[CTroyMathis]

May not include everything, but, it's a damn nice render by the Green Grass Studios people:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7266

Minor update to the threads first post listing also done.

[CTroyMathis]

May not include everything, but, it's a damn nice render by the Green Grass Studios people:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7266

Minor update to the threads first post listing also done.

[TTU Arch]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-village_06bus.ART.State.Edition2.18cd2889.html

Galleria to get a trendy neighbor

Apartment-retail plan may help make area pedestrian-friendly


12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, October 6, 2005


By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


Developers have broken ground near the Galleria on an urban-style apartment and retail complex. Called Village on the Green, the project is on the northeast corner of Noel and Alpha roads and will contain more than 200 rental homes, restaurants and shops.

The more than $50 million project is being built by a Staubach Co. affiliate and developer Robert Shaw, who was one of the builders responsible for kicking off the Uptown boom.

Village on the Green is the most ambitious of several new developments on tap for the area around the big shopping mall and office tower complex.

"You really do have a transforming of that neighborhood into a more urban form with the Galleria as an anchor," Mr. Shaw said Wednesday.

Mr. Shaw's project will be ready late next year.

The 5-acre complex is being built by Staubach's Cypress Equities Inc. and Mr. Shaw's Columbus Realty Partners.

Built around a small park, the five-story complex will have about 90,000 square feet of high-end retail on the lower level. The apartments will be built above.

The contemporary-style buildings were designed by architects RTKL Associates, which has worked on other mixed-use developments in the area, including Addison Circle and the Shops at Legacy in Plano.

"Not a lot of architects understand the relationship between retail and residential," said Chris Maguire, president and CEO of Cypress Equities. "They have done it time and time again."

Mr. Maguire said the project has gotten good response from potential retail tenants and is planned as a destination shopping center.

Real estate brokers say that Cypress Equities also is looking at expanding its development with the purchase of additional property in the area.

Mr. Shaw has built apartment projects in Addison, Plano and Richardson.


He said that although the Galleria neighborhood is now dominated by suburban-style construction, the area will gradually become more pedestrian-oriented. "Five years from now you will see something pretty special in that area," he said.

But because of lower land costs, rents in the Village on the Green apartments will average much less than in urban markets such as Uptown. Unlike Uptown, retail – not residential – is driving redevelopment of this area, Mr. Shaw said.

Cypress Equities is working on retail projects in Dallas, Atlanta, New York and San Francisco worth about $800 million.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

[TTU Arch]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-village_06bus.ART.State.Edition2.18cd2889.html

Galleria to get a trendy neighbor

Apartment-retail plan may help make area pedestrian-friendly


12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, October 6, 2005


By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


Developers have broken ground near the Galleria on an urban-style apartment and retail complex. Called Village on the Green, the project is on the northeast corner of Noel and Alpha roads and will contain more than 200 rental homes, restaurants and shops.

The more than $50 million project is being built by a Staubach Co. affiliate and developer Robert Shaw, who was one of the builders responsible for kicking off the Uptown boom.

Village on the Green is the most ambitious of several new developments on tap for the area around the big shopping mall and office tower complex.

"You really do have a transforming of that neighborhood into a more urban form with the Galleria as an anchor," Mr. Shaw said Wednesday.

Mr. Shaw's project will be ready late next year.

The 5-acre complex is being built by Staubach's Cypress Equities Inc. and Mr. Shaw's Columbus Realty Partners.

Built around a small park, the five-story complex will have about 90,000 square feet of high-end retail on the lower level. The apartments will be built above.

The contemporary-style buildings were designed by architects RTKL Associates, which has worked on other mixed-use developments in the area, including Addison Circle and the Shops at Legacy in Plano.

"Not a lot of architects understand the relationship between retail and residential," said Chris Maguire, president and CEO of Cypress Equities. "They have done it time and time again."

Mr. Maguire said the project has gotten good response from potential retail tenants and is planned as a destination shopping center.

Real estate brokers say that Cypress Equities also is looking at expanding its development with the purchase of additional property in the area.

Mr. Shaw has built apartment projects in Addison, Plano and Richardson.


He said that although the Galleria neighborhood is now dominated by suburban-style construction, the area will gradually become more pedestrian-oriented. "Five years from now you will see something pretty special in that area," he said.

But because of lower land costs, rents in the Village on the Green apartments will average much less than in urban markets such as Uptown. Unlike Uptown, retail – not residential – is driving redevelopment of this area, Mr. Shaw said.

Cypress Equities is working on retail projects in Dallas, Atlanta, New York and San Francisco worth about $800 million.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

[anyiliang]

Land swap could be end of Reunion
Dallas: Officials say city deal would create entertainment district


12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, October 11, 2005


By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News


Dallas' city-owned Reunion Arena could be demolished as part of a land swap that government officials are negotiating with a real-estate firm, a city official said Monday.

The deal centers on the creation of an entertainment district between the Dallas Convention Center and Reunion Arena on land that the city and Dallas-based Hunt Consolidated each partially owns, said City Council member Ed Oakley. The council is tentatively slated to discuss the deal Oct. 19.

Jeanne Phillips, Hunt's senior vice president, said, "We are very pleased with the work that's been done by city staff, and we look forward to the discussion on the 19th."

Dallas Assistant City Manager Ryan Evans, who has led negotiations between the city and private interests, and Mayor Laura Miller could not be reached for comment Monday.

The land swap, according to Mr. Oakley and Hunt officials, would involve:

• Dallas giving Hunt Consolidated the rights to Reunion Arena, providing that Hunt lease the arena back to the city for $1 a year for three years. After that, Hunt is free to use the land as it pleases.

• Hunt giving Dallas rights to its share of Lot E, a parking lot near the convention center that is typically vacant.

• Dallas negotiating with Billy Bob Barnett, the developer of entertainment venues such as Billy Bob's Texas honky-tonk in Fort Worth, to build an entertainment district between the Convention Center and where Reunion Arena now stands, just north of Interstate 30. Dallas would negotiate to share in the entertainment district's revenue.

"Everyone has half a pie now and can't do anything until they have a whole pie," Mr. Oakley said of the deal. "With this deal, you're really bringing downtown to the river in two major ways. It's incredibly exciting."

As for Reunion Arena, Mr. Oakley said: "It ends up getting torn down. I don't think it has a viable use."

Ms. Phillips said it was difficult to predict the future of Reunion, the all-but-vacant former home to the city's professional sports teams and marquee entertainment events. "That's three years down the road," she said.

Reunion's footprint, coupled with surrounding lots, is more than 25 acres.

The land sits on the downtown banks of the Trinity River, which the city hopes to shape into a recreational and ecological showpiece.

Hunt owns the Hyatt Regency Dallas, which abuts the Reunion Arena land. Reunion has been losing more than $1 million in city money annually for several years.


Dallasmorning News (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-reunion_11met.ART0.North.Edition2.e7723f6.html)


So does this mean that they are going to tear down the Reunion Tower?

[anyiliang]

Land swap could be end of Reunion
Dallas: Officials say city deal would create entertainment district


12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, October 11, 2005


By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News


Dallas' city-owned Reunion Arena could be demolished as part of a land swap that government officials are negotiating with a real-estate firm, a city official said Monday.

The deal centers on the creation of an entertainment district between the Dallas Convention Center and Reunion Arena on land that the city and Dallas-based Hunt Consolidated each partially owns, said City Council member Ed Oakley. The council is tentatively slated to discuss the deal Oct. 19.

Jeanne Phillips, Hunt's senior vice president, said, "We are very pleased with the work that's been done by city staff, and we look forward to the discussion on the 19th."

Dallas Assistant City Manager Ryan Evans, who has led negotiations between the city and private interests, and Mayor Laura Miller could not be reached for comment Monday.

The land swap, according to Mr. Oakley and Hunt officials, would involve:

• Dallas giving Hunt Consolidated the rights to Reunion Arena, providing that Hunt lease the arena back to the city for $1 a year for three years. After that, Hunt is free to use the land as it pleases.

• Hunt giving Dallas rights to its share of Lot E, a parking lot near the convention center that is typically vacant.

• Dallas negotiating with Billy Bob Barnett, the developer of entertainment venues such as Billy Bob's Texas honky-tonk in Fort Worth, to build an entertainment district between the Convention Center and where Reunion Arena now stands, just north of Interstate 30. Dallas would negotiate to share in the entertainment district's revenue.

"Everyone has half a pie now and can't do anything until they have a whole pie," Mr. Oakley said of the deal. "With this deal, you're really bringing downtown to the river in two major ways. It's incredibly exciting."

As for Reunion Arena, Mr. Oakley said: "It ends up getting torn down. I don't think it has a viable use."

Ms. Phillips said it was difficult to predict the future of Reunion, the all-but-vacant former home to the city's professional sports teams and marquee entertainment events. "That's three years down the road," she said.

Reunion's footprint, coupled with surrounding lots, is more than 25 acres.

The land sits on the downtown banks of the Trinity River, which the city hopes to shape into a recreational and ecological showpiece.

Hunt owns the Hyatt Regency Dallas, which abuts the Reunion Arena land. Reunion has been losing more than $1 million in city money annually for several years.


Dallasmorning News (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-reunion_11met.ART0.North.Edition2.e7723f6.html)


So does this mean that they are going to tear down the Reunion Tower?

[leaf]

^
No, the tower is part of the hotel next door.

They would only tear down the arena.

[leaf]

^
No, the tower is part of the hotel next door.

They would only tear down the arena.

[CTroyMathis]

No one can tear down the Reunion Tower.

No one has ever been able to rid their yard of a pesky dandelion. ; )

[CTroyMathis]

No one can tear down the Reunion Tower.

No one has ever been able to rid their yard of a pesky dandelion. ; )

[eburress]

The land sits on the downtown banks of the Trinity River

I haven't been down to Reunion in a while, but aren't there several buildings, roads, and a freeway separating it from the banks of the Trinity? I think I hear George Strait singing “…I’ve got some riverfront property in downtown Dallas…”

http://img424.imageshack.us/img424/3177/river2oe.gif

[eburress]

The land sits on the downtown banks of the Trinity River

I haven't been down to Reunion in a while, but aren't there several buildings, roads, and a freeway separating it from the banks of the Trinity? I think I hear George Strait singing “…I’ve got some riverfront property in downtown Dallas…”

http://img424.imageshack.us/img424/3177/river2oe.gif

[CTroyMathis]

Listing in first post updated, but, far from being in final format. Any chance a person from the Westoplex could help update Fort Worth municipal info?

