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slfunk

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  1. A city ordiance and zoning are two things that are different with a few similarities. Zoning is a way of preparing for development in the future. Looking at Dallas (only because I live here and work as an architect here) there are rules that have been set up by neighborhoods in cooperation with city government to regulate how things are developed. It is not a bad thing at all, if anything it promotes quality developments that build on context so that we do not have an industrail building producing lots of waste, truck noises etc. right next to a residential building. What we are experiencing here is a reniassance of sorts within the City of Dallas and some the inner suburbs. Meaning a lot of cities are revisiting those zoning laws, height restrictions, so forth to ensure that the city can continue to grow and now has become directed more towards urban development. And with areas zoned differently we are seeing more concentrated develoments as land for certain permitted issues gets swallowed up. The suburbs and cities know they are having to compete with one another here, while cities like Frisco are just in their infancy. In Dallas they are calling it the "New Comprehensive Plan." What they are doing is looking at the history of all the neighborhoods, what economic impacts could be, what areas need to remain single family housing, consulting with the Urban Land Institure and an internationally renowned urban planner out of Portland, visiting with neighborhood associations...etc. to what zoning needs to be put in place for the future. Now in Houston may be this done by city oridances. Which can be rather confussing especially after working on projects all around the country. Because in my vocabulary a city ordanice is something like "no smoking in restuarants" or "no fireworks on the forth of July" or "trash pick up on tuesday and Friday" etc. But each place is different in how they like to use words. What we are finding here is a lot of positives coming out of the zoning (of course there are some negatives), but it is something that can easily be changed or have variances put in placed by the applicant. There is separate planning and zoning commision in just about every city depending on its size. Some of what we are seeing is zoning puts into to place a stability of a neighborhood for what it is and what it will be in the future. With all the residential towers going up in Dallas (as of Uptown, Downtown, Turtle Creek, and Victory) developers are keeping within the limits of what is allowed by the zoning of that area. Land prices tend to go up when the land zoned for that particular area becomes limited, and the newer projects that come online seem to be more and more creative because the developer is looking for ways to ensure its profitability and sustainability in that neighborhood. This can be attained through other measures, possibility by city ordiances, but I am little puzzled. Puzzled because zoning typically concentrates on the area while a city ordiance pertains to the whole city. Zoning also tells developers/builders what is allowed in particular area in so that court costs are limited. Court costs would come from going for a variance or the neighborhood gettin in a tif because the new project is not what has been traditionally built in that neighborhood causing people to want to stop it. With the proper zoning the varanices are very limited if the building type is allowed the case would never go for a variance or to court (ideally, I've had personal experience with this one in uptown). Case in point. The Arts District here. Just a month or so ago the city of Dallas after months of talks just passed new zoning for the arts district. They have struck up a deal that limits surface parking to basically none allowed for new building. The parking garages must match the fascade of the building as far as materials and language, certain amount of setbacks as the building rises, the amount of landscaping required etc. etc. Unless you get into some over controlling cities like Santa Fe or one in CA zoning is not going to go as far as "you have to have arches, or your building has to be this color, or you have to use brick" that is typically left up to a developer's planned development or a controlling neighborhood association. I'm not saying it does not happen but it is far removed from being the norm. What has happened over the past year (and this was just written up in the Dallas Morning News) is that land prices have jumped from 40/sq ft to almost 100/sq ft in the surrounding areas of the Arts District because Uptown is almost completely built out and the demand is increasing more and more for urban residential. The place that is the most flexible is across the freeway in the CBD. I can kind of see how an ordiance could address this. But again oridances typically deal with city issues while zoning deals with development issues. It is absoulutely possible that because something is zoned commericial a strip mall can be built. Zoning can, and in the Arts District, does say "no" to that type of development. We have project here in uptown across the street from the Crescent and diagonally from the new Ritz where the developer is building a surban type strip center. But to get the parking and meet the landscaping requirments they have had to build an underground parking garage. Also the developer is now scurring around trying to find a co-developer to build low-midrise condos on the remaining land probably to offset the taxes on that land since prices of land have more then doubled in the past few years in Uptown. Also, where as, a strip center can go up in 6-8 months this one is taking well over a year to build because they have had to look at a much more sustainable design. Where as most of the strip centers can and do have a life span tacked on before its demolished.
