[TTU Arch]

DART parking: Can they top it?
Mockingbird station may sell air rights for apartments, retail

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-mockingbird_04bus.ART0.State.Edition2.22d64127.html


12:00 AM CST on Saturday, February 4, 2006
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


Developers are trying to strike a deal with DART to build apartments and retail on parking lots at the Mockingbird rail station.

At least two firms – FirstWorthing Corp. and Prescott Realty Group – are vying for the chance to develop on top of the transit station parking lots, real estate brokers familiar with the deal say.

The mixed-use projects and parking garages would replace more than six acres of surface parking between Mockingbird Lane and Yale Boulevard, just east of North Central Expressway.

While a deal is expected to move forward soon, DART officials aren't talking about their plans.

"We have nothing new to report or confirm at this time," spokesman Jeff Hampton said.

And the developers involved in talks with the transit agency are also keeping mum.

"We have no comment on the DART parking lots at this time," FirstWorthing executive vice president John Allums said Friday. "It is still in DART's court."

Likewise, officials with Prescott Realty Group declined to talk about the pending project.

Both developers have recently submitted proposals to the North Central Texas Council of Governments for building projects and improving pedestrian access to the area around the DART station.

DART has had discussions with various developers for almost a decade about building on top of its Mockingbird station lots.

Such projects are common in other cities with rail transit systems.

Last year, the company formally asked for proposals from developers interested in building at the Mockingbird site.

Developing such projects in Dallas is harder because apartment rents here are lower than in many major cities, said real estate analyst Ron Witten with Witten Advisors.

"The economics of these deals aren't easy," he said. "Developers of these types of projects will find a challenge with the high construction costs in today's market."

Usually developers are required to replace all of the parking spaces in a new garage and then sign a long-term lease for the air rights to build over the public parking.


There are 708 parking spaces at the Mockingbird lots.

Developers have already hitched a ride on DART with apartment projects adjacent to the stations in Plano, near Uptown's Cityplace station and – most recently – with two apartment communities planned in Richardson.

The Mockingbird Station apartment and retail complex constructed in the 1990s just east of North Central Expressway was a ground breaker for such developments in North Texas.

Mockingbird Station's developer, Ken Hughes – who looked at building on the DART lots back in the 1990s – hopes the project moves forward. "It would be fabulous if we could get more density at that station," he said.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

[Owlhorn]

Hunt Tower Craneage. Boy did this develop quickly from concept to actual construction.

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/Hunt%20Tower%20Crane.jpg

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/hunt_2.jpg
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/hunt_1.jpg

[Owlhorn]

Ritz-Carlton update from TexasStar

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/The%20Ritz.jpg

[Owlhorn]

Mosaic attracts fitness center
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/s...ewscolumn6.html

Developers Larry Hamilton and Ted Hamilton of Colorado-based Hamilton Properties Corp. are welcoming a fitness facility and restaurant to the retail piece of their downtown Dallas Mosaic project.

Renovation work is under way on the Mosaic residential development, which should be completed by 2007.

The project consists of a 21-story and 32-story building that together will include 443 apartments and 20,000 square feet of ground floor retail.

Dallas-based City Commercial's Teri Dorazil brokered a lease for Pulse, a Dallas-owned independent gym.

And the culinary talent behind Fuse, which is in the Dallas Power & Light Building on Commerce Street, is also developing a 6,600-square-foot restaurant called Scene at Mosaic. Hamilton Properties is an investor in Fuse and will also have a stake in Scene.

[Owlhorn]

Third Rail Lofts crane finally rises downtown

http://texasstar.smugmug.com/photos/52541440-L.jpg

[Owlhorn]

double post

[Owlhorn]

The Hunt Tower crane assembled by Ninjatune

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a291/bitmapbandito/212c.jpg

[Owlhorn]

The supports for the moving video screens are going up at Victory Plaza. Photo by BigD5349

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9396

[Owlhorn]

Lake Cliff Tower renovation progress by boozo

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9397

[Owlhorn]

Joule Urban Resort crane going up by Ninjatune.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a291/bitmapbandito/001edit.jpg

Here's a nice compilation of the crane going up by Ninjatune. Usual greatness by Ninjatune

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/showthread.php?t=805&page=4

[Owlhorn]

West Village expansion, by TexasStar

http://texasstar.smugmug.com/photos/55163703-L.jpg

[Owlhorn]

Joule Urban Resort Crane by Ninjatune

http://imageshack.us/?x=my6&myref=http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/showthread.php?t=805&page=4

[Owlhorn]

The House by Stark model, showing the downtown facing side, by jsoto3

http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/4282/picture0033wa.th.jpg (http://img114.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture0033wa.jpg)
http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/9197/picture0045hp.th.jpg (http://img114.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture0045hp.jpg)
http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/1772/picture0076qv.th.jpg (http://img114.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture0076qv.jpg)

[WesternGulf]

beautiful. Victory Dallas is taking no short cuts. This is a quality development with quality architecture. I think it will definititely be the crown jewel of Dallas or even............nah I'm not going to go there. ;)

[JBinCalgary]

there are some great projects underway in dallas right now! keep it up

[Owlhorn]

Some great Joule Urban resort crane photos by crescentboi and Ninjatune

crescentboi
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9456

Ninjatune
http://img122.imageshack.us/full.php?image=0055ai.jpg
http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/364/0666yf.jpg

[Owlhorn]

More West Village area expansion courtesy of crescentboi. This one is right across McKinney from the main West Village on Cityplace West Blvd. The masterplan is going quite well. Two 20+ story residential towers are announced across Cityplace Blvd where the driving range currently sits. This is a couple of blocks from the pictured development above

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9457
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9458

[Owlhorn]

The afforementioned next additions to go in on the block on the left of the above photo.

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7402
http://img309.imageshack.us/img309/4855/cityplacewesttcrow0010py.jpg

a reminder of the masterplan that obviously is not being followed exactly, but it gives you and idea of the concept(large urban village, with lots of retail, very close in scale to Victory, but more pedestrian friendly, and built around a subway station and trolley line.) The renderings above are on blocks 7A and 7B and are expected to break ground in the next couple of months(that means July in Dallasese). The last two construction pics are of block 7C(the last pic) and the block to the right of outlined "West Village" across Blackburn. The ZOM labelled building is the completed Mondrian.

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

[Owlhorn]

Third Rail Lofts (17 story residential) and Gulf States building renovation from crescentboi. Yes, Main St is a pretty busy place these days:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9570
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9571
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9572

[Owlhorn]

Criswell Center expansion(First Baptist Church in DTD) by crescentboi:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9455
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9569

[Owlhorn]

another Joule Urban resort pic from Ninjatune. That dude is great:

http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/4865/0026mh.jpg

[Owlhorn]

W-Hotel, Terrace Condos and Vista apts progress in Victory Park by Ninjatune

http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/5426/2065rk.jpg
http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/2407/1839ia.jpg
http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/2605/1847lm.jpg

Cirque construction site, also in Victory(look at the cranes everywhere)

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a291/bitmapbandito/AAPaneditsmall.jpg

[Owlhorn]

2500 McKinney Avenue Park and Project(we've known about this for a while, but finally found renderings)

from across McKinney
http://www.2500mckinney.com/sitebuilder/images/mansEYEMcKinneyLG-600x540.jpg
http://www.2500mckinney.com/sitebuilder/images/MansEye0314nightlowLG-600x566.jpg

from State Street on the backside of the property
http://www.2500mckinney.com/sitebuilder/images/parkBirdsEYElg-600x540.jpg

along Fairmont Street
http://www.2500mckinney.com/sitebuilder/images/mansEYEfairmountLG-600x540.jpg