[CTroyMathis]

Listing in first post updated, but, far from being in final format. Any chance a person from the Westoplex could help update Fort Worth municipal info?

[CTroyMathis]

Here is a newer rendering of the proposed Hunt Headquarters mid-rise:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/ansemt/hunt.jpg

[CTroyMathis]

Here is a newer rendering of the proposed Hunt Headquarters mid-rise:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/ansemt/hunt.jpg

[CTroyMathis]

Victory Plaza construction progress (east bldg.) :

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/1189/katytrail0252xq.jpg

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/7247/katytrail0289ty.jpg




The Terrace construction progress:

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/4560/katytrail0216gz.jpg

[CTroyMathis]

Victory Plaza construction progress (east bldg.) :

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/1189/katytrail0252xq.jpg

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/7247/katytrail0289ty.jpg




The Terrace construction progress:

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/4560/katytrail0216gz.jpg

[TTU Arch]

Tower work a step closer
Gables expects to get financing this week to remodel Republic bank

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-republic_13bus.ART.State.Edition2.18c800d4.html

12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, October 13, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


Another empty downtown Dallas skyscraper is getting new life in a redevelopment.



FILE 1998/Staff photo
The 36-story Republic National Bank Building is being converted into apartments by Gables Residential Trust. Developer Gables Residential Trust is expected to receive financing this week to remodel the 36-story Republic National Bank Building into apartments.

The development will cost more than $40 million and will take about 18 months.

Gables has been working on the plan for more than two years.

"The deal is now done and will begin construction immediately," Gables senior vice president Doug Chesnut said Wednesday.

Designed by architects RTKL Associates Inc., the project will create 229 apartments in the old office tower.

Average rents in the building will be about $1,650 a month, Mr. Chesnut said.

"We aren't going to do hard loft units – these units will be finished out like our other apartment projects," he said.

The apartments will be on the 10th through 34th floors.

The fifth floor will have an amenity area with a small swimming pool, he said.

Lower levels of the building will also house parking and office space.

Built in 1954, the Republic Bank Building was Dallas' first modern postwar skyscraper.

The aluminum-clad building was the city's tallest when it opened – and the neon-lighted "rocket" sculpture on the roof made it look even larger.

The building has been empty for about 10 years.

Gables is doing the project in partnership with a New York-based partnership, which also owns the Republic Bank tower and two adjoining buildings.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

[TTU Arch]

Tower work a step closer
Gables expects to get financing this week to remodel Republic bank

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-republic_13bus.ART.State.Edition2.18c800d4.html

12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, October 13, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News


Another empty downtown Dallas skyscraper is getting new life in a redevelopment.



FILE 1998/Staff photo
The 36-story Republic National Bank Building is being converted into apartments by Gables Residential Trust. Developer Gables Residential Trust is expected to receive financing this week to remodel the 36-story Republic National Bank Building into apartments.

The development will cost more than $40 million and will take about 18 months.

Gables has been working on the plan for more than two years.

"The deal is now done and will begin construction immediately," Gables senior vice president Doug Chesnut said Wednesday.

Designed by architects RTKL Associates Inc., the project will create 229 apartments in the old office tower.

Average rents in the building will be about $1,650 a month, Mr. Chesnut said.

"We aren't going to do hard loft units – these units will be finished out like our other apartment projects," he said.

The apartments will be on the 10th through 34th floors.

The fifth floor will have an amenity area with a small swimming pool, he said.

Lower levels of the building will also house parking and office space.

Built in 1954, the Republic Bank Building was Dallas' first modern postwar skyscraper.

The aluminum-clad building was the city's tallest when it opened – and the neon-lighted "rocket" sculpture on the roof made it look even larger.

The building has been empty for about 10 years.

Gables is doing the project in partnership with a New York-based partnership, which also owns the Republic Bank tower and two adjoining buildings.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

[CTroyMathis]

^ That is very good news.




Here's a photo taken yesterday by frankchitown of construction progress on the Vantage building in Turtle Creek. (The low-rise building in the middle of the photo.)

http://img430.imageshack.us/img430/4582/katytrail0712yv.jpg

[CTroyMathis]

^ That is very good news.




Here's a photo taken yesterday by frankchitown of construction progress on the Vantage building in Turtle Creek. (The low-rise building in the middle of the photo.)

http://img430.imageshack.us/img430/4582/katytrail0712yv.jpg

[TTU Arch]

From late August...

WHATS NEW DOWNTOWN

Alice Murray
President
Central Dallas Association and Downtown Improvement District

Everywhere you turn, Downtown Dallas is making news with announcements like its first grocery store to open in July, the donation of a full city block of buildings by Atmos Energy, the planning of the Woodall Rodgers deck-over project, 7-Eleven’s move Downtown, the expanding Arts District and the surge of residents moving to the core of the city. There is no denying Downtown Dallas is energized. And everyone wants to know, “What’s new Downtown?”
Real Estate
Over $647 million in private dollars has been invested in the Central Business District TIF district since 1996.

2,610 housing units are complete or under construction and an additional 1,249 are announced.
2,174 hotel rooms exist and 4 million square feet of Class B and C office space has been renovated, with an additional 1.6 million square feet of obsolete buildings funded for future conversion.
“If you build it, they will come” is the mantra of Downtown Dallas residential developers due to the great urban dwelling renaissance of the past five years. Downtown’s newest residential projects include the Dallas Power & Light Building with 158 for-lease units and 20,000 square feet of retail space; The Metropolitan, 275 for-sale condominiums and 1,100 square feet of retail at 1200 Main Street; and the Interurban Building on Jackson Street with 134 for-lease units and downtown’s first grocery store, Urban Grocers. In addition, construction has begun on 1407 Main Street and the Gulf States Building. The first new residential construction development Downtown in 40 years, 1407 Main will not only add residential, but also 20,000 square feet of retail space and 350 parking spaces for shoppers and short-term visitors. Together with the Gulf States Building, this complete project will add 120 for lease units in 2006.

Gables Residential has announced plans to turn one of Republic Center’s towers into 225 high-end apartments. And downtown will soon see the redevelopment of Mosaic Towers (corner of Pacific and Akard) into 433 multifamily rental units and 20,000 square feet of retail.

A pivotal residential and retail development for Downtown Dallas is the historic Mercantile Complex. Sitting vacant for nearly 15 years, the Mercantile has been a million-square-foot hole in the heart of downtown. In April 2005, Forest City Enterprises revealed detailed plans for renovation of the Mercantile Complex, Continental Building and Atmos Energy block that include monumental residential and retail development for downtown. To date, Forest City is still in negotiation with the City of Dallas over development incentives; however, all parties are positive that the deal will move forward by year-end.

Additional projects include 1217 Main Street and 1530 Main Street. Developers are under way, transforming the currently unnoticeable building at 1217 Main into a restaurant/retail combination called Cascades, and integrating a public roof top garden. “deLuxe Hotel Group” has begun construction on Joule Urban Resort, designed by famed Italian designer Adam Tihany. This project at 1530 Main Street will transform the once vacant building into a 125-room boutique hotel with ground floor retail. Next door, the development group will also be opening an upscale, white table-cloth restaurant in early 2006.

Two major projects will change the face of Downtown are the Woodall Rodgers deck-over and the Trinity River Corridor. The new Woodall Rodgers Park will be built over the highway between Pearl and Harwood in the Arts District, bridging the gap between Uptown and Downtown Dallas. The Trinity River Project will add innovative bridges to connect downtown, south Dallas and west Dallas, an Interpretive/Equestrian center, park improvements, lakes and other water amenities. Construction on the first bridge is expected to begin by the end of this year.

Downtown Dallas’ office sector is buzzing with the announcement of the relocation of 7-Eleven’s headquarters as a part of the development of a new project in the Arts District — One Arts Plaza. The entire mixed-use development will be made up of 60 high-rise condominiums, 30,000 square feet of retail space and 425,000 square feet of office space, and is estimated to cost over $100 million. Overall last year, the Central Business District realized 2,182,288 square feet of lease transactions with 30 new companies moving to the CBD.

Downtown Shopping, Entertainment and Culture
Downtown Dallas is made up of four entertainment and cultural districts — the Historic West End, the Arts District, the Main Street District and Farmers Market. And neighboring Downtown is Uptown, Deep Ellum, Victory and the Cedars.

The Main Street District
The Main Street District has established itself as a dining and entertainment hot spot led by pioneers like Jeroboam Urban Brasserie and the restaurants of Stone Street Gardens. Other staples of the district include Iron Cactus, a 15,000-square-foot Mexican grill and margarita bar, City Tavern, a traditional American pub, and Blue, a lavish downtown nightclub with a 3,000-square-foot dance floor and 16 bar stations. Obar, a subterranean nightclub and lounge, is a place “to see and be seen.” New additions include Press Box Grill, a sports bar; Pandora, a combination sushi bar, robata grill and Japanese restaurant; and Fuse, a trendy TexAsian restaurant and bar. Those looking for more dining and nightlife should keep their eyes open for TEN, to open at Main and Field, and a Russian vodka bar to open across the street in the Davis Building.

To spur growth of retail on Main Street, a program was launched last year to provide incentives to entice retailers downtown, called the Main Street Retail Incentive Program. Funds are offered in the form of rent subsidies and grants for tenant improvements. The first two retailers to open under this program are Kul Designs, a 10,000-square-foot ultra-modern furniture lifestyle store in the Davis Building, and Swirll, a Downtown winery and wine accessories store. Additional retail coming soon includes Benji’s Collezioni, BettyAnn Smith Gallery and Footgear. And Dallas Fashion Incubator, a retail/workshop space that provides a business incubation program for up-and-coming fashion designers, is now open across Main Street from the District’s anchor, the flagship Neiman Marcus.

