/2924/pan2edit50008yj.jpg

The rest of #4... Great clouds today..

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/5058/39306sm.th.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=39306sm.jpg) http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/4363/39294vf.th.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=39294vf.jpg) http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/6062/39245ag.th.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=39245ag.jpg) http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/1443/38963wc.th.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=38963wc.jpg) http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/7103/38917mu.th.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=38917mu.jpg) http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/7871/38903so.th.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=38903so.jpg) http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/3831/38893sc.th.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=38893sc.jpg) http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/2996/38882er.th.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=38882er.jpg) http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/8838/38844ij.th.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=38844ij.jpg) http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/6619/38778mp.th.jpg (http://img166.imageshack.us/my.php?image=38778mp.jpg) http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/2734/38758ry.th.jpg (http://img166.imageshack.us/my.php?image=38758ry.jpg)
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/9643/38802vl.th.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=38802vl.jpg) http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/2923/38787rs.th.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=38787rs.jpg) http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/3169/38765qi.th.jpg (http://img166.imageshack.us/my.php?image=38765qi.jpg) http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/158/38743jy.th.jpg (http://img166.imageshack.us/my.php?image=38743jy.jpg)

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/9339/38875kl.jpg

Le mula shot

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/7536/pan11edit10247uj.jpg (http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/2389/pan11edit37007mi.jpg)

Up the hill from Victory, the Ritz-Carlton finally gets a crane

http://home.flash.net/~mpisi/Pics/Dallas/DSCN5927.jpg
http://home.flash.net/~mpisi/Pics/Dallas/DSCN5937.jpg
http://home.flash.net/~mpisi/Pics/Dallas/DSCN5939.jpg

yeah, im so happy to finally see the ritz under construction like this!!!

Le mula shot



that is the money shot

IF anyone is trying to figure out what is what in "Le mula shot":

- The Ritz-Carlton site is just to the left(across the street) from the grey building on the left

- The two story brick building infront of the grey building is the St. Anne's site. The structure will remain as a restaurant on the ground floor.

- If you look at the 3 brick midrises on the left of the picture, the 7-11 construction site is behind these and to the left of the Chase tower. Once topped out, it might be visible from this view in the open space. Might not. Hard to tell.

- To the right of the furthest left brick tower(2100 McKinney) is the Lincoln Tower site. It was just awarded zoning for a 24 story office tower.

- The crane in the middle of downtown is a church(First Baptist) undergoing huge renovations and additions. Its posted earlier in the thread

- The grey tower with the spire behind and to the right of the First Baptist crane is the 2nd tower of the Republic Center complex. It is being converted to residential

- The lots in the foreground are owned by the International Centre(Azure, St. Anne's, Rolex building, etc). They have plans for all the plots on their website. The developments have steadily gone up one by one. With the lots surrounding being filled, I'd imagine this land is super valuable and will only become moreso. A recipe for Highrises.

- The site that's fenced off in blue next to the AAC is the Icon(now being called Cirque "vomit") site which will hold two towers. The southern most rising first.

- The short crane next to the AAC is the first of the Victory Plaza cranes. The site of our own little Times Square.

- Obviously behind the Victory Plaza crane is the W-Hotel and Residences. There's another crane that's blocked at the site that is building the attached second tower. Interestingly enough they are still adding floors to the tall tower. 33 stories now? Very strange.

- The crane behind the W. Is for the Terrace and Vista midrises.


Needless to say, this incredible pano would be fun to see each year as the area rises out of the ground.

Drexel Highlander

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/66/neigborhood0194yp.jpg
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/9482/neigborhood0172zn.jpg
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W-Hotel
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6915
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6916

Victory Plaza
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6876

Gulf States Renovation
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6912
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6910

Azure site

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6918
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6919

High-rise condos in developers' sights

Firms plan to destroy Uptown office building to make way for project

12:00 AM CDT on Wednesday, August 24, 2005

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

Developers will tear down an Uptown office building to make way for high-rise condominiums.

Winston Capital of Dallas and Realty Capital Partners of Colleyville are teaming up to build a 15-story residential tower at 3003 Carlisle St. near Allen Street.

The developers recently bought the office building from an investment partnership, Stewart Bul, Winston Capital's director of development, said Tuesday.

"We plan to put a high-rise condo project along the Katy Trail," he said. "We like that location."

The small development site backs up to the popular pedestrian trail, giving residents direct access.

The builders have hired Architectural Group International Inc. of Dallas to design a concrete, glass and steel tower with about 120 units. "It's going to be a very sharp-looking, more contemporary tower," Mr. Bul said.