  2. Well you never know. The old Hilton Hotel here in Dallas near SMU and across the street from Mockingbird Station (Central and Mockingbird) was ownedby some Maharishi until last year. The hotel was bought by a developer and is now being converted in Palomar Hotel and residents by a new developer. Prices starting at something like 350,000 up to a couple million for the condos. This is all being built on the idea of the transit mall at Mockingbird Station. So you never know.
  3. Dallas Power & Light Grand Opening Sizzles http://www.downtowndallas.com/current.htm#tif "Over 1,000 people came out to celebrate the explosive grand opening of the Dallas Power and Light Building on Thursday, June 9, including DP&L Flats, 158 luxury residential rental units, and Fuse, a texasian restaurant, bar and lounge. The evening included a sampling of the FUSE menu, cocktails on the 12,000 square foot roof deck and tours of the DP&L luxury flats. Then, right at dusk, fireworks exploded over the crowd, adding to the awe of the evening..... The entire DP&L complex is made up of three buildings at 1512 and 1506 Commerce. 1512 Commerce was originally constructed in 1903 as a five-story warehouse, and has since undergone periodic remodels and an addition of 9 stories. The 2-story art deco building adjacent to the high-rises will house additional restaurant and/or retail space. 1506 Commerce has stood 19 stories high in downtown Dallas since 1931, originally constructed for the Dallas Power & Light Company..... Coming soon to the Dallas Power & Light Building will be Crimson in the City, a women's boutique, and additional restaurants, retail and a fitness center...."
  4. Downtown Connection TIF and Downtown Dallas Development Authority UNANIMOUSLY approved by Dallas City Council http://www.downtowndallas.com/current.htm#tif It
  5. Here is some "eye candy" for what is currently being built at Victory Dallas. The W is already substantially on its way, while a huge pit for the foundations for the lower buildings has already been excavted with the bases of the sky cranes but in place. This film clip shows the "phase II" of the construction of Victory. Just click on the link below. Click on projects. Then click on Victory Development on the left-hand menu. Then click on video in the lower right hand screen and sit back/watch. Its about a 3 min clip showing all the building being built. They include the W, the terrace apts (7 stories), the icon diagonally across from the W, the new building flanking the American Airlines center, and a new 45 story office/residential tower next to the W. Enjoy: http://www.beckbluemedia.com/
  6. Well any of you that may be watching some of the events unfold in Dallas may have just heard about the Mercantile Building redo negotiations come to end with a negative result. Huge disappointment. HOWEVER, the day after that announcement we got another announcement of a new project near city hall. Essentially, a condo conversion with 30,000 sq ft of retail just a couple of blocks from the Merc. It can be very exciting and very fustrating hearing of development news in Dallas. Sad about the Merc (4th try to redevelop it so far), but exciting to hear of the new project. link to the story in the Dallas Business Journal http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/...23/daily44.html 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..... ....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....."
