Jump to content

Uptown Dallas Density


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 299
  • Created
  • Last Reply
It's all fun and games banking214, but then you grow up, have kids, and stop going to the bars, etc.

But I hear what you are saying.  The SINKS and DINKS need a place to party.

It is not just about the bars. The fact that I can walk out my door and have a choice of restaurants, coffee houses, stores, gyms, hotels, etc. This is something that Houston does not really have, an urban center within the urban core itself. You can name downtown and the up and coming Mid Town area, that is it.

Dallas was smart about its rail line. One of the first lines headed from downtown to far north Dallas. Along major stops retail and residential moved in. I really wish Houston would look at this when the start thinging about expansion. Check out www.westvil.org and www.mockingbirdstation.com. These are just two really good examples of development along the line.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Man, I don't know what part of Vancouver you are talking about, but that city is full of 1950s disasters a step left of a Praha commune.

Even the places on Robson St. are nothing to look at.

Here's one I found that in particular looks a lot like the Azure:

304339.jpg

EDIT: Whoops, looks like they don't like it when they're linked to. To see the pic, go to the URL http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=304339

Azure-full4.jpg

(B.C. on the top, Dallas on the bottom)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

cool pic, ranta.

What's encouraging to me about the West Village area partially shown in the forground, is the taller mixed use structures (and therefore greater population density) of subsequent additions. The initial low & midrise components of the development have successfully created a very popular destination among those looking for a place to live and those looking for a place to hang out. Dallas love a scene, and the West Village scratches that itch.

So far, the West Village has been primarily styled as a big mixed-use extention of the area's townhouse and garden apartment environement. The (urban) next step will see the development build upon its cache. A new pedestrian oriented plaza/promenade will become a major city focal point anchored by the Citiplace subway station, flanked on both sides by a series of high rises and connected by trolley to the rest of Uptown Dallas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awesome picture rant.

That's what I like, instead of a huge parking lot taking up land and being a major eye sore, put the parking in the center of the lot with mixed use structures surrounding it. Very nice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

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.

FILE 1998/Staff photo

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can see Midtown Houston becoming this dense, or slightly more dense.  OF COURSE, Midtown would also have the standard issue Houston renegades ( CVS, etc ) this is a good example of what zoning/deed restrictions can do.

Dallas has been working hard for the last 30 years to create uptown, by doing things like burying the freeway below grade so that their exists a continuous flow between it and downtown. The city also wisely developed its art's district to where it is the centerpiece right smack dab between the two areas. Now they plan on covering that freeway between the two areas with a park. And the freeway will one day continue on over the Trinity River by way of a new suspension bridge and open another artery into the urban area from Oak Cliff. The outsider doesn't know the differences between uptown and downtown and the whole urban area is an awesome sight to behold.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually they are in the process of incorporating Dart into uptown more with the development of West Village.  It will soon occupy all vacant areas between uptown and cityplace.

render1.jpg

larger image

You're looking at the development from the Northeast, on the East side of 75.  The glass looking obelisk at the bottom left center of the image will be the new bus station/stop.

The metro train line in Dallas makes that city very intimate. Each station is unique and modeled after the history of the neighborhood--something like mini museums. Houston has not successfully sold its metro rail to its public in this way. In regards to where the lines go in Dallas, it has been said that if downtown is the brains of Dallas then Central Expressway is its spine. The rail line in Dallas enhances Central Expressway and gives that whole area around it greater depth and more of an urban feel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure how I like the idea of Uptown Dallas being so close to downtown. I know everybody loves density but I personally like the way Houston is setup with so much space in between DT and UT. Theres so many green spaces, parks and absolutely fantastic trees. I was driving down Memorial from UT yesterday (looking for the Orion condos) and love the way all the green spaces have been preserved. I hope the city never builds on these areas.

I agree with you about Houston and its area between downtown and the medical center, that would be midtown and the museum district, and also I think you could include the equally impressive area that has numerous park trails along the bayous between downtown and the Galleria/Post Oak business district, which meander along Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive up to and through Memorial Park. To match those classic areas, Dallas has Turtle Creek and the White Rock Lake areas. I think with a little effort, Dallas could once again revive Oak Cliff to its former beauty. It is still impressive when you consider that it is thought to be a poorer part of the community. Houston's biggest problems, along with no zoning, are its elevated freeways which slice through its neighborhoods and stunt development.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Moving in

Hotel developers are entering the Dallas residential market by building for-sale condos linked to their brands

Sandra Zaragoza

Staff Writer

Hotel developers are betting that Dallasites are eager to pack up and move closer to where they play.