Work is set to begin on the project next spring.

The smallest condos in the building will cost between $300,000 and $350,000.

The residential tower will replace a two-story, 12,000-square-foot office built in 1975.

The sale is the latest in a series of recent transactions along Carlisle Street near Turtle Creek.

Apartment investor and developer Gables Residential Trust has bought two nearby rental communities. A third apartment complex nearby at Carlisle and Bowen is also being demolished to make way for new residential development.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

W hotel update
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7030[/url]
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http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7031[/url]
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7032[/url]


small crane for Victory Plaza next to the AAC
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7041
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7028

Ritz=Carlton with Victory in the background
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7038
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7036
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7037

Citylights
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7043

Terrace and Vista cranes with the W behind
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7029

Great updates!

Victory Plaza

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7093

W Hotel towers on the left

http://www.xvisionx.com/collection/09170501l.jpg

Mary Hunt-Hill Bridge(Woodall Rodgers Extension). Begins construction in December

http://www.trinityrivercorridor.org/assets/images/WRBridge01.jpg
http://www.trinityrivercorridor.org/assets/images/WRBridge03.jpg

I cannot wait for these Calatrava bridges to be built...:cheer:

I cannot wait for these Calatrava bridges to be built...:cheer:

That and Victory up and running are the two things in Dallas I can't wait for.

A Tale of Two Office Submarkets
National Real Estate Investor, July 1, 2005 by Christine Perez

Developing in Dallas isn't for sissies. The land of big cars, big mansions, big hair - and big vacancy rates - can test the grit of even the most seasoned office builders. Even now, with 25% of all office space standing empty, and rents as flat as the Texas panhandle, Dallas developers are fixin' to add another 5 million sq. ft. to the mix.

They've seen Dallas bounce back before. After the collapse of the commercial real estate market in 1992, experts predicted it would take 10 years to absorb all of the vacant office space. But tenants had gobbled up most of it by 1996, and the construction cranes came out again.

Now it appears Dallas is on the verge of another rebound. The market led the nation last year in corporate relocations and expansions, according to Conway Data's New Plant database and Site Selection magazine. There's more good news: The Texas Workforce Commission has adjusted the 2004 employment estimates up from 25,000 to 47,000 new jobs.

Dr. Terry Clower, associate director of the Center for Economic Development and Research at the University of North Texas, says the local economy is improving. "We're seeing solid growth and indications of improving income. The economy is on the right track," he says. "It's not going gangbusters like the mid-1990s by any stretch of the imagination. This time around the growth is slower and more stable, which in some respects is better growth."
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Nearly all of the new office development is occurring in two key submarkets - Downtown/Uptown and Far North Dallas. The two areas are situated at opposing ends of the Dallas North Tollway, a six-lane, 22-mile stretch of concrete that runs north and south through the center of the metropolitan area. That shared link is about the only thing the two submarkets have in common.

Downtown has been the city's core since the 1840s, when John Neely Bryan, a lawyer and real estate developer, claimed 640 acres along the Trinity River for a trading post he named Dallas. Combined with adjacent Uptown, the market contains 37.8 million sq. ft. of office space.

Far North Dallas, the area around the Tollway that runs through the northern suburbs of Plano and Frisco, is a submarket that didn't exist until 25 years ago, when Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS) founder and one-time presidential candidate Ross Perot bought 2,665 acres in Plano and began building Legacy business park. Besides EDS, the campus is now home to The Frito Lay Co., JCPenney, Dr Pepper/Seven Up and other major corporations.

Developers in Far North Dallas are continuing to take the "if you build it, they will come" approach, with eight companies recently breaking ground on nine projects totaling 1.3 million sq. ft. None required pre-leasing. Two other speculative projects, which total 345,000 sq. ft., are slated to begin construction later this year.

Although the corporate headquarters buildings in Legacy are quite swanky, most multi-tenant buildings in Far North Dallas are of the large-floorplate, ultra-efficient variety, having been built either during the tech boom, when demand was fast and furious, or after the crash, when companies were laser-focused on the bottom line.

Plano-based Granite Properties is developing what will be the tallest building in the submarket, a 14-story, 369,000 sq. ft. tower. Slated for delivery in August 2006, it's the third building in Granite Park, located at the southwest corner of the Tollway and State Highway 121. Two existing 10-story buildings, totaling 512,000 sq. ft., are 100% leased.

The next Pleasantville

Another player gambling on Far North Dallas is Indianapolis-based Duke Realty Corp. The developer entered the Dallas market six years ago and has since grown its industrial portfolio to 8 million sq. ft.