The Arts District
Downtown Dallas has the largest urban Arts District in the country at 17 blocks, featuring the Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas Museum of Art, Crow Collection of Asian Art and the Meyerson Symphony Hall — and it’s growing! The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts is a $275 million project and will consist of six structures, which include the 2,200-seat Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House and the 600-seat Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts will undergo a $40 million expansion, and a $7 million renovation of the historic Moorland YMCA building will be transformed into new studios and offices for acclaimed Dallas Black Dance Theatre.

The Farmers Market
Dallas Farmers Market is recognized regionally as a vital center where farmers sell their seasonal crops directly to customers. Located in the southeastern corner of the Central Business District, it provides a unique opportunity to shop for fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, specialty and international products. The Farmers Market features a regular schedule of cooking classes and special events.

The Historic West End
The West End boasts 40 restaurants and nearly 80 retailers included in the West End Marketplace. As a part of the 1001 Ross development, the West End also is home to downtown’s first above ground pharmacy, CVS and 204 apartments.

Also included in the West End District is the Old Red Courthouse, a premier Dallas landmark, currently under way on a $37.8 million renovation that includes the new Museum of Dallas County History & Culture to open in 2006.

Special Events
Downtown Dallas is home to hundreds of events annually, providing lots of play for residents, visitors and employees. Parks and greenspace are in the works to provide additional event venues while also serving the downtown population on a daily basis. Some of downtown’s signature events include the Taste of Dallas in the West End, Out to Lunch concert series, Jazz Under the Stars at the Dallas Museum of Art and the Neiman Marcus/Adolphus Children’s Parade. New, and quickly growing events Downtown include the Main Street Live evening concert series, and City Arts, a celebration of arts and culture in the Arts District.

Downtown Parking
Launching in September 2005, CityPark will offer 3,000 parking spaces in existing Downtown garages for $1 per hour (the same price as parking meters!) from 6 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and a $2 flat rate after 5 p.m. and all day on weekends.

A Safe Downtown
On October 15, 2004, the Downtown Safety Patrol was launched. The 31-member team patrol is trained in security measures and pairs up with Dallas Police Department officers to offer a heightened sense of safety in the core of Downtown. Officers are on the streets seven days a week, from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Downtown Management
The Central Dallas Association (CDA) is the principle advocate and champion for Downtown Dallas, and is the centralized policy-setting group for affecting change for Downtown. The CDA is comprised of CBD stakeholders, companies and residents who are focused on one goal — to create a vibrant downtown. The mission of the CDA is to serve as a clearinghouse — the central hub for all that relates to Downtown Dallas and its surrounding neighborhoods.

The CDA recently completed a major restructuring in preparation for the next resurgence of development, and to better serve the needs of a prospering Downtown. Boards and staff of various downtown-focused organizations were combined under the CDA umbrella, allowing “a more nimble and focused effort on redevelopment plans,” as described by CDA past Chairman David Biegler. The City, in an innovative partnership with the CDA, approved the new Downtown Connection TIF and Downtown Dallas Development Authority (DDDA), a limited Local Government Corporation, in June 2005. The new Downtown Dallas Development authority will work toward a “critical mass” of 10,000 residential units and 250,000 square feet of diverse and unique retail by 2010.

How will this be done? The Downtown Connection TIF was created to provide funding assistance on several large projects that could not be funded by the original City Center TIF like the Mercatile Complex, Lone Star Gas Building’s execution of the Downtown Parks Master Plan. The new TIF takes in properties not in the City Center TIF expanding southward to Young Street, west to Lamar, east to Central Expressway and north into portions of Uptown.

The Board of Directors for the Downtown Connection TIF overlaps the newly reorganized Executive Committee of the Central Dallas Association and Downtown Improvement District to align the interests of the public and private sectors. Potential revenues of the new TIF District are projected at $124 million, which allows funding assistance for several vacant Downtown buildings, the Woodall Rodgers deck-over park, a portion of the McKinney Avenue Trolley extension, improvements to the Cedar Springs median and the addition of green space in accordance with the CBD Parks Master plan

[TTU Arch]

From late August...

WHATS NEW DOWNTOWN

Alice Murray
President
Central Dallas Association and Downtown Improvement District

Everywhere you turn, Downtown Dallas is making news with announcements like its first grocery store to open in July, the donation of a full city block of buildings by Atmos Energy, the planning of the Woodall Rodgers deck-over project, 7-Eleven’s move Downtown, the expanding Arts District and the surge of residents moving to the core of the city. There is no denying Downtown Dallas is energized. And everyone wants to know, “What’s new Downtown?”
Real Estate
Over $647 million in private dollars has been invested in the Central Business District TIF district since 1996.

2,610 housing units are complete or under construction and an additional 1,249 are announced.
2,174 hotel rooms exist and 4 million square feet of Class B and C office space has been renovated, with an additional 1.6 million square feet of obsolete buildings funded for future conversion.
“If you build it, they will come” is the mantra of Downtown Dallas residential developers due to the great urban dwelling renaissance of the past five years. Downtown’s newest residential projects include the Dallas Power & Light Building with 158 for-lease units and 20,000 square feet of retail space; The Metropolitan, 275 for-sale condominiums and 1,100 square feet of retail at 1200 Main Street; and the Interurban Building on Jackson Street with 134 for-lease units and downtown’s first grocery store, Urban Grocers. In addition, construction has begun on 1407 Main Street and the Gulf States Building. The first new residential construction development Downtown in 40 years, 1407 Main will not only add residential, but also 20,000 square feet of retail space and 350 parking spaces for shoppers and short-term visitors. Together with the Gulf States Building, this complete project will add 120 for lease units in 2006.

Gables Residential has announced plans to turn one of Republic Center’s towers into 225 high-end apartments. And downtown will soon see the redevelopment of Mosaic Towers (corner of Pacific and Akard) into 433 multifamily rental units and 20,000 square feet of retail.

A pivotal residential and retail development for Downtown Dallas is the historic Mercantile Complex. Sitting vacant for nearly 15 years, the Mercantile has been a million-square-foot hole in the heart of downtown. In April 2005, Forest City Enterprises revealed detailed plans for renovation of the Mercantile Complex, Continental Building and Atmos Energy block that include monumental residential and retail development for downtown. To date, Forest City is still in negotiation with the City of Dallas over development incentives; however, all parties are positive that the deal will move forward by year-end.

Additional projects include 1217 Main Street and 1530 Main Street. Developers are under way, transforming the currently unnoticeable building at 1217 Main into a restaurant/retail combination called Cascades, and integrating a public roof top garden. “deLuxe Hotel Group” has begun construction on Joule Urban Resort, designed by famed Italian designer Adam Tihany. This project at 1530 Main Street will transform the once vacant building into a 125-room boutique hotel with ground floor retail. Next door, the development group will also be opening an upscale, white table-cloth restaurant in early 2006.

Two major projects will change the face of Downtown are the Woodall Rodgers deck-over and the Trinity River Corridor. The new Woodall Rodgers Park will be built over the highway between Pearl and Harwood in the Arts District, bridging the gap between Uptown and Downtown Dallas. The Trinity River Project will add innovative bridges to connect downtown, south Dallas and west Dallas, an Interpretive/Equestrian center, park improvements, lakes and other water amenities. Construction on the first bridge is expected to begin by the end of this year.

Downtown Dallas’ office sector is buzzing with the announcement of the relocation of 7-Eleven’s headquarters as a part of the development of a new project in the Arts District — One Arts Plaza. The entire mixed-use development will be made up of 60 high-rise condominiums, 30,000 square feet of retail space and 425,000 square feet of office space, and is estimated to cost over $100 million. Overall last year, the Central Business District realized 2,182,288 square feet of lease transactions with 30 new companies moving to the CBD.

Downtown Shopping, Entertainment and Culture
Downtown Dallas is made up of four entertainment and cultural districts — the Historic West End, the Arts District, the Main Street District and Farmers Market. And neighboring Downtown is Uptown, Deep Ellum, Victory and the Cedars.

The Main Street District
The Main Street District has established itself as a dining and entertainment hot spot led by pioneers like Jeroboam Urban Brasserie and the restaurants of Stone Street Gardens. Other staples of the district include Iron Cactus, a 15,000-square-foot Mexican grill and margarita bar, City Tavern, a traditional American pub, and Blue, a lavish downtown nightclub with a 3,000-square-foot dance floor and 16 bar stations. Obar, a subterranean nightclub and lounge, is a place “to see and be seen.” New additions include Press Box Grill, a sports bar; Pandora, a combination sushi bar, robata grill and Japanese restaurant; and Fuse, a trendy TexAsian restaurant and bar. Those looking for more dining and nightlife should keep their eyes open for TEN, to open at Main and Field, and a Russian vodka bar to open across the street in the Davis Building.

To spur growth of retail on Main Street, a program was launched last year to provide incentives to entice retailers downtown, called the Main Street Retail Incentive Program. Funds are offered in the form of rent subsidies and grants for tenant improvements. The first two retailers to open under this program are Kul Designs, a 10,000-square-foot ultra-modern furniture lifestyle store in the Davis Building, and Swirll, a Downtown winery and wine accessories store. Additional retail coming soon includes Benji’s Collezioni, BettyAnn Smith Gallery and Footgear. And Dallas Fashion Incubator, a retail/workshop space that provides a business incubation program for up-and-coming fashion designers, is now open across Main Street from the District’s anchor, the flagship Neiman Marcus.

The Arts District
Downtown Dallas has the largest urban Arts District in the country at 17 blocks, featuring the Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas Museum of Art, Crow Collection of Asian Art and the Meyerson Symphony Hall — and it’s growing! The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts is a $275 million project and will consist of six structures, which include the 2,200-seat Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House and the 600-seat Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts will undergo a $40 million expansion, and a $7 million renovation of the historic Moorland YMCA building will be transformed into new studios and offices for acclaimed Dallas Black Dance Theatre.

The Farmers Market
Dallas Farmers Market is recognized regionally as a vital center where farmers sell their seasonal crops directly to customers. Located in the southeastern corner of the Central Business District, it provides a unique opportunity to shop for fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, specialty and international products. The Farmers Market features a regular schedule of cooking classes and special events.

The Historic West End
The West End boasts 40 restaurants and nearly 80 retailers included in the West End Marketplace. As a part of the 1001 Ross development, the West End also is home to downtown’s first above ground pharmacy, CVS and 204 apartments.