And thanks to the new darling of the hospitality world -- hotels with residential components -- well-heeled local buyers now have plenty of places to do that.

Dallas is sprouting residences affiliated with the country's trendiest hotel brands, as well as with some stylish independent boutique hotels.

Local developers say hotel residences, especially in the Uptown area, are a "lifestyle product" that buyers are eager to snap up.

For some, the allure may be direct access to a four-star restaurant or spa center. For others, it's 24-hour security and concierge services that exert a pull.

Leading the charge

Leading the new generation of hotels with residential offerings are the much-anticipated W Dallas Victory Hotel and Residences next to the American Airlines Center and The Residences at the Ritz-Carlton on McKinney Avenue. Condo dwellers will start moving into the W residences in 2006 and the Ritz-Carlton in 2007.

A clutch of boutique hotels also are loaded with residential segments. One, Hotel ZaZa's The Metropolitan Club, sold its 29 condos in a few short weeks. Hotel ZaZa's developer, Oklahoma City-based Givens Records Properties Ltd., is said to be building additional condos next to Uptown Plaza shopping center at McKinney and Pearl streets.

Earlier this month, plans also were announced to redevelop The Stoneleigh Hotel and build a tower, The Stoneleigh Residences, with 93 residences on a parking lot east of the hotel. Preselling of the condos is already under way.

All but Hotel Palomar & Residences, a hotel and separate 10-story, 60-unit residential building under construction at Mockingbird Lane and North Central Expressway, are in the greater Uptown area.

Hotels with residential segments are a hot new trend in hospitality development across the country, said Marty Collins, president of Dallas-based Gatehouse Capital, which is developing the W hotel and residences together with Fort Worth-based Hillwood and Dallas-based Southwest Sports Realty.

Profit potential

Developers are swooning because the profit potential from residences can help ease the strain of rising costs for upscale developments, Collins said.

"It is also a way of making the hotel more of a lifestyle project than a simple real estate transaction," he said. "Is there a better thing to have in the luxury home segment than hotel amenities?

"It's a life of ease," Collins added. "(Residents) can call someone to walk their dog, can go downstairs to a great restaurant or to the spa."

Hotels aren't bashful about touting what makes them special. It's these distinctions that will make the difference in attracting well-heeled buyers, according to Michael Puls, of Dallas-based Foley & Puls Inc., a housing-research firm that has worked with many of the Dallas hotel projects.

"Location, floorplan, view corridors and the design of the building, along with the other amenities, can determine whether you can attract a household income that can afford it," Puls said.

Design appeal

For the W residences, design is key to standing out from the competition, Collins said. The interior of the hotel residences in the south tower were designed by David Cadwallader of Dallas-based Cadwallader Design Inc., while Lionel Morrison of Dallas-based MorrisonSeifertMurphy Group designed the residences in the north tower. The designers appeal to different audiences, Collins said.

The W hotel and residences' 31-story north tower will boast 61 residences located on the 18th through the 31st floor, while the bottom half of the tower will have 250 hotel rooms. The eight-story south tower will have 83 residences atop a seven-story parking garage. The south tower was announced in January, developers say, to meet the demand for condos.

Proximity to a burgeoning urban scene is another amenity the hotels are pointing out to would-be condo buyers.

"Uptown is a major growth center and we want to be the centerpiece," said John A. Hillman, sales manager of the Ritz-Carlton. "Dallas has received this product very well." Fifty of the Ritz-Carlton's 70 residences already have been sold, he said. The residences will be on top of the eight floors housing the 216-room hotel on McKinney Avenue. "If you look at the 50 units, and the fact that we've been selling for 90 days -- that is a unit every other day," Hillman said. "We are pleased with the results so far."

Like the W hotel, the Ritz-Carlton plays up the familiarity of its brand, as well as its concierge, housekeeping services and other amenities.