Site Plan
http://www.2500mckinney.com/sitebuilder/images/SNKSITEPLAN120605LG-464x600.jpg

Uptown Location
http://www.2500mckinney.com/images/2500McKlocationLG.gif

[Owlhorn]

San Jacinto tower remake

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9582

[Owlhorn]

Mosaic renovation courtesy of crescentboi

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9460
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9459
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9583

[Owlhorn]

The Metropolitan(1200 Main) Renovation progress courtesy of crescentboi

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9584

[Owlhorn]

W-Hotel and Residences update courtesy of crescentboi

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9589

[Owlhorn]

One Arts Plaza (new 7-11 HQ) progress from crescentboi. This area will be totally transformed over the next couple of years

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9588

[Owlhorn]

Republic Bank Center residential conversion by crescentboi

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9590

[Owlhorn]

Hunt Tower progress via crescentboi

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9586

[Muse Refuge]

I am looking for information about the value of the Crozier High school building on Pearl & Bryan Street. Maybe one of you can point me in the right dierction?

[kazpmk]

thanks for the updates

[colemonkee]

I can't wait to get back to Dallas again. I was out there only 4 months ago and already things are much further along. One Arts Plaza is simply flying.

[Owlhorn]

W-Hotel and Residences by Ninjatune

http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/8478/16216000pa.th.jpg (http://img363.imageshack.us/my.php?image=16216000pa.jpg)
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/9066/16316004cp.th.jpg (http://img145.imageshack.us/my.php?image=16316004cp.jpg)

[TTU Arch]

Oak Lawn complex approved

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-cedarsprings_01bus.ART.State.Edition2.13597679.html

12:00 AM CST on Wednesday, March 1, 2006
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


Developers have gotten preliminary approval to knock down a block of Oak Lawn apartments to make way for a new residential complex.

Winston Capital Corp., which developed the Tribeca condominium complex on Cedar Springs Road at the Dallas North Tollway, is working on the project a couple of blocks away at Hawthorne Avenue.

The developer plans to build about 200 rental units in three- and four-story buildings, according to plans approved recently by the Dallas City Plan Commission.

"The four-story construction will be along Cedar Springs," said Winston Capital principal Stewart A. Bul. "As soon as the City Council approves this, we will go forward with our plans."

The 3.2-acre apartment development would replace the 40-year-old Tecali apartments at 4533 Cedar Springs.

"It's time to clean up the older stuff and bring in something a little more urban and high-density," Mr. Bul said.

Winston Capital replaced older apartments with its Tribeca condo project in 2003. Since then, demand for high-end apartments has soared. "Right now, we like what we are seeing in the rental market," Mr. Bul said

The area of Oak Lawn northwest of the tollway is starting to redevelop with major apartment complexes planned by FirstWorthing Corp. and Alliance Communities.

Winston Capital's developments include both single-family lot construction and high-density housing. The builder is working on plans for a high-rise condominium complex in Uptown.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

[LookingUp]

Found an interesting site on the "future of high-rise living." Some group in Austin, TX. Looks interesting, but hard to believe. 40% savings in cost and half the time. Says they have a project for Dallas. Sent an email, but haven't heard back yet.

www.NewCenturyLiving.com

[Owlhorn]

Hillwood Reels In House of Blues
By Connie Gore
Last updated: March 3, 2006 05:30pm

(For more retail coverage, click GlobeSt.com/RETAIL.)
DALLAS-After three years of trying to land the deal, Hillwood has secured a 60,000-sf, long-term lease with House of Blues. If the plan stays on track, the Los Angeles-based operator will open doors on its first music hall in Texas by the end of this year or early 2007 in the historic White Swan Building.

"We always wanted House of Blues to do a venue here," says Jonas Woods, president of Hillwood Capital. "But, it wasn't until they saw all the momentum at Victory that they were ready to make a commitment." Plans stalled to include House of Blues in Victory's West Plaza building, but talks picked up again about six months ago with HOB Entertainment Inc.

Woods says the White Swan Building at 2200 N. Lamar St. is now jointly owned by Hillwood and Tomlinson-Leis Corp. He tells GlobeSt.com that $25 million will be invested into an adaptive reuse of the building, which rose in stages between 1900 and 1924 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Woods says construction will begin by midyear. The façade will be maintained and the interior gutted to make way for a 200-seat restaurant, 1,600- to 1,800-seat live music hall, private club and Green Room, the traditional hang-out for artists waiting to take the stage. "There isn't any venue in Dallas that delivers live music in an environment like this," Woods says.

HOB simultaneously was negotiating with Hillwood and a development partnership in Houston for 43,000 sf in the $200-million Houston Pavilions, a 700,000-sf mixed-use project in the CBD, but that project won't be ready to open until fourth-quarter 2007. Until now, HOB and Hillwood weren't discussing the deal for Dallas, but it's time to put out the word now that plans have been submitted at city hall. The Victory win makes Dallas the 12th city in the operator's concert circuit.

[msutton]

Found an interesting site on the "future of high-rise living." Some group in Austin, TX. Looks interesting, but hard to believe. 40% savings in cost and half the time. Says they have a project for Dallas. Sent an email, but haven't heard back yet.

www.NewCenturyLiving.com
I'd be interested to see if they actually have any projects under construction right now.

EDIT: Never mind. Hadn't yet finished the video. I guess they do not have anything going on or starting in the immediate future. It will be interesting to see if anything comes of this group.

[Owlhorn]

Azure update

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9647

One Arts Plaza

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9648

West Village expansion

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9645

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9646

[Owlhorn]

Azure update

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9647

One Arts Plaza

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9648


West Village expansion

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9645
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9646

[LookingUp]

I'd be interested to see if they actually have any projects under construction right now.

EDIT: Never mind. Hadn't yet finished the video. I guess they do not have anything going on or starting in the immediate future. It will be interesting to see if anything comes of this group.

I was told they have a site in the Victory area. I am trying to get more info. I hope they are real - the design and construction industries are full of waste and inefficiency. I used to be in manufacturing and we were always under tremendous pressure to improve. We did - or we went broke. It isn't that way for design/construction. It's the same way for decades. Enough already - we need more high-rises.

I'll keep track of their progress. I want more high-rises and I've never heard of any group or developer trying to solve the inefficency of a tired industry. Wake up architects and contractors. Maybe it's time to begin thinking about being more efficient.

I really hope everything I saw on their video is true - our cities need more people. Many of them living in the sky - it's nice up here.

[msutton]

Look forward to hearing more on your investigation.

Ninja, if you get a chance to post those awesome pictures of the W and Victory Plaza that you posted today on DallasMetropolis over here, I think people would really enjoy them. I know I did.

[Dale]

Wasn't the 45-story tower in Victory supposed to have started by now ?

[Owlhorn]

I'd say that generally projects have started about 3-6 months after their original announcement state in Dallas. A lot of the projects are simply announced early.

[Owlhorn]

Cirque

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/cirque.jpg

http://texasstar.smugmug.com/photos/57866274-L.jpg

[Owlhorn]

Victory update
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2473/victory8uz.jpg

[Owlhorn]

Downtown tower may house poor
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...rd.d0d4690.html (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/030706dnbusakard.d0d4690.html)
Ministry plans to buy, turn site near Arts District into low-income units
11:52 PM CST on Monday, March 6, 2006
By STEVE BROWN / Staff Writer

Central Dallas Ministries has contracted to purchase a vacant downtown office tower with plans to convert it into low- and moderate-income housing.