Also included in the West End District is the Old Red Courthouse, a premier Dallas landmark, currently under way on a $37.8 million renovation that includes the new Museum of Dallas County History & Culture to open in 2006.

Special Events
Downtown Dallas is home to hundreds of events annually, providing lots of play for residents, visitors and employees. Parks and greenspace are in the works to provide additional event venues while also serving the downtown population on a daily basis. Some of downtown’s signature events include the Taste of Dallas in the West End, Out to Lunch concert series, Jazz Under the Stars at the Dallas Museum of Art and the Neiman Marcus/Adolphus Children’s Parade. New, and quickly growing events Downtown include the Main Street Live evening concert series, and City Arts, a celebration of arts and culture in the Arts District.

Downtown Parking
Launching in September 2005, CityPark will offer 3,000 parking spaces in existing Downtown garages for $1 per hour (the same price as parking meters!) from 6 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and a $2 flat rate after 5 p.m. and all day on weekends.

A Safe Downtown
On October 15, 2004, the Downtown Safety Patrol was launched. The 31-member team patrol is trained in security measures and pairs up with Dallas Police Department officers to offer a heightened sense of safety in the core of Downtown. Officers are on the streets seven days a week, from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Downtown Management
The Central Dallas Association (CDA) is the principle advocate and champion for Downtown Dallas, and is the centralized policy-setting group for affecting change for Downtown. The CDA is comprised of CBD stakeholders, companies and residents who are focused on one goal — to create a vibrant downtown. The mission of the CDA is to serve as a clearinghouse — the central hub for all that relates to Downtown Dallas and its surrounding neighborhoods.

The CDA recently completed a major restructuring in preparation for the next resurgence of development, and to better serve the needs of a prospering Downtown. Boards and staff of various downtown-focused organizations were combined under the CDA umbrella, allowing “a more nimble and focused effort on redevelopment plans,” as described by CDA past Chairman David Biegler. The City, in an innovative partnership with the CDA, approved the new Downtown Connection TIF and Downtown Dallas Development Authority (DDDA), a limited Local Government Corporation, in June 2005. The new Downtown Dallas Development authority will work toward a “critical mass” of 10,000 residential units and 250,000 square feet of diverse and unique retail by 2010.

How will this be done? The Downtown Connection TIF was created to provide funding assistance on several large projects that could not be funded by the original City Center TIF like the Mercatile Complex, Lone Star Gas Building’s execution of the Downtown Parks Master Plan. The new TIF takes in properties not in the City Center TIF expanding southward to Young Street, west to Lamar, east to Central Expressway and north into portions of Uptown.

The Board of Directors for the Downtown Connection TIF overlaps the newly reorganized Executive Committee of the Central Dallas Association and Downtown Improvement District to align the interests of the public and private sectors. Potential revenues of the new TIF District are projected at $124 million, which allows funding assistance for several vacant Downtown buildings, the Woodall Rodgers deck-over park, a portion of the McKinney Avenue Trolley extension, improvements to the Cedar Springs median and the addition of green space in accordance with the CBD Parks Master plan

[CTroyMathis]

Trinity Crossing Entertainment Complex
(vision. . .)

http://www.dallascityhall.org/dallas/eng/council_briefings/briefings/20051019_trinitycrossing.pdf




More updated Hunt Headquarters Tower renderings:
(proposed mid-rise. . .)

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

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

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/hunt_3.jpg




One Arts Plaza crane:
(u/c mid-rise. . .)

Image» http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/One_Arts_Plaza_Crane.jpg




City Lights project info:
(mixed use. . .)

October 17- October 30, 2005
This newsletter is brought to you by Central Dallas Association and Downtown Improvement District

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

".....The audience of real estate professionals was also updated on the Trinity River Project, whose first Calatrava bridge will break ground by the end of this year, and the Woodall Rodgers Park, a 5.3 acre park to be developed over Woodall Rodgers Freeway to link Uptown and Downtown Dallas. Mr. Silverman discussed the City Lights project slated at Live Oak and Good Latimer, and the revised plan for 750 residential units and 150,000 square feet of retail...."

[CTroyMathis]

Trinity Crossing Entertainment Complex
(vision. . .)

http://www.dallascityhall.org/dallas/eng/council_briefings/briefings/20051019_trinitycrossing.pdf




More updated Hunt Headquarters Tower renderings:
(proposed mid-rise. . .)

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

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

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/hunt_3.jpg




One Arts Plaza crane:
(u/c mid-rise. . .)

Image» http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/One_Arts_Plaza_Crane.jpg




City Lights project info:
(mixed use. . .)

October 17- October 30, 2005
This newsletter is brought to you by Central Dallas Association and Downtown Improvement District

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

".....The audience of real estate professionals was also updated on the Trinity River Project, whose first Calatrava bridge will break ground by the end of this year, and the Woodall Rodgers Park, a 5.3 acre park to be developed over Woodall Rodgers Freeway to link Uptown and Downtown Dallas. Mr. Silverman discussed the City Lights project slated at Live Oak and Good Latimer, and the revised plan for 750 residential units and 150,000 square feet of retail...."

[CTroyMathis]

Current info via article:


Another blip about the Merc in this article of downtown

http://www.globest.com/news/390_390/dallas/139114-1.html

Panel Updates Dallas' Transition, Keys In on Future
By Connie Gore
Last updated: October 12, 2005 08:20am

(For more retail coverage, click GlobeSt.com/RETAIL.)


DALLAS-With yet another prestigious groundbreaking just a month away, a panel of key figures in the city's revitalization yesterday brought the brokerage community up to speed on the progress of an eight-year effort that's had $750 million invested to date into the renaissance.


The next landmark step will be the start of construction on an underground parking facility for the $275-million Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. One year from now, the first buildings in the five-venue cultural portal will begin to rise. "It will complete the cultural component for the Arts District," Howard Hallam, president of the Ben E. Keith Co. and the district's coordinator, told the roomful of brokers attending yesterday's meeting of the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors at the Hotel Inter-Continental in North Dallas. The meeting is dovetailed with a Downtown and Uptown tour set for Friday afternoon.


The Nov. 10 groundbreaking for the performing arts center, which is 93% financed by private donations, is just one of several recent events that have public and private partners celebrating continued progress in a long-standing campaign to achieve a cosmopolitan ranking. Last week, the city inked a development agreement with Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises Inc. for a $250-million, mixed-use CBD project, with the Mercantile Building as the centerpiece, and next week the vacant buildings will be turned over for recasting into residential and retail space, said Alice Murray, interim president of the Central Dallas Association. Another notable project--the first of three Calatrava bridges--will begin to go up in October 2006.


But if there's one component that stands out as the linchpin, the panelists agreed it's the proposed Woodall Rodgers Park, an over-the-freeway connector to link Downtown and Uptown. "The deck has the potential to be like Millennium Park in Chicago," said Neal Sleeper, president of Cityplace Development. "It has the potential to create that center and make Downtown and Uptown feel like one." The 5.3-acre park could cost $60 million to build, but it will open the door for 6.1 million sf of development.


"There are still significant tracts of land that are developable," Hallam said about the Arts District. The one-time predicted commercial development never materialized, but "there's been more cultural development that we thought there would be," he says.


With the number of cranes dotting the skyline and more on the way, the NTCAR meeting and tour are aimed at putting all the construction activity into perspective. In the next five years, it's projected that another 10,000 residential units and 250,000 sf of retail space will be built inside the loop. At last count, there were 2,400 units on the ground, 870 more rising and another 1,500 ticketed to go up next year.


Still, the city's "Holy Grail" is securing diverse and unusual retailers to provide continuous storefronts along its streets, much like the 175,000 sf in West Village where upscale national and local retailers draw shoppers from around the metroplex. "Dallas didn't have that before. We had buildings, but not continuous storefronts," Sleeper says. "It seems like it just happened, but people have been working on it for a very long time." His five-year plan for the 140-acre Cityplace will add another 200,000 sf of retail and 400,000 sf of residential, hotel and office space to the existing 1,883 residential units and several million sf of office space.


Margaux Development's CEO Don Silverman says his City Lights project at Live Oak and Latimer streets has been revised to 750 residential units and 150,000 sf of retail, allowing a pod-type development right at a freeway off-ramp. Residential developers and retailers like Starbucks and Subway, including several casual dining chains, are interested in taking down space in the nine-acre infill project, he said. "We're just trying to figure out how to get under construction as quickly as possible," he said. And as that plays out, he says he's got his eye on a couple more infill tracts.


Panel moderator Carl Ewert, executive vice president for Dallas-based Staubach Co., emphasized that it's the sum of all parts--Victory, South Side, the Arts District and Baylor Medical Center projects--that "are redefining Downtown to make it economically viable." And, he said, the Woodall Rodgers Park is the key.


Corporations and residents alike are looking at in-town spaces in a different light; several of Ewert's clients who left the Downtown are now eyeing a return. "For the first time in years, we are being questioned by our clients about 'hey, what's going on in Downtown. What is so great in the metroplex is that you now have a choice," Ewert stressed, "and choices work."

[CTroyMathis]

Current info via article:


Another blip about the Merc in this article of downtown

http://www.globest.com/news/390_390/dallas/139114-1.html

Panel Updates Dallas' Transition, Keys In on Future
By Connie Gore
Last updated: October 12, 2005 08:20am

(For more retail coverage, click GlobeSt.com/RETAIL.)


DALLAS-With yet another prestigious groundbreaking just a month away, a panel of key figures in the city's revitalization yesterday brought the brokerage community up to speed on the progress of an eight-year effort that's had $750 million invested to date into the renaissance.


The next landmark step will be the start of construction on an underground parking facility for the $275-million Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. One year from now, the first buildings in the five-venue cultural portal will begin to rise. "It will complete the cultural component for the Arts District," Howard Hallam, president of the Ben E. Keith Co. and the district's coordinator, told the roomful of brokers attending yesterday's meeting of the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors at the Hotel Inter-Continental in North Dallas. The meeting is dovetailed with a Downtown and Uptown tour set for Friday afternoon.