"A logical next step was to expand into office," says Jeff Turner, senior vice president at Duke. "We did extra research on the market since Dallas has a reputation for being volatile. We knew we needed to find just the right spot."

Duke's search led to Frisco, a suburb at the northern edge of the Dallas metropolitan area. "Everyone is always looking for the next Pleasantville," Turner says, referring to the movie about the idyllic suburb. "Frisco is about as close as you can get."

One of the fastest-growing cities in the country, Frisco's population has swelled from 6,000 in 1990 to about 75,000 in 2005. The city also has become a shopping mecca, with close to 5 million sq. ft. of retail space within a 1.5-mile radius, including the 1.7 million sq. ft. Stonebriar Centre mall, which opened in 2000, and a 310,000 sq. ft. Ikea store, slated to open in August.

Frisco's aggressive economic development group has put the retail tax receipts to good use, luring office users with cash incentives - sometimes as much as $1 million or more. So far, most of the cash has gone to tenants in Hall Office Park, a 165-acre, multi-tenant campus developed by Craig Hall, who was building in Frisco before Frisco was cool.

Hall's monopoly, a hold he's had since 1997, will soon end as other developers have begun to invade the market. Still, he has a big head start. The nine buildings in Hall Office Park are more than 90% leased. The two under construction will bring the total to 1.4 million sq. ft.

Hall is one of the few Dallas developers working both ends of the Dallas North Tollway. Brokers describe the 47-story high-rise he's planning to build at the southern end in downtown Dallas as "stunning." The 1 million sq. ft. project will include office, retail and luxury condo space.

Hall calls urban Dallas a tricky market. "Downtown is full of Class B+ buildings with a lot of vacancy, having trouble getting rents of $15 to $17 per sq. ft.," he says. "At the same time, there are buildings like The Crescent in Uptown getting $30-plus rents. From a developer's standpoint, Dallas is treacherous. It's very competitive, with a lot of smart people fighting each other. It has always been very overbuilt, and it will continue to be that way."

Downtown renaissance

Hall's planned tower is in the Arts District, an area at the northeastern end of the central business district (CBD) that includes the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Meyerson Symphony Center and the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, a $275 million complex under construction.

It's here that Billingsley Co. is moving forward with One Arts Plaza, the first office project to be built in downtown Dallas in nearly two decades. The 23-story, $100 million first phase will include 110,000 sq. ft. of condo space, 30,000 sq. ft. of retail space and 425,000 sq. ft. of office space. 7-Eleven Inc. is expected to lease about 250,000 sq. ft. in the building for its headquarters. The convenience store giant now occupies about 505,000 sq. ft. a mile away in Cityplace. The city of Dallas coughed up nearly $10 million in economic incentives to keep 7-Eleven within its borders.

Why so much new product?

Lucy Billingsley, a partner in Billingsley Co., says there is pent-up demand for options downtown. "The reality is the vacant space is at least 20 years old. With One Arts Plaza, we're offering product that better fits today's workplace with services, efficiencies and style. It reflects a sophisticated but casual culture, not the grandeur of the flamboyant '80s."

Construction will begin this summer, with delivery scheduled for the first quarter of 2007. Billingsley's site can accommodate three additional towers, all of which would be about 20 to 23 stories tall.

A few blocks away, Hunt Consolidated, a holding company for the oil and real estate operations of billionaire Ray Hunt, is quietly readying plans for a new 13-story, 350,000 sq. ft. corporate headquarters. The company currently occupies 300,000 sq. ft. in nearby Fountain Place. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s $58 billion merger with Bank One will create more vacancy downtown, as the companies' two large Dallas offices are combined into one.

"The move-outs are going to leave big holes in quality buildings downtown, which is great from a tenant's perspective but bad for the overall market," says Bill Cawley, chairman of GVA Cawley. "There is not a lot of velocity downtown, and it's going to be awhile before the space is absorbed. Still, Dallas is a market that sees big relocations, and it always tends to exceed expectations."

'Times Square of Dallas'

On the other side of the tracks in Uptown, separated from the Dallas CBD by Woodall Rodgers Freeway, developers are planning projects that would add nearly 1.4 million sq. ft. of office space.

Phase I of Gables Villa Rosa. The grand entrance in the rendering will be built onto the front of this part.
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7091

Phase II reminder
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5467

West Village expansion to the north across Blackburn from the current West Village and across McKinney from The Mondrian

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7095

ZOM Uptown I(between Azure and The Ashton in Uptown)
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7088

Sugar Film Production Headquarters on McKinney Ave in Uptown
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7092