The 511 N. Akard building ? next door to the Downtown YMCA and near the Arts District ? would be turned into small apartments that would house low-income residents.

Built to house offices of the Southern Baptist Convention and other tenants, the 167,000-square-foot office tower at 511 N. Akard has been vacant for more than a decade.

"We are proposing to develop 209 units of high-quality, very affordable housing, including about 100 units of housing for formerly homeless individuals and 100 units of housing for low-income individuals," Larry James, chief executive officer of the social service organization, said Monday.

But the proposal will probably draw criticism from some property owners who won't relish the idea of a low-income housing project in that area of downtown.

"Ross Avenue is now Dallas' main street," said real estate broker Newt Walker, who is one of the opponents of the city homeless center planned near the Farmers Market.

"No one is against the homeless. It's a location issue."

Dallas City Council member Angela Hunt, whose district includes downtown, said downtown needs a wide range of housing. "We need some residential properties that will provide housing for folks who aren't making million-dollar incomes," she said.

She said the project will have a relatively low density and won't have on-site services.

Along with the rental units, the 15-story office tower would house retail space on the ground floor and two floors of offices for Central Dallas Ministries, Mr. James said.

The project would cost more than $19 million, to be funded by a combination of loans, grants, and city and state funding.

"We are responding to the revitalization of downtown and the need for downtown's labor market to have places to live," Mr. James said. "Not everyone can live in a $2,500-a-month condo."

Units in the proposed residential complex would start at about $350 a month and would be supported by government rent subsidizes and housing vouchers, he said.

Central Dallas Development Corp., an affiliate of Central Dallas Ministries, has applied for a $1.2 million grant from the Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs and is seeking $1.75 million in bond money from the city of Dallas to fund the project.

Central Dallas Ministries also receives private-sector support from donors including Bank of America, Kraft Foods, Haynes & Boone LLP and Fannie Mae, according to the group's Web site.


The nonprofit organization will seek historic tax credits for the building, which opened in 1959. "Part of our plan is to go for historic tax credits, which would allow us to fundamentally restore its exterior," Mr. James said.

Built to house offices of the Southern Baptist Convention and other tenants, the 167,000-square-foot office tower has been vacant for more than a decade.

Several developers have looked at converting the tower into homes. In 1999, a Canadian builder announced plans to convert it into a luxury condo project. But the redevelopment was never completed.

Mr. James said that while several floors of the tower have been cleared, the building interior still needs considerable demolition and asbestos abatement.

McCaslin Development ? a longtime Dallas apartment builder and commercial real estate investor ? will be co-developer of the project, called City Walk at Akard.

The building is in an area of downtown that is seeing a renaissance, with construction of the nearby Hunt Consolidated headquarters and developments planned a few blocks away in the Arts District.

Officials with Downtown Dallas, formerly the Central Dallas Association, said they would support redevelopment of the 511 N. Akard building.

"I found out about it just last week, and we are going to take a look at it one step at a time," said John Crawford, chairman of the business group. "It's important for everyone to understand that unless it is a quality project, it doesn't do anybody any good.

"Hopefully it will have a positive impact on downtown," he said.

Mr. James said he met with Dallas' economic development and housing committee members on Monday, where the project got favorable reviews.

The City Council will still have to decide whether to support the development.

"We have until the end of September to close our purchase," Mr. James said. "We have looked at almost every vacant building in downtown Dallas.

"There is no project like this in Dallas currently."

Developments that get homeless people off the streets and provide safe and affordable housing are increasingly common in major cities, said Dallas-based housing analyst Ron Witten.

"You see these kinds of projects in Portland and Los Angeles and Minneapolis and lots of cities," he said. "I'm sure there is a need."

While several of downtown's loft apartment buildings have set aside units for moderate-income renters, this will be the first building targeted at the affordable housing market.

Central Dallas Ministries has already developed a half dozen low- and moderate-income housing projects in East Dallas.

Single-room occupancy apartments, called SROs, are considered critical to solving Dallas' homeless problem.

The city's Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness calls for 700 of the one-room apartments to be built by 2014. City officials set aside part of the $23.8 million November bond election for SROs.

The rest of the bond money will be spent on a Homeless Assistance Center, where homeless people can receive a variety of services, including emergency shelter, mental health or substance abuse treatment and job training.

Once homeless people become stabilized at the planned assistance center, they will need places to live. But the region has a shortage of affordable housing, especially for those who survive on extremely low incomes. Many homeless people receive or may be eligible for disability checks of less than $600 a month. Dallas currently has 125 SROs, while Houston has more than 1,000.

"We can't bring them in off the streets and not have a place for them to go," said Cindy Honey, executive director of the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance. The Homeless Assistance Center "will help them through crisis stabilization, then we can try to help them in rejoining the community."

Dallas has more than 9,000 homeless, including at least 1,000 chronic homeless.

Staff writer Kim Horner contributed to this report.
Central Dallas Ministries

History: Opened as a food pantry in 1988

Services: The nonprofit organization has grown into a community development- social justice ministry that provides a variety of services, including food, health care, legal assistance and housing.

Number served: 50,000 people yearly, primarily in East Dallas and South Dallas

Budget: $4.1 million, from multiple sources, including church and private donations, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas funds, and public and private grants

Contact: www.cdm-hope.org (http://www.cdm-hope.org/) or 214-823-8710

[Owlhorn]

Joule Urban Resort by ninjatune

http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/7599/aaa0690rp.jpg

[Owlhorn]

A simple WOW! to Ninjatune's Victory update. Simply cannot wait to see this place 'lit up'

http://img506.imageshack.us/img506/5049/dfw0370mb.jpg

just imagine the video screens moving around here

http://img506.imageshack.us/img506/6086/dfw0426ze.jpg

The W is really looking incredible

http://img506.imageshack.us/img506/3916/dfw0435uu.jpg

Victory Plaza West

http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/1736/23no.jpg

Victory Plaza

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/4975/11wq1.jpg

Cirque will rise to complete the intersection

http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/4571/37gc.jpg

This will be an awesome view out of the south entrance of the American Airlines Center

http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/4160/plazapanoexsmall5uo.jpg

http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/4571/37gc.jpg

[JBinCalgary]

excellent progress is being made

[TTU Arch]

Downtown tower may house poor
Ministry plans to buy, turn site near Arts District into low-income units

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/030706dnbusakard.d0d4690.html

11:52 PM CST on Monday, March 6, 2006
By STEVE BROWN / Staff Writer

Central Dallas Ministries has contracted to purchase a vacant downtown office tower with plans to convert it into low- and moderate-income housing.

The 511 N. Akard building – next door to the Downtown YMCA and near the Arts District – would be turned into small apartments that would house low-income residents.


DARON DEAN / DMN
Built to house offices of the Southern Baptist Convention and other tenants, the 167,000-square-foot office tower at 511 N. Akard has been vacant for more than a decade. "We are proposing to develop 209 units of high-quality, very affordable housing, including about 100 units of housing for formerly homeless individuals and 100 units of housing for low-income individuals," Larry James, chief executive officer of the social service organization, said Monday.

But the proposal will probably draw criticism from some property owners who won't relish the idea of a low-income housing project in that area of downtown.

"Ross Avenue is now Dallas' main street," said real estate broker Newt Walker, who is one of the opponents of the city homeless center planned near the Farmers Market.

"No one is against the homeless. It's a location issue."