  7. Any pictures of the building for those of us that don't live in Houston.
  8. "Victory Park's $450M Second Phase Rapidly Filling Up By Connie Gore Last updated: May 11, 2005 08:17am For more retail coverage, click GlobeSt.com/RETAIL. DALLAS-With the vision for "Victory" on a fast-track to reality, Hillwood yesterday debuted the retail dance card for its $450-million second phase and teased to another round of headline news in 90 days for a $450-million third phase........ ......The six-building second phase, which delivers in May 2006, consists of 600 residential units, 175,000 sf of retail, 120,000 sf of office space, a one-acre park and the W. The three-building third phase will have another 280 apartments and condos, 135,000 sf of retail and 600,000 sf of office space. Hillwood has amassed a powerful roster of partners, including Gatehouse Capital and Hicks Holdings LLC, the teammates for the W, the catalyst for getting the seven-year plan off the drawing board." Link to story http://globest.com/news/282_282/dallas/134098-1.html
  9. Victory is taking shape. Hillwood just gave a big press release with all the projections under construction. Currently phase II with the W Hotel and Mayfields developments are under construcion. Completion of phase II and phase III is set for 2006. W will open next year. Here is a link to the fly threw: http://www.wfaa.com/perl/common/video/wmPl...toryanim_am.wmv Here is a link to channel 8's video clip http://www.wfaa.com/perl/common/video/wmPl...0victory_am.wmv and here is a link to the development website www.victorypark.com
  10. 7-Eleven to move its Headquarters to the Arts District Here's the link: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw....1f7b4ad0b.html 7-Eleven will move its location from Cityplace to a new mixed use development in the Arts District of Downtown Dallas. The new development will be at the end of Flora street (which serves or will serve as the "spine" of the Arts District). Flora will connect Dallas Musuem of Art with the new development. Expect to see a lot of construction in the Arts District starting late summer up to 2009. Click on the link above to go to the Dallas Morning News Article.
  11. Steve Brown: Condos galore; any takers? Who's buying into the building boom is a hot topic around town 11:08 PM CST on Thursday, March 24, 2005 The most frequent question I get asked these days isn't about the strong-mayor election or what's going to happen to the Mercantile tower downtown. What people really want to know is who's going to live in all those new condo towers on the drawing board? Dallas is in the middle of an unprecedented high-rise residential boom. More than a half-dozen projects are in the works in Uptown alone, including the W Dallas Victory Hotel and Residences, the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, Cresta Bella, the Azure, and condo towers at the Stoneleigh Hotel and Maple Terrace. High-rise living isn't new in Big D. It started in the 1920s with residential "hotels" such as the Stoneleigh, Argyle and Cliff Towers. Dallas' penchant for residential towers was rekindled in the 1960s and continued through the 1990s with a series of buildings, mostly along Turtle Creek. In the 1970s when people said they lived in a Turtle Creek high-rise, Dallas folks would raise their eybrows and suspect they were relocated New Yorkers. But there aren't enough East Coast expats to account for the current boom. Along with Uptown's building binge, developers are trying to convert a handful of downtown skyscrapers into condominiums. Who'd have guessed that the former LTV Building on Elm Street, for example, would wind up as trendy center-city residences? STEVE BROWN/DMN W Dallas Victory Hotel and Residence is one of the condo projects under construction in Uptown Dallas. Dallas architect Mark Humphreys
  12. Redo is envisioned for derelict hotel Plans call for much of the Statler Hilton to become condos 11:26 PM CST on Monday, March 21, 2005 By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News A Houston investor is negotiating to purchase downtown Dallas' derelict Statler Hilton Hotel and plans to redevelop the building. BRAD LOPER/DMN A Houston investor is in talks to buy the downtown Dallas hotel, which was once the flagship of the Statler Hilton chain. Gary Goff is joining a group of out-of-state partners on the project, which is in the early planning stages. Redevelopment plans call for converting much of the 19-story building at 1902 Commerce St. into residential units. "Our recommendation is to keep a portion of the building as a hotel and the rest of the building as condominiums," said Dallas architect Mark Humphreys, whose firm has done some preliminary design work for the buyers. "We're working on a lot of condo projects in other markets that include hotels." Mr. Goff could not be reached Monday for details about his proposal for the Statler Hilton. His Houston firm, the Gadfy Group, has optioned the 49-year-old Statler Hilton from Far East investors