"One of the things that enhances condo values is not just the hotel facility but the brand," said Greg Crown, with Dallas-based PKF Consulting, a hospitality research firm. "The upscale, grand image has got to be a fit with the high-end buyers."

Some industry insiders say hotel residences can garner a sale price up to 30% higher than a traditional condominium -- but that depends on the hotel's location and other amenities.

A few blocks away on Maple Avenue, Dallas-based Prescott Realty Group is redeveloping The Stoneleigh Hotel and building The Stoneleigh Residences along with its New York owner Apollo Real Estate Advisors. The hotel, built in 1923, is a member of Historic Hotels of America. The hotel and residences will boast landscaped gardens, an indoor pool and spa facilities.

"There will be a separate amenities package for condo owners," said Jud Pankey, president of Prescott Realty Group. "Yet they will also be able to share the hotel services."

Rooms with a view

A condo with a view will be another selling point at The Stoneleigh Residences, which is being designed to "preserve" views, Pankey said.

According to Puls, high-rise buildings are "developments in the sky" and views are an important amenity. Stoneleigh condo owners will have a view of the Crescent, the W hotel and downtown. The Ritz-Carlton and W also trumpet their views of downtown and Uptown in their marketing strategies.

Realty America Group is developing Hotel Palomar at Mockingbird Lane and Central Expressway, the only one of the new generation to be outside the Uptown ring. Some believe that location may make it a tougher sell.

But Philip Brosseau, with Realty America Group, believes its location on Central Expressway will be a major draw.

"I think we will be able to pull from as far as LBJ (Freeway) because of our central access point," Brosseau said, adding that the development's proximity to the Southern Methodist University campus, the Park Cities and downtown also will attract buyers and travelers to the hotel.

In addition to condos, Hotel Palomar will offer something else: hotel room keys. About four presidential suites and four conventional rooms will be available for purchase. Owners can put the keys back in a rental pool when they are not in use.

"They'll be able to own a piece of the Hotel Palomar," Brosseau said.

Whether there is enough demand to own a piece of a hotel -- either a room or a condo -- is the big question, experts say.

The Ritz-Carlton and W say that, so far, most of their buyers are locals who have purchased the condos as a primary residence.

Competition for the hotels comes from a slew of high-end condo projects, such as the 202-unit high-rise, Azure, under construction in Uptown at McKinnon and Wolf streets. Azure, being developed by Harwood International, will be a 30-story condo high-rise with units costing from $400,000 to more than $1 million -- the same price range as the W and Ritz-Carlton residences

But at least the hotels don't have to worry much about their hotel brethren, they say, because each of them is appealing to a different crowd.

For example, the Ritz-Carlton is typically going after an older, wealthier market, while the W hotel and residences is appealing to a younger, jet-set crew.

"A person that wants to buy a condo in the Ritz isn't going to be the same person who is going to want to buy a condo in the W," Crown said.

szaragoza@bizjournals.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With all due respect, living in a condo associated with a hotel name brand is "so Dallas".

This is not something that started out in Dallas, but something that started generations ago in places like L.A., Chicago, NY, Miami, Las Vegas, any place that has a lot of hotels. The Ritz Carlton has done this over and over in cities all over the world. Just something new to the Dallas area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Townhomes to go up in West Village

Newly formed firm paid $3.8 million for high-profile tract

11:51 PM CST on Thursday, March 31, 2005

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

Vacant lots may soon be as scarce as parking places in the West Village.

An empty block at the north corner of Cole Avenue and Blackburn Street will be the site of a Mediterranean-style residential complex.

Boulevard Builders

The townhouses will start at about $290,000 and should be ready in early 2006. Boulevard Builders is developing the 54-unit Valencia at West Village townhome complex on the high-profile corner.

The builder recently bought the 2.8-acre tract for $3.8 million.

The two- and three-story townhouses will start at around $290,000.

Boulevard Builders partner Brett Bruchmiller said the location was ideal for the type of project his company builds.

"It's close to all the parks in that area, and the Katy Trail, and of course the West Village," Mr. Bruchmiller said Thursday. "This is possibly one of the best townhouse development sites in the city."

Presales will begin in June, and the first homeowners should move in in early 2006. Along with the homes, the project will include two small garden areas and a swimming pool. Architects Lemke + Young designed the project.