Dallas City Council member Angela Hunt, whose district includes downtown, said downtown needs a wide range of housing. "We need some residential properties that will provide housing for folks who aren't making million-dollar incomes," she said.

She said the project will have a relatively low density and won't have on-site services.

Along with the rental units, the 15-story office tower would house retail space on the ground floor and two floors of offices for Central Dallas Ministries, Mr. James said.

The project would cost more than $19 million, to be funded by a combination of loans, grants, and city and state funding.

"We are responding to the revitalization of downtown and the need for downtown's labor market to have places to live," Mr. James said. "Not everyone can live in a $2,500-a-month condo."

Units in the proposed residential complex would start at about $350 a month and would be supported by government rent subsidizes and housing vouchers, he said.

Central Dallas Development Corp., an affiliate of Central Dallas Ministries, has applied for a $1.2 million grant from the Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs and is seeking $1.75 million in bond money from the city of Dallas to fund the project.

Central Dallas Ministries also receives private-sector support from donors including Bank of America, Kraft Foods, Haynes & Boone LLP and Fannie Mae, according to the group's Web site.

The nonprofit organization will seek historic tax credits for the building, which opened in 1959. "Part of our plan is to go for historic tax credits, which would allow us to fundamentally restore its exterior," Mr. James said.

Built to house offices of the Southern Baptist Convention and other tenants, the 167,000-square-foot office tower has been vacant for more than a decade.

Several developers have looked at converting the tower into homes. In 1999, a Canadian builder announced plans to convert it into a luxury condo project. But the redevelopment was never completed.

Mr. James said that while several floors of the tower have been cleared, the building interior still needs considerable demolition and asbestos abatement.

McCaslin Development – a longtime Dallas apartment builder and commercial real estate investor – will be co-developer of the project, called City Walk at Akard.

The building is in an area of downtown that is seeing a renaissance, with construction of the nearby Hunt Consolidated headquarters and developments planned a few blocks away in the Arts District.

Officials with Downtown Dallas, formerly the Central Dallas Association, said they would support redevelopment of the 511 N. Akard building.

"I found out about it just last week, and we are going to take a look at it one step at a time," said John Crawford, chairman of the business group. "It's important for everyone to understand that unless it is a quality project, it doesn't do anybody any good.

"Hopefully it will have a positive impact on downtown," he said.

Mr. James said he met with Dallas' economic development and housing committee members on Monday, where the project got favorable reviews.

The City Council will still have to decide whether to support the development.

"We have until the end of September to close our purchase," Mr. James said. "We have looked at almost every vacant building in downtown Dallas.

"There is no project like this in Dallas currently."

Developments that get homeless people off the streets and provide safe and affordable housing are increasingly common in major cities, said Dallas-based housing analyst Ron Witten.

"You see these kinds of projects in Portland and Los Angeles and Minneapolis and lots of cities," he said. "I'm sure there is a need."

While several of downtown's loft apartment buildings have set aside units for moderate-income renters, this will be the first building targeted at the affordable housing market.

Central Dallas Ministries has already developed a half dozen low- and moderate-income housing projects in East Dallas.

Single-room occupancy apartments, called SROs, are considered critical to solving Dallas' homeless problem.

The city's Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness calls for 700 of the one-room apartments to be built by 2014. City officials set aside part of the $23.8 million November bond election for SROs.

The rest of the bond money will be spent on a Homeless Assistance Center, where homeless people can receive a variety of services, including emergency shelter, mental health or substance abuse treatment and job training.

Once homeless people become stabilized at the planned assistance center, they will need places to live. But the region has a shortage of affordable housing, especially for those who survive on extremely low incomes. Many homeless people receive or may be eligible for disability checks of less than $600 a month. Dallas currently has 125 SROs, while Houston has more than 1,000.

"We can't bring them in off the streets and not have a place for them to go," said Cindy Honey, executive director of the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance. The Homeless Assistance Center "will help them through crisis stabilization, then we can try to help them in rejoining the community."

Dallas has more than 9,000 homeless, including at least 1,000 chronic homeless.

[Owlhorn]

another WOW! shot of the Victory construction by Ninjatune.

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/8446/horvertfulllarge6em.jpg

[LookingUp]

One Arts Plaza constructions costs are now reported to be exceeding $300 per-sq-ft. How can they make any money?

[Owlhorn]

Victory progress by Ninjatune

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/4952/d70ftworthday166copy0bh.jpg

[LookingUp]

Dallas has a lot more potential than the limitied activity in the Victory/Turtle Creek area.

There are thousands of potential buyers for the urban (hopefully high-rise) lifestyle in Dallas. Where are the Developers?

San Diego (smaller than DFW) will deliver 5,000 units of high-rise living this year - Dallas will be lucky to complete 1,000. What is the problem?

Maybe someone in Dallas knows. I'll be there next week asking the same question. Save me the time - tell me what's up? (Or, not up).

Thoughtful responses appreciated.

Still - Looking Up.

[Owlhorn]

^I think you simply haven't read very much of this thread

[eburress]

He must be looking for the CliffsNotes version. :)

[Owlhorn]

Dallas has a lot more potential than the limitied activity in the Victory/Turtle Creek area.

There are thousands of potential buyers for the urban (hopefully high-rise) lifestyle in Dallas. Where are the Developers?

San Diego (smaller than DFW) will deliver 5,000 units of high-rise living this year - Dallas will be lucky to complete 1,000. What is the problem?

Maybe someone in Dallas knows. I'll be there next week asking the same question. Save me the time - tell me what's up? (Or, not up).

Thoughtful responses appreciated.

Still - Looking Up.
OK, I'll play along.

- The activity is not limited to Turtle Creek and Victory. There is also construction downtown, Uptown, north Dallas, Oak Lawn and in the Platinum Corridor
- The activity is not limited to new construction. There are a huge amount of highrise space being converted to residential downtown. I don't know if San Diego has nearly the stock of older highrises that Dallas does.
- Dallas (DFW) has more space than San Diego. No mountains, hills or oceans. Most activity you see will be of the townhome and midrise variety. Of which, there is a ton under construction. I have no real idea how many units.
- If you're going to use the population of DFW, then use metro DFW. That would include all of Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Las Colinas, Southlake, Addison, and downtown Fort Worth that are currently building urban type living units.
- What I've updated lately has been what's in the news and what our local photographers have documented. That's doesn't mean that is all that is happening. I can think of a few that I haven't even documented on this thread in months like Villa Rosa, Azure, Ritz-Carlton, 1700 Main, Park Lane Place, the 3 towers going up in Far North Dallas, all the new stuff in Las Colinas or the new stuff in Frisco and Plano. There is even more that will break ground in the next few months.
- If you really want more updated info, I suggest forums.dallasmetropolis.com

would also like to mention the lack of housing bubble here. Dallas can never build at the pace of places in such bubbles. Prices are much too steady.

[leaf]

LookingUp, a lot of urban dwellers from other cities do end up moving to Dallas, but many of them end up buying a single famliy house (or a town house) when they see what they can get for the money.

You're right Owlhorn. Dallas (DFW) has a lot of flat land compared to many other large metros. The DFW area also has a great highway network, making is easy to get around the metro area. This causes the sprawl to extend way out and doesn't allow the market price in the city center to sky rocket. Without the sky high market prices, we don't see as many high rise condos compared to other cities that are near to mountains and/or water.

For the price of a high rise condo in central Dallas, you can get a much larger townhouse within 10 minutes of central Dallas. If you don't mind driving 30 to 40 minutes, you can get a huge single family house in suburbs for the price of a high rise condo in the city center.