The Nov. 10 groundbreaking for the performing arts center, which is 93% financed by private donations, is just one of several recent events that have public and private partners celebrating continued progress in a long-standing campaign to achieve a cosmopolitan ranking. Last week, the city inked a development agreement with Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises Inc. for a $250-million, mixed-use CBD project, with the Mercantile Building as the centerpiece, and next week the vacant buildings will be turned over for recasting into residential and retail space, said Alice Murray, interim president of the Central Dallas Association. Another notable project--the first of three Calatrava bridges--will begin to go up in October 2006.


But if there's one component that stands out as the linchpin, the panelists agreed it's the proposed Woodall Rodgers Park, an over-the-freeway connector to link Downtown and Uptown. "The deck has the potential to be like Millennium Park in Chicago," said Neal Sleeper, president of Cityplace Development. "It has the potential to create that center and make Downtown and Uptown feel like one." The 5.3-acre park could cost $60 million to build, but it will open the door for 6.1 million sf of development.


"There are still significant tracts of land that are developable," Hallam said about the Arts District. The one-time predicted commercial development never materialized, but "there's been more cultural development that we thought there would be," he says.


With the number of cranes dotting the skyline and more on the way, the NTCAR meeting and tour are aimed at putting all the construction activity into perspective. In the next five years, it's projected that another 10,000 residential units and 250,000 sf of retail space will be built inside the loop. At last count, there were 2,400 units on the ground, 870 more rising and another 1,500 ticketed to go up next year.


Still, the city's "Holy Grail" is securing diverse and unusual retailers to provide continuous storefronts along its streets, much like the 175,000 sf in West Village where upscale national and local retailers draw shoppers from around the metroplex. "Dallas didn't have that before. We had buildings, but not continuous storefronts," Sleeper says. "It seems like it just happened, but people have been working on it for a very long time." His five-year plan for the 140-acre Cityplace will add another 200,000 sf of retail and 400,000 sf of residential, hotel and office space to the existing 1,883 residential units and several million sf of office space.


Margaux Development's CEO Don Silverman says his City Lights project at Live Oak and Latimer streets has been revised to 750 residential units and 150,000 sf of retail, allowing a pod-type development right at a freeway off-ramp. Residential developers and retailers like Starbucks and Subway, including several casual dining chains, are interested in taking down space in the nine-acre infill project, he said. "We're just trying to figure out how to get under construction as quickly as possible," he said. And as that plays out, he says he's got his eye on a couple more infill tracts.


Panel moderator Carl Ewert, executive vice president for Dallas-based Staubach Co., emphasized that it's the sum of all parts--Victory, South Side, the Arts District and Baylor Medical Center projects--that "are redefining Downtown to make it economically viable." And, he said, the Woodall Rodgers Park is the key.


Corporations and residents alike are looking at in-town spaces in a different light; several of Ewert's clients who left the Downtown are now eyeing a return. "For the first time in years, we are being questioned by our clients about 'hey, what's going on in Downtown. What is so great in the metroplex is that you now have a choice," Ewert stressed, "and choices work."

[CTroyMathis]

Info re: Convention Center Hotel (vision. . .)


Convention bookings mount
But some groups won't come without an attached hotel, exec says
12:00 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 19, 2005
By SUZANNE MARTA / The Dallas Morning News

The effort to attract conventiongoers to Dallas is gaining some momentum, with future bookings exceeding last year's results by more than 10 percent.

But the lack of an attached convention center hotel continues to limit the city, Phillip Jones, chief executive of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, said Tuesday.

"We're the last of the top 20 convention destinations in the country without one," he said, adding that more than 70 planners for major meeting groups continue to tell him they won't consider Dallas until it has an attached facility.

Negotiations with Dallas-based Woodbine Development Corp. to build a Marriott hotel have been under way, and a proposal was expected to come before the City Council this fall. But recent talks between the city and developers for the proposed adjacent Trinity Crossing entertainment district have taken priority.

Mr. Jones said he is still hopeful the city will consider the hotel project by the end of the year.

"Every day that we wait is a lost opportunity," he said, adding that Dallas recently lost four major conventions to Houston, which funded an attached hotel nearly two years ago.

The bureau's marketing budget is also a challenge. Dallas spent $1.7 million last year, or 16.8 percent of its budget promoting the city – significantly less than San Antonio, which spent $10.8 million. Las Vegas, the industry's convention heavyweight, spent $114 million.

Mr. Jones said he plans to ask the city for additional marketing funds to promote the city. The Dallas visitors bureau is contracted by the city to do visitor marketing and attract meetings business.

The year's booking results show the city can be competitive with existing infrastructure, he said, but "we can't be in the top tier if we don't make the necessary investments."

[CTroyMathis]

Info re: Convention Center Hotel (vision. . .)


Convention bookings mount
But some groups won't come without an attached hotel, exec says
12:00 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 19, 2005
By SUZANNE MARTA / The Dallas Morning News

The effort to attract conventiongoers to Dallas is gaining some momentum, with future bookings exceeding last year's results by more than 10 percent.

But the lack of an attached convention center hotel continues to limit the city, Phillip Jones, chief executive of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, said Tuesday.

"We're the last of the top 20 convention destinations in the country without one," he said, adding that more than 70 planners for major meeting groups continue to tell him they won't consider Dallas until it has an attached facility.

Negotiations with Dallas-based Woodbine Development Corp. to build a Marriott hotel have been under way, and a proposal was expected to come before the City Council this fall. But recent talks between the city and developers for the proposed adjacent Trinity Crossing entertainment district have taken priority.

Mr. Jones said he is still hopeful the city will consider the hotel project by the end of the year.

"Every day that we wait is a lost opportunity," he said, adding that Dallas recently lost four major conventions to Houston, which funded an attached hotel nearly two years ago.

The bureau's marketing budget is also a challenge. Dallas spent $1.7 million last year, or 16.8 percent of its budget promoting the city – significantly less than San Antonio, which spent $10.8 million. Las Vegas, the industry's convention heavyweight, spent $114 million.

Mr. Jones said he plans to ask the city for additional marketing funds to promote the city. The Dallas visitors bureau is contracted by the city to do visitor marketing and attract meetings business.

The year's booking results show the city can be competitive with existing infrastructure, he said, but "we can't be in the top tier if we don't make the necessary investments."

[CTroyMathis]

W Hotel towers going up (photo by TexasStar on 18 Oct 05) :

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

Same, photos by psukhu on 15 Oct 05:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7328

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7329




Old Red Courthouse commenced the building of the center clock tower.
Drawing:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7333




Cityplace West - West Village area construction (photos by psukhu on 15 Oct 05) :

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7331

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7332




The Azure tower crane (photo by psukhu on 15 Oct 05) :

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7330

[CTroyMathis]

W Hotel towers going up (photo by TexasStar on 18 Oct 05) :

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

Same, photos by psukhu on 15 Oct 05:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7328

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7329




Old Red Courthouse commenced the building of the center clock tower.
Drawing:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7333




Cityplace West - West Village area construction (photos by psukhu on 15 Oct 05) :

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7331

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7332




The Azure tower crane (photo by psukhu on 15 Oct 05) :

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7330

[CTroyMathis]

1. Updated the list on the first page.




2. Two buildings appear to have names now:

Working title of 'Sunshine Senior Living" is now The Sterling at Turtle Creek.
http://www.thesterlingturtlecreek.com

Working title of '1407 Main' is now Third Rail Lofts.
http://www.thirdraillofts.com (*no active index page at this time.)




3. Added the renovation of the base area of San Jacinto Tower which has officially been renamed in mid-'05 to 2100 Ross Ave.




4. Gables at Cityplace West (Hank Haney site) is looking at 19 stories vice 20. Looking for a height variance of 25' to top out at 265' vice standard 240'. Another portion of the Hank Haney site will be mixed-use and 12 stories. Not to be incl. on the list is also yet another building on the site that will be 7 stories.




5. Other:
http://www.2artsplaza.com & http://www.twoartsplaza.com
http://www.3artsplaza.com & http://www.threeartsplaza.com
http://www.4artsplaza.com & http://www.fourartsplaza.com
^ All reserved by Billingsley Co. No active index page at this time.
This refers to the planned 30 st., 26 st., and 20 st. additions to the district and the u/c One Arts Plaza/7-Eleven Hdqtrs. bldg.

[CTroyMathis]

1. Updated the list on the first page.




2. Two buildings appear to have names now:

Working title of 'Sunshine Senior Living" is now The Sterling at Turtle Creek.
http://www.thesterlingturtlecreek.com

Working title of '1407 Main' is now Third Rail Lofts.
http://www.thirdraillofts.com (*no active index page at this time.)




3. Added the renovation of the base area of San Jacinto Tower which has officially been renamed in mid-'05 to 2100 Ross Ave.




4. Gables at Cityplace West (Hank Haney site) is looking at 19 stories vice 20. Looking for a height variance of 25' to top out at 265' vice standard 240'. Another portion of the Hank Haney site will be mixed-use and 12 stories. Not to be incl. on the list is also yet another building on the site that will be 7 stories.




5. Other:
http://www.2artsplaza.com & http://www.twoartsplaza.com
http://www.3artsplaza.com & http://www.threeartsplaza.com
http://www.4artsplaza.com & http://www.fourartsplaza.com
^ All reserved by Billingsley Co. No active index page at this time.
This refers to the planned 30 st., 26 st., and 20 st. additions to the district and the u/c One Arts Plaza/7-Eleven Hdqtrs. bldg.

[colemonkee]

I was in Dallas last Thursday and got some construction shots from our conference room on the 46th floor of the Republic Center. There are more general downtown shots in the Texas Subforum here (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?threadid=89652).

The Ritz Carlton?

http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/3710/ritzcarlton1013054ii.jpg

The Church Building on St. Paul St.

http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/4712/church1013053er.jpg

I couldn't get shots of the W Hotel or any of Victory because the view was blocked by other scrapers, but I'll be able to get decent shots of the towers pictured or in that general first view. I come out to Dallas for work about every other month, so when I get a chance, I'll post updated pics from this viewpoint.

[colemonkee]

I was in Dallas last Thursday and got some construction shots from our conference room on the 46th floor of the Republic Center. There are more general downtown shots in the Texas Subforum here (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?threadid=89652).