who have owned the property since the 1990s. The building most recently operated as the Dallas Grand Hotel but has been closed for several years. Several potential developers have looked at converting the vacant building into residential or other uses. Alice Murray, president of the Central Dallas Association, said Mr. Goff recently talked with city officials and other downtown business leaders about his plans for the old hotel. "They've been visiting with a few people about the project," Ms. Murray said. The 738-room Statler Hilton is one of the largest empty buildings in downtown Dallas. Built in 1956, it was once the flagship of the Statler Hilton chain and one of the largest hotels west of the Mississippi. The Hilton Hotel chain sold the building in the late 1980s when it pulled out of the downtown market. E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com
  13. 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 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
  14. 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
  15. Praetorian Building to become lofts Exterior will be restored 12:01 AM CST on Friday, March 4, 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." FILE 3J Development plans to replicate the original exterior of the Praetorian Building, built in 1908. 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 fa
  16. City's center filling, some stats indicate Maybe it's not so down 08:26 AM CST on Friday, March 4, 2005 By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News Downtown Dallas' office market isn't the disaster many people think it is. FILE 2003/Staff photo While some surveys still show that more than a third of downtown's office space is empty, the number is less than 20 percent for newer buildings. Years of steady leasing and the conversion of many old office buildings into apartments have eaten away at the amount of empty space downtown. And although some surveys still show that more than a third of downtown's office space is empty, the number is less than 20 percent for first-class buildings. "The vacancy downtown decreases by almost 10 percent if you look at the numbers the way they should be," said John Zogg, senior vice president of Crescent Real Estate Equities, downtown's biggest office landlord. Of course, how you spin the numbers is the issue. With about 4 million square feet of empty first-class buildings, downtown's supply is less than total vacancies in Las Colinas and along LBJ Freeway. And the inventory of empty first-class buildings
  17. ^ I think its just a matter of time. Probably not as long as 50 yrs, but I think with all the infrastructure that is currently being built with Dart, future infratstructure in the Trinty Plan/ Project Pegasus, and current infrastructure getting you across the Trinty it is only a matter of time before having an office over looking the skyline and the Trinty River being a "prized possession." There are plenty of examples across the US where this model is repeated and the connections between two "key" developments does not keep one from developing over the other. And manyof times the infrastructure is much worse then we have now. I don't think we'll see another skyline like downtown form over there, probably more like the uptown area or possibly a more organic feel like Turtle Creek but not the associated wealth. It will probably be about 2010 that we will start hearing projects being announced over there at the same pace we are currently hearing of in uptown/downtown/deep ellum.
  18. Framing a vision for Trinity Land-use proposal has development on both banks; some put up caution signs 12:31 PM CST on Saturday, February 19, 2005 By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News For years, they've dreamed big. Of high-rise office towers looming over the Trinity River. Of waterfront condos where today's scrap yards sit. And of artsy lofts and busy shops replacing worn-down warehouses on the river's edge. Now the Trinity River Project's loyal supporters have a blueprint for their vision
  19. Follow-up file: City lights 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
  20. Dallas Plan Debuts to Bridge Gap for 6M-SF Development Op By Connie Gore Last updated: February 24, 2005 08:05am DALLAS-Taking a cue from Seattle's Freeway Park and Chicago's Millennium Park, Dallas' movers and shakers plan to bridge the gap between Uptown and Downtown, using the Arts District as the median, by building a 5.3-acre park over Woodall Rodgers Freeway. The ambitious undertaking will open the door for a potential 6.1 million sf of development. The project officially got off the ground yesterday at a press conference announcing the launch of a public-private partnership spearheaded by Texas Capital Bank. It is being seeded with $1-million donations from the bank, its chairman Jody Grant and his wife, Sheila, and the Real Estate Council Foundation and $500,000 from Crescent Real Estate Equities Co., the team that masterminded the plan. The cost is still being