So the contruction activity in DFW is on fire, but much of it is single family, townhouse, low rise apartments/condos and garden apartments. That's how DFW was able to pack in 150,000 people per year since 1990. (and expected to do so until the metro reaches at least 10 million people)

Here's a typical article from today's local papaer. These types of articles are usually not posted:

Townhouses to replace Oak Lawn units

09:15 AM CST on Thursday, March 16, 2006

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

Developers have bought up several Oak Lawn apartment complexes with plans to replace the rental units with townhouses.

Prescott Realty Group – the same company that's building high-rise condos at the Stoneleigh Hotel – plans to construct more than 100 townhouses on Newton, Gilbert and Bowser streets just south of Highland Park.

The first phase of the project is being built in partnership with CityView.

The California-based company was started by former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros to build urban housing. Mr. Cisneros is also a former secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

"Prescott Realty Group started on Prescott Street owning and redeveloping duplexes and apartments from the late 1990s," said president Jud Pankey.

"We have now found opportunities to go back into the neighborhood and begin a redevelopment process."

The first 58 townhouses on Newton Street near Douglas Avenue will replace about 84 apartments built in the 1960s.

"The first units should be available in January," said Prescott Realty director Louis Rothermell.

Designed by architect Good Fulton & Farrell of Dallas, the three-story units will be built starting this month.

The condominiums will range from 1,600 to 2,600 square feet and will cost between $375,000 and $550,000.

"It's all masonry for the most part on the exterior," said architect David Farrell. "Modernism is taking a fresh start in Dallas, and that's what we wanted here."

After the Newton Street project is done, Prescott will move on to another location on nearby Gilbert and construct 30 more units.

"We think there is a niche in the marketplace for higher-end townhomes," said Prescott Realty managing director Vance Detwiler.

David Griffin Realtors has been hired to market the Oak Lawn project.

Most of the condo and townhouse projects in that neighborhood are smaller, Mr. Griffin said.

"Since they have been able to acquire so much land, they are able to make an architectural statement," he said. "And there is not a better Oak Lawn location."

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-oaklawn_16bus.ART.State.Edition2.188a0e54.html

[Owlhorn]

Ritz-Carlton progress by Texan#1

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/8945/hpim26721medium5um.jpg

[Owlhorn]

finally a rendering of the soon to be u/c 1900 McKinney

http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/5485/1900mckinney3ct.jpg

[eburress]

^^ Do you know what its final height ended up being? 310 ft?

[CTroyMathis]

310 ft. / 26 st. is apparently the final answer.

[CTroyMathis]

- If you really want more updated info, I suggest forums.dallasmetropolis.com
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com darnit! ; )

[Owlhorn]

nice new rendering of the Woodall Rodgers Bridge

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/9420/calatrava7ia.jpg

[Owlhorn]

Victory Plaza update by BigD5349

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/8567/plazabldgsmarch23062el.jpg
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/6524/plazarear7re.jpg

[Owlhorn]

Condos to have buzz, different view

Small project south of downtown plans to stay affordable

08:33 PM CST on Sunday, March 26, 2006

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

A new Dallas condo development will offer panoramic skyline views. But this development isn't in Uptown or on the near East Side.

And if its location two blocks south of the central business district isn't enough of a departure, the project's name certainly is.

Called "Buzz," Zad Roumaya and Will Pinkerton's construction on South Akard Street is indeed the talk of the Cedars neighborhood.

The 49-unit complex is more than 40 percent sold in a part of town where most folks wouldn't expect to see modern-style condos.

"The buyers are a mixture of those who are tired of the commute – from Mesquite, Colleyville and Frisco – and people who want to own not rent," said Mr. Roumaya, who began units last year and recently broke ground on the project.

"We have an eclectic mix of people – designers, chefs, architects, teachers, workers at the city of Dallas."

Beyond the location at the edge of downtown, buyers at Buzz have probably been attracted by the price.

The units started at about $120,000 and topped out just over $250,000. That's for condos ranging from about 900 to 1,250 square feet.

"Our price per square foot is still below the market," Mr. Roumaya said.

"We watch within a two-mile radius what new construction costs, because we want to stay affordable."

The four-story building that will include about 1,800 square feet of commercial and retail space was designed by architect Kevin Parma and T. Howard & Associates.

KWA Construction is the general contractor for the development, which is scheduled to open in December. David Griffin Realtors is marketing the units.

Buzz isn't the only new housing project in the Cedars area.

Bennett Miller Co. is selling seven row-style townhomes on Seegar Street priced from $126,900. The developer previously constructed six townhouses on nearby McKee Street, which sold within 30 days of completion.

And developers who did the big Southside on Lamar apartment conversion are planning a condo complex adjacent to DART's Cedars light rail station.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/03-06/0327buzz.jpg

[Owlhorn]

No formal story, but earth has begun moving at the One Victory Tower site. This will be the tallest building in Dallas since the 80s.

This story did run a little while back though:


Victory developers gain new partner
Florida firm has interests in projects across the nation

12:00 AM CST on Saturday, January 21, 2006
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

Developers of the huge Victory project near downtown Dallas have a new partner.

Estein and Associates will join Ross Perot Jr.'s Hillwood and Tom Hicks as a major owner in the Victory development near downtown. Florida-based investor Estein and Associates will invest in all the projects currently under way in Victory, which total about $1 billion.

The Orlando firm joins Ross Perot Jr.'s Hillwood and Tom Hicks as a major owner in the development.

"They have become a very significant investor in the project," Jonas Woods, president of Hillwood Capital, said Friday. "They bought into everything and made the commitment to fund their share of the projects to come."

Financial terms of the new partnership were not disclosed.

Victory projects in the new deal include the W Hotel and Residences, the Terrace condominiums, the Vista apartments, Victory Plaza retail and office and the Cirque apartments. The House by Starck and Yoo condominium tower, Victory Tower condominiums, hotel and office space and One Victory Park office and retail tower are planned to start in the next few months.

"It is unusual to find unique real estate projects with development partners that invest significant equity in their projects," Lothar Estein, president of Estein and Associates, said in a statement. "I'm very excited to be investing with Hillwood, as I know I can rely on them to manage the project with our interests well-aligned."

Estein and Associates is a partner in developments all over the country, including Florida's Peabody Hotel in Orlando and the Citicorp Center office complex in Chicago. The company has been in business since 1994. Estein and Associates partners with private companies, pension plans and real estate investment trusts.

Bringing the Florida company into the Victory project is important because development has grown at a faster rate than originally anticipated, Mr. Woods said.

"It is additional capital necessary to continue," he said. "It solidifies the financing on all the future development."

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

[Owlhorn]

Steve Brown:
Victory developers keep busy

08:16 AM CST on Friday, March 31, 2006


The northwest corner of downtown Dallas looks like a slice of the booming 1980s.

At last count, there were almost a half-dozen construction cranes sprouting over the Victory development.

And just because work is nearing completion on the W Dallas Hotel tower – it opens this summer – don't expect the building activity to subside.

Victory's developers are getting ready to start on at least two more towers that will keep construction crews busy through 2008.

This week, site work began for the next Victory tower – a hotel, office and condo building designed by Kohn Pederson Fox Associates and BOKA Powell that is expected to be about 45 floors. It's planned for the vacant lot just west of the W that has had a water-filled pit (Lake Victory, I call it) for the last few years.