The Ritz Carlton?

http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/3710/ritzcarlton1013054ii.jpg

The Church Building on St. Paul St.

http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/4712/church1013053er.jpg

I couldn't get shots of the W Hotel or any of Victory because the view was blocked by other scrapers, but I'll be able to get decent shots of the towers pictured or in that general first view. I come out to Dallas for work about every other month, so when I get a chance, I'll post updated pics from this viewpoint.

[CTroyMathis]

Cool photos.

Hey cole, if you want an easy spot (without monetary deduction from the backpocket) to glimpse Victory Park and adjacent construction sites in addition to the views you captured above - walk over to the JPMChase building and head up to the skylobby. It's free and has an express elevator to the skylobby/watergardens floor. (That's the building with the keyhole near the top. . .)

[CTroyMathis]

Cool photos.

Hey cole, if you want an easy spot (without monetary deduction from the backpocket) to glimpse Victory Park and adjacent construction sites in addition to the views you captured above - walk over to the JPMChase building and head up to the skylobby. It's free and has an express elevator to the skylobby/watergardens floor. (That's the building with the keyhole near the top. . .)

[colemonkee]

Thanks for the tip! I'll try to do that next time I'm out there.

[colemonkee]

Thanks for the tip! I'll try to do that next time I'm out there.

[leaf]

^
You can also go to the observation deck in Reunion Tower. It is free if you go to lounge/bar. (otherwise it is $2)

Just ride the light rail south from the Republic Center to Union Station and follow the signs to Reunion Tower. (it is part of the Hyatt Hotel)

[leaf]

^
You can also go to the observation deck in Reunion Tower. It is free if you go to lounge/bar. (otherwise it is $2)

Just ride the light rail south from the Republic Center to Union Station and follow the signs to Reunion Tower. (it is part of the Hyatt Hotel)

[CTroyMathis]

Photo by Tnekster on 21 Oct 05. . .

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7370

[CTroyMathis]

Photo by Tnekster on 21 Oct 05. . .

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7370

[CTroyMathis]

Photos by Tnekster on 21 Oct 05. . .

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7374

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7375

[CTroyMathis]

Photos by Tnekster on 21 Oct 05. . .

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7374

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7375

[CTroyMathis]

Photos by Tnekster on 21 Oct 05. . .

W Hotel & Residences North Tower

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7371


W Hotel & Residences North and South Towers (with The Terrace and Vista u/c in the foreground)

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7372


Victory Plaza (east bldg.)

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7373

[CTroyMathis]

Photos by Tnekster on 21 Oct 05. . .

W Hotel & Residences North Tower

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7371


W Hotel & Residences North and South Towers (with The Terrace and Vista u/c in the foreground)

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7372


Victory Plaza (east bldg.)

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7373

[CTroyMathis]

Refresher: this will be about a block away from the 31-story 'The Azure' tower.

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7366&stc=1

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7367&stc=1

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7368&stc=1

[CTroyMathis]

Refresher: this will be about a block away from the 31-story 'The Azure' tower.

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7366&stc=1

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7367&stc=1

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7368&stc=1

[CTroyMathis]

Hunt Global Headquarters Tower officially breaks ground ($120M USD 15-story mid-rise) in downtown Dallas:
http://www.wfaa.com/perl/common/video/wmPlayer.pl?title=www.wfaa.com/051021_1200huntgb_am.wmv

[CTroyMathis]

Hunt Global Headquarters Tower officially breaks ground ($120M USD 15-story mid-rise) in downtown Dallas:
http://www.wfaa.com/perl/common/video/wmPlayer.pl?title=www.wfaa.com/051021_1200huntgb_am.wmv

[CTroyMathis]

Hanover's project is right next to several mid-rise and high-rise projects u/c or nearly u/c. Arguably amongst the most prime real estate in Upstate Texas. They are seeking a height variance to allow 110' on top of the current cap of 240'. This address is technically 1900-1920 McKinney.

Here is a footprint image and some massing visuals with and without approved height variance:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7376

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7378

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7377

[CTroyMathis]

Hanover's project is right next to several mid-rise and high-rise projects u/c or nearly u/c. Arguably amongst the most prime real estate in Upstate Texas. They are seeking a height variance to allow 110' on top of the current cap of 240'. This address is technically 1900-1920 McKinney.

Here is a footprint image and some massing visuals with and without approved height variance:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7376

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7378

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7377

[kazpmk]

could anyone post any pics of the site of cirque? I heard prep work began.

[kazpmk]

could anyone post any pics of the site of cirque? I heard prep work began.

[TTU Arch]

Tower on way up at Victory
Residential high-rise is planned for '07, will have 252 apartments

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-victory_25bus.ART.State.Edition2.20b9f05.html

12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, October 25, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

Work is under way on the next tower at Victory, and developers hope to have the residential high-rise ready by the spring of 2007.

Called Cirque, the 28-story tower is being developed by Houston-based Hanover Co. Hanover also built the Ashford apartment tower across the street from the Crescent.

Hanover calls the new building a "sky sculpture," with a curving glass and masonry exterior. The building was designed by architects Gromatzky Dupree & Associates.

The building is located just east of American Airlines Center at 2500 N. Houston St.

Cirque will have 252 apartments averaging 1,200 square feet. Rents in the building will average about $2,500 a month.

"Select units will feature private terraces and multiple balconies," said Hanover spokesman Stuart Rosenberg. "Additional highlights will include three two-story penthouse units; clubhouse with business center, conference room, surround-sound theatre, Internet cafe coffee bar and demonstration kitchen."

On the seventh floor, the building will have an "aqua lounge," and a fitness center, tennis court and resort-style pool.

There will be 10,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.

Cirque is the fifth residential building under construction at Victory.

The first homes – condos in the W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences – will open in May.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

[TTU Arch]

Tower on way up at Victory
Residential high-rise is planned for '07, will have 252 apartments

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-victory_25bus.ART.State.Edition2.20b9f05.html

12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, October 25, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

Work is under way on the next tower at Victory, and developers hope to have the residential high-rise ready by the spring of 2007.

Called Cirque, the 28-story tower is being developed by Houston-based Hanover Co. Hanover also built the Ashford apartment tower across the street from the Crescent.

Hanover calls the new building a "sky sculpture," with a curving glass and masonry exterior. The building was designed by architects Gromatzky Dupree & Associates.

The building is located just east of American Airlines Center at 2500 N. Houston St.

Cirque will have 252 apartments averaging 1,200 square feet. Rents in the building will average about $2,500 a month.

"Select units will feature private terraces and multiple balconies," said Hanover spokesman Stuart Rosenberg. "Additional highlights will include three two-story penthouse units; clubhouse with business center, conference room, surround-sound theatre, Internet cafe coffee bar and demonstration kitchen."

On the seventh floor, the building will have an "aqua lounge," and a fitness center, tennis court and resort-style pool.

There will be 10,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.

Cirque is the fifth residential building under construction at Victory.

The first homes – condos in the W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences – will open in May.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

[Owlhorn]

2 more for Uptown

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/10-05/1027cityplace.jpg

Cityplace to sprout residential towers


Courtesy Image


By Steve Brown


Developers are planning two residential towers for Dallas' Cityplace project.

Fairfield Residential and Cityplace Co. will build a 20-story building at McKinney Avenue and Blackburn Street, across the street from the popular West Village complex. WDG Habib Architecture designed the masonry, metal and glass tower, which will have retail space on the lower floors.

Next door, between Cityplace West Boulevard and Blackburn, Trammell Crow Residential and Cityplace Co. will build another 20-story condominium building with retail and office space. Good, Fulton & Farrell designed this tower.

[Owlhorn]

2 more for Uptown

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/10-05/1027cityplace.jpg

Cityplace to sprout residential towers


Courtesy Image


By Steve Brown


Developers are planning two residential towers for Dallas' Cityplace project.

Fairfield Residential and Cityplace Co. will build a 20-story building at McKinney Avenue and Blackburn Street, across the street from the popular West Village complex. WDG Habib Architecture designed the masonry, metal and glass tower, which will have retail space on the lower floors.

Next door, between Cityplace West Boulevard and Blackburn, Trammell Crow Residential and Cityplace Co. will build another 20-story condominium building with retail and office space. Good, Fulton & Farrell designed this tower.

[Owlhorn]

Hunt Tower demo beginning

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7404
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7405
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7406

[Owlhorn]

Hunt Tower demo beginning

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7404
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7405
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7406

[TTU Arch]

Making over 'the Merc'
The redevelopment of the Mercantile Bank complex on main street is set to give another major boost to downtown Dallas' revival
Christine Perez
Staff Writer
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/s.../31/focus1.html

Dallas commercial real estate broker Jack Gosnell isn't one to take no for an answer.

For nearly a year, he hounded executives at Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises, trying to get them to take on a massive renovation of the Mercantile Bank complex on Main Street. The four-building, 1 million-square-foot project, located in the heart of downtown Dallas across from Neiman Marcus' flagship store, had sat vacant for more than 20 years.

"It was a huge blight and was stymieing downtown improvement efforts," Gosnell said. "You'd drive past Neiman Marcus and all of a sudden find yourself in Beirut."

This month, Gosnell's efforts will begin to pay off, as Forest City closes on the Mercantile property and begins work on a $250 million redevelopment that ultimately will transform three city blocks.

Over the years, Gosnell, a United Commercial Realty broker who specializes in the Uptown and downtown submarkets, had watched in frustration as three separate efforts to redevelop "the Merc" became derailed. The missing element, Gosnell decided, was a developer that specialized in complicated, urban endeavors. In early 2003, with the Urban Land Institute's help, Gosnell zeroed in on Forest City.

His first call to David Levey, the company's executive vice president, lasted about 15 seconds.

"When he found out I was calling from Dallas, it was the end of the conversation," Gosnell said. " 'You don't have any barriers to entry, you don't have entitlement issues and every other guy in the telephone book is a real estate developer,' he told me. 'We're not coming to Dallas.' "

Undaunted, Gosnell continued to pepper Levey with phone calls, e-mails and newspaper articles about downtown developments.

After about a year of being pestered, Levey found himself in Texas for a business conference. He gave Gosnell a call.