fine-tuned, but preliminary estimates run from $45 million to $60 million, Linda Owen, TREC's president, tells GlobeSt.com. The tentative plan calls for a 2007 groundbreaking and 2010 delivery. The plan has been brewing nearly two years, but it's just been in the past six months that it's gained momentum. John Zogg Jr., Crescent's managing director of asset management and leasing in Dallas, says he got a cold call from Grant, who said he'd heard about the plan and was willing to plant the $2-million seed "without seeing the plans or our vision." Zogg says the Crescent idea took root at a meeting with John Goff, vice chairman and CEO, and Dennis Alberts, president and CFO, in an upper-bank conference room in Trammell Crow Center at 2001 Ross Ave. After seeing how other cities tackled major downtown changes, they glanced across the streetscape and started to discuss the feasibility of marrying Uptown to Downtown and eliminating a freeway barrier labeled yesterday as a "concrete moat." Within 18 months, Zogg was presenting the idea to "put a lid on the freeway" to TREC, which had been looking to donate $1 million to a legacy project. "Crescent saw this project as a bold move for our region to change our landscape so our city will sell," Zogg says. "Dallas has phenomenal assets and they're all sitting around Woodall Rodgers and a big moat." Crescent is donating proceeds from condo sales at the Residences at Ritz-Carlton Dallas, which are rising beside the REIT's mixed-use landmark in Uptown. "We're not done, but we've made a large step toward getting this project done," says Zogg, who's turned over the project's reins to Grant. "He understands how public-private partnerships work. He understands how to bring the teams together to make these things happen." Grant was the moving force to get Interstate 30 relocated to improve traffic flow around Fort Worth. Before a jam-packed room of Dallas/Fort Worth's most influential people, Grant said a renowned designer will be hired, but public input will be sought as well "so it truly will be a park for the people." The Office of James Burnett, a landscape architect and planner based in Houston, did the preliminary design. Grant will chair the Woodall Rodgers Foundation, which has a "blue ribbon" board of directors as the cornerstone. "Today we are pledging to do something quite magical," Mayor Laura Miller said during the project's public debut. "This is our Millennium Park. When people come to this park, they're going to think about Uptown and Downtown all as one." With a downtown revitalization under way, the park will create a direct connect to the tony amenities of Uptown and the Arts District, further strengthening the city's bid to become a 24-hour destination city with cosmopolitan appeal. "Woodall Rodgers Park will be the gateway to Downtown," Grant says. The bank's fiscal support, he says, is "just our way of saying thanks for what you've given to us." The foundation hopes to raise $20 million to $25 million, according to Owen. The park's cost will be equally divided among the city, private donations and other public funding sources. The foundation is structuring a 501 ©(3) for donations.
  21. 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
  22. Downtown renovations keep attracting residents 11:19 PM CST on Friday, February 18, 2005 By JEFF BRADY / WFAA-TV At one time, it was the biggest building in the state housing Fidelity Union Life Insurance. Now it's a renovation project to help draw more Dallas residents downtown. "Location is vital, this property is right near ground zero of downtown Dallas," says developer Larry Hamilton. After a $100 million transformation, the Fidelity Union building will become "Mosaic," with 433 up-scale condos for rent. to the urban dweller who's finally reaching critical mass in Dallas. Who is that person? The typical downtown resident is single, 36 years old, with an annual income of $ 54,000, who works downtown or in uptown. That person is much like Chad Davenport. He's a bartender who doesn't fit the profile exactly, but who's lived downtown for the last three years. Also Online Video: Jeff Brady reports "So I've got a little bit of pride, you know, when I say I live downtown, because I know it's growing and it's booming, and ulitmately, a lot more people will be living done here, and I'll be able to say I was one of the first," Davenport says. The numbers really speak for themselves. So far, developers have about 1,200 residential units here in the Main Street Historic District of downtown Dallas, 450 more units under construction, and 950 more are expected to start before the end of the year. Owners consider the Davis Building the model, with its rustic urban finish to the walls, but slick countertops and appliances. It started leasing 17 months ago and is now 95-percent occupied. "Retail is our missing link," says developer Ted Hamilton. "And retail traditionally follows rooftops, and we're finally getting enough rooftops down here that the retailers are starting to get some interest." Here, too, the Davis building is at work. New Orleans resturanteur Jason Doyle has plans for a Russian vodka bar and restaurant in the old building's vault. A community growing and going downtown. A fun video clip: http://www.wfaa.com/perl/common/video/wmPl...owntown_cdh.wmv