And at the south end of the project, ground will be broken soon for the 28-story House condominium tower planned by designer Philippe Starck and developer Yoo Ltd.

Across the street from the House, plans are being finished up for an office tower.

"Thanks for noticing," said Hillwood Capital president Jonas Woods when asked about the flurry of activity next to the W. "Get ready for some more news."

[Owlhorn]

Victory aerial from Psukhu

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9708&stc=1

[Owlhorn]

W-Hotel close-up by Ninjatune

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3439/20dpeople220copy9lu.th.jpg (http://img231.imageshack.us/my.php?image=20dpeople220copy9lu.jpg)

[Owlhorn]

Excellent as usual pan of Uptown construction by Ninjatune. The cranes from left to right are Cirque, Hunt Oil Tower(2 closer to foreground), Ritz-Carlton(infront of Crescent) and One Arts Plaza to the right. The Vista apts construction is also visible to the far left.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7785/utrectcopy4qu.jpg

[Owlhorn]

Excellent Victory photo set by Trolleygirl2

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/1148/victorypark015xi.th.jpg (http://img69.imageshack.us/my.php?image=victorypark015xi.jpg)

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/8122/victorypark027zh.th.jpg (http://img69.imageshack.us/my.php?image=victorypark027zh.jpg)

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/133/victorypark037gs.th.jpg (http://img93.imageshack.us/my.php?image=victorypark037gs.jpg)

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/1012/watertruckatvictory5da.th.jpg (http://img93.imageshack.us/my.php?image=watertruckatvictory5da.jpg)

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/4084/victorydiscoverycenter1fr.th.jpg (http://img134.imageshack.us/my.php?image=victorydiscoverycenter1fr.jpg)

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9850/victory024ov.th.jpg (http://img139.imageshack.us/my.php?image=victory024ov.jpg)

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/4360/victory030ik.th.jpg (http://img139.imageshack.us/my.php?image=victory030ik.jpg)

[Owlhorn]

Cirque progress by Trolleygirl2

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/2151/victory046yn.th.jpg (http://img148.imageshack.us/my.php?image=victory046yn.jpg)

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/2505/victory059bg.th.jpg (http://img93.imageshack.us/my.php?image=victory059bg.jpg)

[Owlhorn]

The Cedars continues to pick up momentum

Developer to freshen up hotel
'Hip' makeover planned for ex-Ramada near convention center
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...n2.782115c.html (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-hotel_31bus.ART.State.Edition2.782115c.html)


09:43 AM CST on Friday, March 31, 2006
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


Hamilton Properties, the biggest developer of loft apartments in downtown Dallas, is heading south of the central business district with its latest deal.

The developer is purchasing the former Ramada Plaza hotel near the Dallas Convention Center and will convert it into a boutique property.

"We're going to try and make it an independent, hip hotel," said developer Larry Hamilton.

For the last few years, the hotel at Akard Street and Interstate 30 has been anything but trendy. It lost its Ramada affiliation and has been operating as the Dallas Plaza.

Built in 1972, the 12-story building has about 174,000 square feet and 235 rooms. A top-floor lounge and restaurant offer views over downtown.

"We are going to give it a complete makeover," said Mr. Hamilton, whose firm has redone downtown's historic Davis Building and Dallas Power & Light buildings.

Hamilton Properties is converting the 32-story Union Tower Complex at Akard and Bryan streets into 440 apartments.

The developer is purchasing the southside hotel from GE Capital Corp. Although terms of the transaction weren't released, the property is valued for taxes at almost $3.3 million.

"Our plan is to spend a few months studying what is going on in other cities with this type of hotel," Mr. Hamilton said. "We want to bring something different to Dallas.

"We think the proximity of the building to the convention center is good," he said.

The hotel is also at the entrance to Dallas' Cedars district, which is seeing an uptick in development.

"We think it will be a huge shot in the arm for the Cedars neighborhood," said developer Ted Hamilton. "We hope to start construction in late August or September."

Builders are constructing a 49-unit condo complex, called Buzz, across the street.

"Having the hotel remodeled will be great for the area," said Buzz developer Zad Roumaya.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

[Owlhorn]

Ritz-Carlton update by Ninjatune

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/6641/smartcopy1uh.jpg

[Owlhorn]

High-rise trend drifts to south
10-story condo building next to rail station near downtown may open late next year

12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, April 8, 2006
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
Dallas' high-rise housing boom is headed south of downtown.


Developers plan to build a 10-story condo tower next to DART's Cedars light rail station near Lamar and Belleview streets.

Called the Beat at South Side Station, the concrete, steel and glass building will contain 75 condominiums.

Sales of the homes will begin later this month with prices starting at more than $140,000. The building could open as early as late 2007.

The high-rise will be built by Matthews Southwest, the company that redeveloped the former Sears, Roebuck & Co. complex into the South Side on Lamar apartments.

Developer Jack Matthews said the project has grown larger during planning.

"We are right at the DART station and didn't want to do something too small there," he said. "You have to make a statement ? you can't just expect people to understand what you are going to do here."

CDK Realty Advisors of Dallas is a partner in the project, which was designed by architects Corgan Associates. Key Construction will be the general contractor.

The condo complex is going up just across the street from the Jack Evans Police Headquarters and will be built on land now used for parking.

"This project has all the dynamics that we are striving for in this area," Mr. Matthews said.

"We are capitalizing on the amenities that an area like this offers, such as location, access to public transportation and a growing and lively community that is already in existence here on the south side of Dallas."

Mr. Matthews began working on the redevelopment of South Side on Lamar in 1997 and opened the building in 2000 with about 450 apartments.

Since then, the area has become a location for restaurants and clubs such as Gilley's Dallas and Poor David's Pub.

Mr. Matthews is also working on plans for a boutique hotel in one of the former Sears buildings.

And the Beat is just the first of several condo buildings planned along Belleview.

"We want to create a streetscape from the DART station to Southside on Lamar," he said.

[CTroyMathis]

Here's a lookey (finally) at the Classic Residence by Hyatt - Turtle Creek:

http://img333.imageshack.us/img333/161/classresbyhyattturtlecreek0014.jpg

[eburress]

Here's a lookey (finally) at the Classic Residence by Hyatt - Turtle Creek:

http://img333.imageshack.us/img333/161/classresbyhyattturtlecreek0014.jpg

VERY nice...I really like the look/style of this one! Where exactly in the Turtle Creek area is this going to go - Cedar Springs and TC Blvd?

[Owlhorn]

Victory Plaza by frankchitown

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/8494/img01332cn.jpg
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/8058/img01349yl.jpg
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/2663/img01353gv.jpg

[Owlhorn]

One Arts Plaza by TexasStar and psukhu
http://texasstar.smugmug.com/photos/64011663-L.jpg
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9720&stc=1

[colemonkee]

Victory Plaza's looking good. Is that office space?

[Owlhorn]

yes, with a mixed-use ground floor

[leaf]

Victory Plaza's looking good. Is that office space?

Yes, it will be office space and retail space. The local ABC station will have a news studio on the bottom floor. (www.wfaa.com)

More info at: http://www.victorypark.com (then go to Vision--> Master Plan)

[CTroyMathis]

Victory Plaza is looking pretty damn impressive.