"Don't flatter yourself; I'm here for other reasons," he said. "But I'm going to give you 24 hours to convince me we should do this project."

Gosnell picked up Levey in his car and gave him a quick windshield tour of the Mercantile complex and the central business district before driving him to a meeting with Dallas Mayor Laura Miller.

"How do you like our fair city?" Miller asked, as Levey walked into her office.

"Fair city?" he said. "It's a disaster. It's like a Fellini movie -- there's no people in it."

Miller laughed.

"I like you," she said. "You tell me the truth."

Launched by the Ratowczer (later changed to Ratner) family in 1921, Forest City (NYSE: FCE) now has about $7.4 billion in assets. The developer is laser-focused on urban areas in high-growth markets like New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver, California and Washington, D.C.

Complex project
"If there's one thing Forest City knows, it's that central cores of cities are very important," Levey said. "Dallas is really a Top 10 or 12 city as far as population and size. It deserves to have a vibrant downtown."

On the surface, Dallas didn't fit Forest City's criteria, but the Mercantile complex was exactly what the company looks for.

"It's just what we do -- a big complex project that has entitlement issues and extremely difficult barriers to entry due to the historic nature of the structures," Levey said. "We also sensed a change in the political winds, a great willingness at the executive level to use the tools of government to help spur urban development.

"On top of that, Dallas is a great place to do business," Levey said. "Put all those things into the hopper, and the project made sense."

What began with just the Mercantile soon grew to include other nearby structures -- the 250,000-square-foot Continental Building and the four-building Atmos Energy complex -- totaling about 2 million square feet of obsolete office space. Forest City wanted to have more of an impact on the downtown market, and knew expanding the project would help justify the significant economic development support it was seeking from the city of Dallas.

In August 2005, nearly two years after Levey made his first trek to Dallas, and after several starts and stops, the city council unanimously approved $70 million in incentives to help support Forest City's $250 million redevelopment project.

Fresh ideas
The 33-story clock tower within the Mercantile complex will be preserved and redeveloped into 225 apartments. The three remaining buildings will be torn down, replaced by retail space, a parking garage and a new 12-story, 150-unit apartment building. The Continental building will be transformed into 240 condo units. All three projects are scheduled for completion in about two years.

Forest City will then turn its attention to the Atmos Energy complex, which will be redeveloped into 222 condo or apartment units, depending on market demand.

The company is working with San Francisco-based Ideo to develop a design strategy for the residential units.

"Ideo is a marketing think tank that is very clever and has young, fresh ideas," Levey said. "We're not doing traditional apartments. They're going to be very different -- something Dallas has never seen before."

Levey said Forest City will be ready to detail the plans in early 2006.

The renovation of the Mercantile complex will have a profound impact on the downtown office-leasing market, said James Quick with NAI/Stoneleigh Huff Brous McDowell.

"For years it has been the city's biggest problem because it's right across from Neiman Marcus and Bank One Center, the second-most-expensive office building in Dallas," he said. "Having the Mercantile sit vacant next to two of our best downtown assets has been a real tragedy."

Forest City's success will help lure new office tenants -- and other developers -- to the urban core, Quick said.

"Businesses will come downtown based on the new labor pool that's being established," he said. "It really is a landmark project that will push activity through the Main Street barrier."

Suburban Dallas stands to benefit as well. Once Forest City decides to enter a market, it wholeheartedly embraces it. Besides the downtown initiatives, the developer is planning at least two major new retail projects in outlying areas.

"Dallas is giving Forest City a tremendous amount of money to make the downtown projects happen, but it's a two-way street," Gosnell said. "Dallas will get a huge return on its investment -- not just ad valorem real estate taxes, but real cash flow participation in the process. It's the best kind of public-private partnership.

"There also will be a huge ripple effect in the northeast section of downtown," he said. "Land and property values will increase. Other developers will want to come in and saddle up next to the Merc and be part of the project. It also will provide a vital link to the Farmer's Market from Main Street."

Gosnell, who just launched a new division for UCR called UCR Urban, is overseeing leasing of the retail components of Forest City's downtown projects. He also is heading up marketing of the retail space in One Arts Plaza, the new tower Billingsley Co. is developing that will house the headquarters of 7-Eleven Inc.

"It's terrific to see all of this activity downtown," he said. "For so many years, we've just stood by and wrung our hands about the problems we faced in the CBD. Now, things are finally happening."

cperez@bizjournals.com

[TTU Arch]

Making over 'the Merc'
The redevelopment of the Mercantile Bank complex on main street is set to give another major boost to downtown Dallas' revival
Christine Perez
Staff Writer
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/s.../31/focus1.html

Dallas commercial real estate broker Jack Gosnell isn't one to take no for an answer.

For nearly a year, he hounded executives at Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises, trying to get them to take on a massive renovation of the Mercantile Bank complex on Main Street. The four-building, 1 million-square-foot project, located in the heart of downtown Dallas across from Neiman Marcus' flagship store, had sat vacant for more than 20 years.

"It was a huge blight and was stymieing downtown improvement efforts," Gosnell said. "You'd drive past Neiman Marcus and all of a sudden find yourself in Beirut."

This month, Gosnell's efforts will begin to pay off, as Forest City closes on the Mercantile property and begins work on a $250 million redevelopment that ultimately will transform three city blocks.

Over the years, Gosnell, a United Commercial Realty broker who specializes in the Uptown and downtown submarkets, had watched in frustration as three separate efforts to redevelop "the Merc" became derailed. The missing element, Gosnell decided, was a developer that specialized in complicated, urban endeavors. In early 2003, with the Urban Land Institute's help, Gosnell zeroed in on Forest City.

His first call to David Levey, the company's executive vice president, lasted about 15 seconds.

"When he found out I was calling from Dallas, it was the end of the conversation," Gosnell said. " 'You don't have any barriers to entry, you don't have entitlement issues and every other guy in the telephone book is a real estate developer,' he told me. 'We're not coming to Dallas.' "

Undaunted, Gosnell continued to pepper Levey with phone calls, e-mails and newspaper articles about downtown developments.

After about a year of being pestered, Levey found himself in Texas for a business conference. He gave Gosnell a call.

"Don't flatter yourself; I'm here for other reasons," he said. "But I'm going to give you 24 hours to convince me we should do this project."

Gosnell picked up Levey in his car and gave him a quick windshield tour of the Mercantile complex and the central business district before driving him to a meeting with Dallas Mayor Laura Miller.

"How do you like our fair city?" Miller asked, as Levey walked into her office.

"Fair city?" he said. "It's a disaster. It's like a Fellini movie -- there's no people in it."

Miller laughed.

"I like you," she said. "You tell me the truth."

Launched by the Ratowczer (later changed to Ratner) family in 1921, Forest City (NYSE: FCE) now has about $7.4 billion in assets. The developer is laser-focused on urban areas in high-growth markets like New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver, California and Washington, D.C.

Complex project
"If there's one thing Forest City knows, it's that central cores of cities are very important," Levey said. "Dallas is really a Top 10 or 12 city as far as population and size. It deserves to have a vibrant downtown."

On the surface, Dallas didn't fit Forest City's criteria, but the Mercantile complex was exactly what the company looks for.

"It's just what we do -- a big complex project that has entitlement issues and extremely difficult barriers to entry due to the historic nature of the structures," Levey said. "We also sensed a change in the political winds, a great willingness at the executive level to use the tools of government to help spur urban development.

"On top of that, Dallas is a great place to do business," Levey said. "Put all those things into the hopper, and the project made sense."

What began with just the Mercantile soon grew to include other nearby structures -- the 250,000-square-foot Continental Building and the four-building Atmos Energy complex -- totaling about 2 million square feet of obsolete office space. Forest City wanted to have more of an impact on the downtown market, and knew expanding the project would help justify the significant economic development support it was seeking from the city of Dallas.

In August 2005, nearly two years after Levey made his first trek to Dallas, and after several starts and stops, the city council unanimously approved $70 million in incentives to help support Forest City's $250 million redevelopment project.

Fresh ideas
The 33-story clock tower within the Mercantile complex will be preserved and redeveloped into 225 apartments. The three remaining buildings will be torn down, replaced by retail space, a parking garage and a new 12-story, 150-unit apartment building. The Continental building will be transformed into 240 condo units. All three projects are scheduled for completion in about two years.

Forest City will then turn its attention to the Atmos Energy complex, which will be redeveloped into 222 condo or apartment units, depending on market demand.

The company is working with San Francisco-based Ideo to develop a design strategy for the residential units.

"Ideo is a marketing think tank that is very clever and has young, fresh ideas," Levey said. "We're not doing traditional apartments. They're going to be very different -- something Dallas has never seen before."

Levey said Forest City will be ready to detail the plans in early 2006.

The renovation of the Mercantile complex will have a profound impact on the downtown office-leasing market, said James Quick with NAI/Stoneleigh Huff Brous McDowell.

"For years it has been the city's biggest problem because it's right across from Neiman Marcus and Bank One Center, the second-most-expensive office building in Dallas," he said. "Having the Mercantile sit vacant next to two of our best downtown assets has been a real tragedy."

Forest City's success will help lure new office tenants -- and other developers -- to the urban core, Quick said.

"Businesses will come downtown based on the new labor pool that's being established," he said. "It really is a landmark project that will push activity through the Main Street barrier."

Suburban Dallas stands to benefit as well. Once Forest City decides to enter a market, it wholeheartedly embraces it. Besides the downtown initiatives, the developer is planning at least two major new retail projects in outlying areas.

"Dallas is giving Forest City a tremendous amount of money to make the downtown projects happen, but it's a two-way street," Gosnell said. "Dallas will get a huge return on its investment -- not just ad valorem real estate taxes, but real cash flow participation in the process. It's the best kind of public-private partnership.

"There also will be a huge ripple effect in the northeast section of downtown," he said. "Land and property values will increase. Other developers will want to come in and saddle up next to the Merc and be part of the project. It also will provide a vital link to the Farmer's Market from Main Street."

Gosnell, who just launched a new division for UCR called UCR Urban, is overseeing leasing of the retail components of Forest City's downtown projects. He also is heading up marketing of the retail space in One Arts Plaza, the new tower Billingsley Co. is developing that will house the headquarters of 7-Eleven Inc.