The Blackburn tract is restricted to low-rise construction, according to real estate broker Worth Ross, who handled the sale on behalf of a trustee.

Boulevard Builders is also building the Carreras Townhomes on Cedar Springs Road near the Dallas North Tollway and the Ridglea Place Townhomes in Fort Worth.

The company also has a Dallas project in the planning stages near Mockingbird Lane and North Central Expressway.

Boulevard Builders was recently formed by Mr. Bruchmiller, Kyle Lovelady and Mike Vick.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

So we have Azure, W Hotel, Mondrian, 1407 Main u/c. Then 7-11, Galleria residentail, Far North Dallas residential, Cresta Bella, Turtle Creek retirement tower(don't know the name), Stoneleigh residential, Icon, Victory One, St. Annes and Ritz-Carlton all scheduled to break ground in 2005. Add to that, the possibility of the Convention Center Hotel being announced, possible CityLights residential tower, the additional 4 or 5 towers at Arts Plaza as well as two or three at Park Lane Place. All of this in addtion to the swaths of townhomes in Uptown, Oaklawn and East Dallas, and lower than 10 story projects like Uptown I, the two new West Village buildings, or that new Drexel project, then throw in the swath of conversions like Gulf States, TOD like City Lights, the Lake Highland TC and Park Lane Place, the signature bridges, great looking I-30 makeover in Oak Cliff, and the true mansion boom in north Dallas and 2005-2006 is probably unprecedented for Dallas. Maybe the office space is less than the 80s, but the sheer numbers of projects and total floor space probably makes this one of Dallas' biggest booms ever. I often find myself looking with envy at other sunbelt city booms. But to type it out or look at a SSP construction thread all in one page, Dallas is doing a darn lot of projects. Just the raw number of towers that will go up in the next two years is exciting. To say Dallas will look different in 2010 is no longer a dream.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keeps great service for residents and keeps the hotel size smaller and more specialized. The Mansion on Turtle Creek has done a great job with this. They have sort of a resort though, with 3 towers around the hotel. The fourth is supposed to go up soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was in Dallas today and drove through Uptown. I have to say that it aint that bad. It was pretty dense although kind of generic but at least there on there way to a pretty cool area.

I do have to say though that the freeways were really looking shabby in the area. I was quite surprised at how dirty the area in front of AA arena looked.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL. of course it looked dirty. It was a brownfield before the AAC and Victory showed up. With today's announcement, it won't be that way next summer. If you mean around stemmons, that is being rezoned as part of the Trinity Project.

Bash those freeways all you want, but Dallas will have the best looking freeways in the country after this round of construction. I-30 in Oak Cliff is being, Central Expresswayized. Project Pegasus and the TRP bridges will give Stemmons and the remaining downtown freeways a Central Expressway on steroids type makeover as well. Not to mention deck parks for Woodall and I-30.

Overall, Uptown is still young and will have even an bigger construction year in 2006, and probably 2007. Victory and the West Village are really just picking up steam. Thankfully this is spreading to downtown and hopefully to the Industrial Blvd area once zoning is finalized.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL.  of course it looked dirty.  It was a brownfield before the AAC and Victory showed up.  With today's announcement, it won't be that way next summer.  If you mean around stemmons, that is being rezoned as part of the Trinity Project. 

Bash those freeways all you want, but Dallas will have the best looking freeways in the country after this round of construction.  I-30 in Oak Cliff is being, Central Expresswayized.  Project Pegasus and the TRP bridges will give Stemmons and the remaining downtown freeways a Central Expressway on steroids type makeover as well.  Not to mention deck parks for Woodall and I-30.

Overall, Uptown is still young and will have even an bigger construction year in 2006, and probably 2007.  Victory and the West Village are really just picking up steam.  Thankfully this is spreading to downtown and hopefully to the Industrial Blvd area once zoning is finalized.

Bro, I wasn't bashing on Big-D I was just stating that they weren't taken care of like they were when I started visiting.

I'm somewhat aware of the upcoming Dallas freeway projects and I'm indeed impressed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


All of the HAIF
None of the ads!
HAIF+
Just
$5!


×
×
  • Create New...