[Owlhorn]

Mercantile renovation progress by Ninjatune

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/8279/20dmondayhyattwalk221copy1rm.jpg

http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/2536/20dmondayhyattwalk242copy7cm.th.jpg (http://img360.imageshack.us/my.php?image=20dmondayhyattwalk242copy7cm.jpg)http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/8093/20dmondayhyattwalk241copy3mm.th.jpg (http://img360.imageshack.us/my.php?image=20dmondayhyattwalk241copy3mm.jpg)http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/5254/20dmondayhyattwalk233copy2hs.th.jpg (http://img360.imageshack.us/my.php?image=20dmondayhyattwalk233copy2hs.jpg)http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/9297/20dmondayhyattwalk230copy6pg.th.jpg (http://img369.imageshack.us/my.php?image=20dmondayhyattwalk230copy6pg.jpg)http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/9128/20dmondayhyattwalk251copy0wm.th.jpg (http://img362.imageshack.us/my.php?image=20dmondayhyattwalk251copy0wm.jpg)http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/2523/20dmondayhyattwalk250copy1ie.th.jpg (http://img354.imageshack.us/my.php?image=20dmondayhyattwalk250copy1ie.jpg)http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/1452/20dmondayhyattwalk248copy2qr.th.jpg (http://img360.imageshack.us/my.php?image=20dmondayhyattwalk248copy2qr.jpg)http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/5854/20dmondayhyattwalk247copy5zm.th.jpg (http://img354.imageshack.us/my.php?image=20dmondayhyattwalk247copy5zm.jpg)

http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/9966/236237copy6hk.jpg

[Owlhorn]

Ritz-Carlton by psukhu
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9721&stc=1

Azure from webcam
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9728

Sugar Film Production HQ by BigD5349
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9727

Arlington Towncenter(near Ameriquest Field and Six Flags) rendering
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9725

[Owlhorn]

Mexico Club Operator Prepping First US Stage
By Connie Gore
Last updated: April 14, 2006 09:47am

(For more retail coverage, click GlobeSt.com/RETAIL.)
DALLAS-With the spotlight always shining on the West End, a Mexico City entertainment giant has leased 8,472 sf to backfill dormant nightclub space with its first location in the US. The Mambo Cafe, getting ready for a minimum 10-year run, will open doors in late summer in the West End Parking Center.

Grupo Freedom is prepping the stage to redo the former Have a Nice Day space at 2020 N. Lamar St., a 38,000-sf retail and office complex tucked into the city's leading one-stop shop of clubs and restaurants. "Our overall strategy was to replace Have a Nice Day with a good, upscale club operator," says Steve Williamson, senior vice president in Dallas for Houston-based Transwestern Commercial Services.

"It's the beginning of a transformation for the parking deck," Mason Bishop, a Transwestern associate, tells GlobeSt.com. He, Williamson and Transwestern vice president Larry Jordan spent six months negotiating the deal with Grupo Freedom's local brokers, Jack Gosnell, executive vice president with UCR Urban, and Marcello Rosen, a senior vice president.

The entertainment lease fills the largest opening in the locally owned parking center. Quoted rates range from the mid- to high teens.

According to the operator's website, Mambo Cafe is the newest concept of Caribbean discotheques, fusing classical tropical music with Latin pop. The club will end up neighboring House of Blues, setting up hard-to-beat synergies to marry the West End and Victory nightlife scene. "It's going to be the most exciting thing for the nightlife business that's hit that area in years," Williamson says.

[Owlhorn]

Bill Reed Warehouse renovation by boozo

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9739

[Owlhorn]

Multifamily Developer Gets Trophy Tract on Galleria's Doorstep
By Connie Gore (http://www.globest.com/cgi-bin/udt/im.author.contact.view?client_id=globest&story_id=144620&title=Multifamily%20Developer%20Gets%20Trophy%20Tract%20on%20Galleria%27s%20Doorstep&author=Connie%20Gore&address=http%3A//www.globest.com/news/513%5F513/dallas/144620%2D1.html&summary=DALLAS%2DThe%20Slosburg%20Co.%2C%20up%20against%20three%20offers%2C%20pays%20a%20possible%20record%20price%20in%20the%20submarket%2D%2Dnearly%20%2440%20per%20sf%20for%203.58%20acres%20at%20Macy%27s%20entrance.%20With%20the%20land%20now%20banked%2C%20the%20developer%20is%20interviewing%20architects.%20The%20plan%20is%20to%20start%20work%20by%20early%20fall.)
Last updated: April 10, 2006 08:27am (To read more on the multifamily market, click here (http://www.remnewsletters.com/).)

DALLAS-With its development flag already planted in the Galleria submarket, Omaha-based Slosburg Co. has started interviewing architects to design another high-end residential project. This time, the project site is 3.58 acres on Macy's doorstep.

"We like what's going on there," says Rachel Slosburg, partner in an 88-year-old family firm that paid a possible record price for the 13420 Noel Rd. tract. "It's a premier piece," she says. "There's a need to make this an identity neighborhood. We're long-term owners and we want to know what we put up there is going to stand the test of time." She stresses that whatever rises will be designed to complement local developer Robert Shaw's $50-million Village on the Green, an urban-style, mid-rise setting with 200 apartment homes and 90,000 sf of retail.

The low-key developer of high-end multifamily properties is planning to advance the project "as quickly as possible," Slosburg tells GlobeSt.com. "By late summer or early fall, you'll start to see some development. We're excited. The Galleria has a lot of buzz going on."

Thomas Clarke, senior vice president in Dallas for Grubb & Ellis Co., and associate Lindsay Allen had the land on the market nearly four years at $40 per sf for Los Angeles-based USC Investment Partnership LP. "The pricing was such that it was the highest priced there," Clarke says.

Clarke says the deal closed within 30 days of Slosburg going hard on the price to outmaneuver three other offers. "They were willing to put money at risk and close quickly," he says. "This was the major sale of that pocket." In recent dealmaking, the highest price that he can recall was $32.50 per sf for vacant land. The new owner, he says, paid close to the seller's ask.

Slosburg will develop the site with Omaha-based partner, the Richdale Group, just as it did with its other Galleria footprints--the Dorchester Apartments at 5300 Spring Valley Rd. and Saxony Apartments at 14601 Montfort Dr. The newest undertaking, like the 1990s-era predecessors, is being planned as a long-term hold, Slosburg says.

[Owlhorn]

Victory Plaza

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Third Rail Lofts construction and Gulf States building renovation by Ninjatune

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/6835/gsbcopy5qh.th.jpg (http://img511.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gsbcopy5qh.jpg)

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[TTU Arch]

ARISTOCRAT HOTEL TO BECOME HOTEL INDIGO

http://www.downtowndallas.com/current.htm#indigo

Hotel Indigo is an exclusive, limited line of upscale luxury hotels only found in a few select cities including Chicago, Atlanta and Houston. To be complete in June, the company has begun renovations on the Aristocrat Hotel in Downtown Dallas (corner of Harwood and Main Street).


Each room at Hotel Indigo will be designed around the soothing, simple yet intricate patterns found in nature. Rooms are being designed with the ultimate comforts in mind, including:

• Oversized beds standing high off the floor, stacked with plenty of fluffy, oversized pillows
• Hardwood floors
• Spa-style showers
• Wide-open foyers
• High-speed Internet access

The Aristocrat Hotel of Dallas, a one-of-a-kind hotel built in 1925 by Conrad Hilton was the first to bear his name. Today, faithfully restored, the building is a nationally registered landmark characterized by a wealth of architectural detail and the unmistakable luxury and tradition of yesteryear.

[colemonkee]

I'm sad to see the Aristocrat go, even if it is run by Holiday Inn now. I've stayed there few times and loved the old style of the rooms. A bit outdated, but still a ton of character.