  23. Atmos donation heralded as catalyst 09:57 PM CST on Wednesday, February 9, 2005 By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News They're four noble structures peering out at empty lots and vacant buildings
  24. Atmos Energy giving buildings to city Donation could help redevelop long-ignored section of downtown 09:53 PM CST on Tuesday, February 8, 2005 By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...town.a764f.html Atmos Energy plans to donate at least two little-used downtown buildings to the city of Dallas, three officials confirmed Tuesday, creating the potential for new development in an increasingly blighted section of the city's center. The buildings are part of the former TXU Gas complex
  25. I think this is a common problem we are starting to see rise as more and more people want to move downtown. I read something very similar from the Houston Newspaper. About Downtown: They'd move in today, but prices lock out renters 12:25 PM CST on Saturday, January 29, 2005 By DAVID FLICK / The Dallas Morning News Charlotte Schofield has no official role in the discussion about how to transform downtown Dallas into a viable neighborhood. She is just a private citizen. But she poses a good question. After my recent column about the coming boom in downtown apartments, Ms. Schofield, who teaches creative writing at Richland College, e-mailed. "So far, all I've been able to discern is that they'll be waaaay out of the range of [most] apartment dwellers," she said of the new apartments. "This may be why Dallas' downtown thing has so much trouble actually catching on!" Wouldn't downtown boom more quickly, she asked, if more people could afford to live there? A Central Dallas Association survey found there are, in fact, moderately priced apartments downtown. The Manor House, for example, has one-bedroom units that start at $670 a month, and even the recently renovated Kirby Building has floor plans that begin at $750. But Ms. Schofield has a point. At most of the new downtown apartment buildings, rents begin in the upper $800s, and the cheapest apartments in the Dallas Power & Light building will be $940. And these, of course, are the lowest rents in the building. Prices of more than $1,000 a month are more common, according to the survey. Top rents are $2,300 a month at the newly opened 1001 Ross apartments in the West End, $2,160 in the Camden Farmers Market and even $1,950 in the aforementioned Manor House. "There are people who can't afford to live downtown, who would be dying to move there," she said. "I'm not talking Section 8. I'm talking elderly people who are alone and young people who would be alone." People like herself, for example. The lively Ms. Schofield is retired ("I'm 74, but I'm cute!"), and besides her teaching job, she earns income by designing Southwestern-themed greeting cards. ("I've cornered the market on cards for donkey breeders," she says proudly.) She lives in an apartment in North Dallas and would like to move downtown. As it happens, she has some background in city planning. Before retiring, Ms. Schofield worked as a planner at various times for the city of Austin, San Francisco, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the state of New Mexico. She said she has designed a prototype low-cost modular apartment building, but "I couldn't bring myself to pay to build it. I lost my nerve." I ran Ms. Schofield's complaint past some of the people most closely involved in trying to revive downtown housing. Larry Hamilton, who is redeveloping the DP&L building, said part of the problem is that cheaper apartments tend to be older apartments. "What generally happens in there is an evolutionary cycle in apartments," he said. "What was built in the '70s and '80s is now attracting some of the lower rents. But not a lot of apartments got built in downtown Dallas in that era." Those that are being built now face costs, such as asbestos abatement, that drive up the price of rent, he said. There is a way to build expensively but rent cheaply: The city could subsidize affordable downtown apartments. In fact, Assistant City Manager Ryan Evans said the city several years ago earmarked $4 million in center-city tax money for affordable housing, but it was mostly redirected toward the southern sector of Dallas, not downtown. Ms. Schofield said she fears that a lack of lower rent prices will deny downtown Dallas the mix of people needed to make the city truly cosmopolitan. "What they'll end up with is a population that looks like Highland Park, and there's not going to be any diversity," she said. "And Dallas is not going to be a real city. It's going to be just a big town."
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