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http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/042006dnbusfriscoland.4eddad8f.html

Chicago company will develop Frisco site

11:51 AM CDT on Wednesday, April 19, 2006

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

The city of Frisco is teaming up with one of the country’s biggest shopping mall builders on a mixed-use development.

General Growth Properties of Chicago has been selected to develop almost 200 acres that Frisco controls at the southwest corner of the Dallas North Tollway and U.S. Highway 380.

Plans call for a shopping center, hotel and conference center along with residential space.

“There were a number of quality development firms that were interested in the property,” said Jim Gandy, president of the Frisco Economic Development Corp. “We are certainly very familiar with General Growth and not only with what they have done in Frisco but all across the U.S.”

In 2000, General Growth opened the $150 million, 1.6 million-square-foot Stonebriar Centre mall in Frisco at State Highway 121 and Preston Road.

The U.S. 380 site that General Growth will develop is about eight miles north and won’t be used for another regional mall.

Instead, the city says the land will be used for “an open-air commercial and residential center around a waterfront town square park.”

“We envision much more than a place to shop,” Butch Papon, first vice president of development for General Growth, said in a statement. “This will be a self-contained community offering an enviable quality of life for those who live and work there, while also being a great place for visitors.”

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

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Dallas Business Journal - April 17, 2006
http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2006/04/17/story3.html


Euro hotel planned in McKinney

Dallas Business Journal - April 14, 2006
by Sandra Zaragoza
Staff Writer

North Texas travelers acquainted with Golden Tulip Hotels, Inns & Resorts in Europe will soon be able to stay at a luxury Golden Tulip hotel much closer to home -- in McKinney.

Memphis, Tenn.-based Crescent Development Group Inc. is planning a $100 million-plus, "five star" Golden Tulip hotel at Craig Ranch, a high-profile development in McKinney.

The eight-story hotel will likely be associated in some way with The Cooper Aerobics Center at Craig Ranch, a fitness center and day spa that recently opened, says Mark Skoda of Crescent Development Group.

The Dallas-based Cooper Aerobics Center confirmed that it's in talks with Crescent on "a reciprocal relationship for Cooper Spa at Craig Ranch," according to Sarah Grohmann, a spokeswoman for Cooper Aerobics.

Though it's relatively unknown in the United States, Netherlands-based Golden Tulip Hotels Inns & Resorts is one of the world's largest hotel companies, operating 221 hotels in 39 countries, according to the company's Web site. Through various agreements, Golden Tulip manages another 507 hotels.

Golden Tulip is known mainly for upscale hotels. The company has three core hotel brands: Golden Tulip, Golden Tulip Resort and Tulip Inn, a mid-level brand. Golden Tulip's hotels are located in the Netherlands, Europe, the Middle East, South America and Asia.

Bethesda, Md., is the only U.S. market with a Golden Tulip hotel. The Maryland hotel has 75 "European-style" guest rooms, in-room safes, a business center, a restaurant and valet services.

In McKinney, preliminary plans call for a 250- to 275-room Golden Tulip boutique hotel at Craig Ranch, but the size of the hotel may change, Skoda said.

The boutique hotel will boast European architecture and will have a "Euro-centric" approach to lodging. The hotel's restaurants will be "family-friendly," he said.

Asked whether the Golden Tulip project would include condominiums, Skoda declined to comment.

While the developers may ask for incentives from the city of McKinney, he added, the development is being financed through debt and equity and is not contingent on incentives.
'Global orientation'

Crescent and Craig Ranch developer David Craig, president and CEO of Craig International Inc., are in final negotiations for about 9 acres for the hotel project on the south side of Collin McKinney Parkway, across from the golf course and near the Cooper Aerobics Center.

Karen "K.K." Taylor, a senior vice president with Craig International's brokerage division, is handling the land sale to Crescent.

Craig plans to announce the land sale and other details about the hotel during an April 18 press conference at Craig Ranch that will be attended by Hans Kennedie, Golden Tulip's president and CEO.

Golden Tulip and Crescent are also planning a hotel in Memphis. Both the McKinney and Memphis hotels are scheduled for 2008 openings. Golden Tulip has said that North America will be a growth market for its brands going forward.

Golden Tulip's "strategy with their new product is global orientation and European flair," Skoda said. "That is their differentiator in the market."

Local hospitality experts were surprised that Golden Tulip would select McKinney -- and that Craig Ranch would choose a European luxury brand.

Craig said it wasn't that surprising. "When you have the brand of PGA and Cooper Aerobics, we needed a lodging component that was on par -- and Golden Tulip is that brand," he said.

Skoda said Crescent was attracted to McKinney because of "Craig's vision at Craig Ranch," swift progress on the 2,000-acre residential and commercial project and completion of the aerobics center and The Tournament Players Club at Craig Ranch, the only PGA-owned and operated golf club in Texas. The TPC may host PGA events in the near future, Craig said.

Eventually, he added, the golf course is expected to draw its share of visitors, and the highly-regarded aerobics center and the planned Cooper Clinic, a medical clinic, also will attract clients from across the country as well as internationally.

Hospitality analyst Greg Crown of PKF Consulting's Dallas office says currrent demand for hotel rooms in McKinney is limited, and is likely to stay that way.

"I don't doubt that the golf course and the Cooper Clinic has some draw. And it's a very nice community," Crown said. "But what's the demand out there? Where is the commercial business going to come from? It's a growth area and has great growth potential. It's just an unusual choice."

Golden Tulip will have its work cut out for it, as business travelers are more comfortable with brands like Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt, Crown added.

Hospitality veteran Chuck Bedsole, of Alvarez & Marsal Real Estate Advisory Services L.L.C. in Dallas, said that European brands have historically not fared well in the United States.

However, he added, "If there is a time for a European brand and design-oriented hotel, given the growing familiarity, now might be as good a time as any."

szaragoza@bizjournals.com | 214-706-7113

All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.

[CTroyMathis]

Here's an alternate look at Fairfield's Cityplace West development, a 20 story mixed use dealio.

http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/9053/cityplacewestfairfld0012mg.jpg

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Development going up on site that once held beloved Il Sorrento
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

A new North Dallas condominium building will take its name from a beloved neighborhood restaurant.

The five-story Sorrento condo complex is being constructed on the site of the Il Sorrento restaurant, which was demolished in 2003.

The Italian-style building is being developed by Glenbrook Residential Inc. The project will have 97 units priced from $245,000 to more than $500,000.

The condos at 8616 Turtle Creek Blvd. will average about 1,300 square feet, and the project will have a landscaped courtyard, swimming pool and rooftop terrace.

The Il Sorrento restaurant was "an Italian destination that we couldn't let fall to the wayside," said developer Guy Brignon.

"I always wanted to do something in an Italian motif."

Coldwell Banker Residential is marketing the project and already has potential buyers, said agent Ned Cammack.

"There is nothing like this in the neighborhood," he said.

Construction is under way on the building, which should open early next year.

After more than 53 years in business, the popular Il Sorrento closed when owner Mario Messina sold the property to developers and retired.

"We asked Mr. Messina for his permission to use the name," Mr. Brignon said.

"The problem is we are getting some calls wanting to make restaurant reservations."

In its heyday, the restaurant was a favorite hangout of locals and visiting celebrities.

At least one other Dallas real estate project is named for a defunct restaurant.

The Chateau Plaza office tower on McKinney Avenue takes its name from the Chateaubriand restaurant that stood on the corner until the early 1980s.

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Joule Urban Resort by Crescentboi

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Mercantile Block renovation by Crescentboi

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