"It's terrific to see all of this activity downtown," he said. "For so many years, we've just stood by and wrung our hands about the problems we faced in the CBD. Now, things are finally happening."

cperez@bizjournals.com

[TTU Arch]

Loan to increase parking, enhance downtown

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa051101_mo_dalco.1aec6f0e.html

05:58 PM CST on Tuesday, November 1, 2005

By BRAD WATSON / WFAA-TV

Although more apartments, restaurants and people have moved into downtown, convenient parking has not seemed to move in with them.

However, in a new effort to relieve downtown parking problems, a loan was approved by Dallas and the county to build a parking garage in the 1400 block of Main Street.

Spectrum Properties, the developers who will receive the loan, plan to create 84 apartments and 370 public parking spaces.

Easing the parking problem with new spaces is something many in downtown said is essential.

"Actually [parking is] very important," said Ann Bacchus, a downtown restaurant customer. "There isn't enough parking here. It takes longer to find parking than it does to eat."

City officials also said they see the importance of adding more parking.

"It's important for us for downtown to maintain the role that it has, and to enhance," said Rick Loessberg, Dallas County Planning and Development.

However, parking isn't the only thing Spectrum will be working to enhance. The company is also renovating the Gulf States Insurance Building near the garage and transforming it into an apartment building.

By allowing some flexibility in the loan, the county and city are giving Spectrum the chance to also renovate the adjoining and vacant Mayfair Department Store building for more apartments and retail.

Both buildings had been vacant about 25 years.

"You're going to have that intersection on really all four corners...completely either renovated or redeveloped," Loessberg said. "...That's the first time that's happened in downtown Dallas in quite some time."

The parking garage is scheduled for completion in September 2006.


E-mail bwatson@wfaa.com

[TTU Arch]

Loan to increase parking, enhance downtown

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa051101_mo_dalco.1aec6f0e.html

05:58 PM CST on Tuesday, November 1, 2005

By BRAD WATSON / WFAA-TV

Although more apartments, restaurants and people have moved into downtown, convenient parking has not seemed to move in with them.

However, in a new effort to relieve downtown parking problems, a loan was approved by Dallas and the county to build a parking garage in the 1400 block of Main Street.

Spectrum Properties, the developers who will receive the loan, plan to create 84 apartments and 370 public parking spaces.

Easing the parking problem with new spaces is something many in downtown said is essential.

"Actually [parking is] very important," said Ann Bacchus, a downtown restaurant customer. "There isn't enough parking here. It takes longer to find parking than it does to eat."

City officials also said they see the importance of adding more parking.

"It's important for us for downtown to maintain the role that it has, and to enhance," said Rick Loessberg, Dallas County Planning and Development.

However, parking isn't the only thing Spectrum will be working to enhance. The company is also renovating the Gulf States Insurance Building near the garage and transforming it into an apartment building.

By allowing some flexibility in the loan, the county and city are giving Spectrum the chance to also renovate the adjoining and vacant Mayfair Department Store building for more apartments and retail.

Both buildings had been vacant about 25 years.

"You're going to have that intersection on really all four corners...completely either renovated or redeveloped," Loessberg said. "...That's the first time that's happened in downtown Dallas in quite some time."

The parking garage is scheduled for completion in September 2006.


E-mail bwatson@wfaa.com

[Owlhorn]

Nice map of upcoming projects by Mephis Gooseberry

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7439

//EDIT: Newer map that Mephis created inserted into this post 06Nov05. Also added to first post of thread and will continue to be as map is modified. - Troy//

[Owlhorn]

Nice map of upcoming projects by Mephis Gooseberry

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7439

//EDIT: Newer map that Mephis created inserted into this post 06Nov05. Also added to first post of thread and will continue to be as map is modified. - Troy//

[leaf]

^
Forgot the tower going up on Main St next to the Davis.

[leaf]

^
Forgot the tower going up on Main St next to the Davis.

[Owlhorn]

yeah, and the new Country-Western themed entertainment venue in the Reunion area. Its a good visual though for those that don't understand where all these projects we talk about are.

[Owlhorn]

yeah, and the new Country-Western themed entertainment venue in the Reunion area. Its a good visual though for those that don't understand where all these projects we talk about are.

[CTroyMathis]

Might as well post some pre-lim. visions of a future Texas Stadium site land-use plan in Irving.
All renderings - RTKL/City of Irving - http://www.crossroadsdfw.com:

Of note, the DART Purple Line will be rolling through this re-development at the end of the decade.


Eco-Community

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/eco-sketch.jpg

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/eco-arial.jpg


Urban Resort

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/urban-sketch.jpg

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/urban-arial.jpg

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/urban-sketch-2-sm.jpg


Mixed-Use Village

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/mixed-sketch.jpg

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/mixed-arial.jpg

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/mixed-sketch-2.jpg

[CTroyMathis]

Might as well post some pre-lim. visions of a future Texas Stadium site land-use plan in Irving.
All renderings - RTKL/City of Irving - http://www.crossroadsdfw.com:

Of note, the DART Purple Line will be rolling through this re-development at the end of the decade.


Eco-Community

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/eco-sketch.jpg

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/eco-arial.jpg


Urban Resort

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/urban-sketch.jpg

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/urban-arial.jpg

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/urban-sketch-2-sm.jpg


Mixed-Use Village

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/mixed-sketch.jpg

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/mixed-arial.jpg

http://www.crossroadsdfw.com/images/sketches/mixed-sketch-2.jpg

[Owlhorn]

W Hotel & Residences with Victory Plaza West rising infront

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7448&stc=1

[Owlhorn]

W Hotel & Residences with Victory Plaza West rising infront

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7448&stc=1

[Owlhorn]

Dallas' future "Times Square"

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7447&stc=1

[Owlhorn]

Dallas' future "Times Square"

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7447&stc=1

[Owlhorn]

7-11 HQ

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7473
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7474

[Owlhorn]

7-11 HQ

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7473
http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7474

[colemonkee]

Whoa! That's going up fast!

[colemonkee]

Whoa! That's going up fast!

[Owlhorn]

Hunt Tower

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/Hunt_11-10-05.jpg
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/hunt_11-10-05a.jpg
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/hunt_11-10-05b.jpg

[Owlhorn]

Hunt Tower

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/Hunt_11-10-05.jpg
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/hunt_11-10-05a.jpg
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/hunt_11-10-05b.jpg

[Owlhorn]

W-Hotel

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/The_W_11-10-05.jpg
http://xvisionx.no-ip.info/collection/09170501l.jpg

[Owlhorn]

W-Hotel

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/The_W_11-10-05.jpg
http://xvisionx.no-ip.info/collection/09170501l.jpg

[Owlhorn]

Cirque(Caddy corner from the W)

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/cirque_11-10-05.jpg

[Owlhorn]

Cirque(Caddy corner from the W)

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/samclark/dallas/cirque_11-10-05.jpg

[CTroyMathis]

First post of thread updated with several new proposals and editing of existing projects.

Also:
- 1900 McKinney may reach up to 350' after height variance recommendation is approved so far. . .
- 2000 McKinney is still looking for up to 325' apparently, vice 240'.

^ Someone feel free to update/correct that last bit as necessary.

[CTroyMathis]

First post of thread updated with several new proposals and editing of existing projects.

Also:
- 1900 McKinney may reach up to 350' after height variance recommendation is approved so far. . .
- 2000 McKinney is still looking for up to 325' apparently, vice 240'.

^ Someone feel free to update/correct that last bit as necessary.

[CTroyMathis]

Condos up next for D.R. Horton?
Builder to venture into high-rise market with Uptown tower
12:00 AM CST on Thursday, November 10, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-horton_10bus.ART.State.Edition2.8eaf6b2.html

D.R. Horton – the country's largest homebuilder – is plotting a move into the high-rise residential market.

The Fort Worth-based builder has teamed up with a Bedford developer who plans to construct an Uptown condo tower.

The project is still in the planning stages, but word about it is widespread among real estate brokers. D.R. Horton officials did not return phone calls or e-mails.

Planned for a block at McKinney Avenue and Akard Street, the 21-story project is one of two residential buildings proposed for the site by Centurion American Development Group.

Centurion is designing a building with about 150 units, which D.R. Horton would build out.

"We are just building the shell," said Centurion president Mehrdad Moayedi. Horton will then finish out the condominiums "a floor or two at a time," he said.

"It will be another 30 or 40 days before we have an announcement."

The building site also has room for a second, 10-story condominium plus a free-standing restaurant, Mr. Moayedi said.

Horton builds more than 50,000 homes a year in 23 states. Although most of the company's construction is traditional single-family homes, the builder is increasing its offerings in higher-density housing, including townhomes.

"We have talked to a few builders that have looked at this concept," said Ted Wilson, an industry analyst with Dallas' Residential Strategies Inc. "With the competition in this market, a lot of builders are venturing into new areas."

Mr. Wilson said a company such as Horton could be a formidable competitor in the high-rise condo market.

"You have a Wall Street company acting as a principal in this," he said. "You also have Horton's strength in marketing."

Few traditional builders have entered the booming high-rise residential market, but condominium sales are surpassing single-family home activity in select U.S. locations.

"It doesn't surprise me that the big builders are moving in that direction – especially in markets where condo product has proven to have a lot deeper demand than single-family," said long-time Dallas housing analyst Ron Witten.

"The big builders are eager to maximize their volumes."

[CTroyMathis]

Condos up next for D.R. Horton?
Builder to venture into high-rise market with Uptown tower
12:00 AM CST on Thursday, November 10, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-horton_10bus.ART.State.Edition2.8eaf6b2.html

D.R. Horton – the country's largest homebuilder – is plotting a move into the high-rise residential market.

The Fort Worth-based builder has teamed up with a Bedford developer who plans to construct an Uptown condo tower.

The project is still in the planning stages, but word about it is widespread among real estate brokers. D.R. Horton officials did not return phone calls or e-mails.

Planned for a block at McKinney Avenue and Akard Street, the 21-story project is one of two residential buildings proposed for the site by Centurion American Development Group.

Centurion is designing a building with about 150 units, which D.R. Horton would build out.

"We are just building the shell," said Centurion president Mehrdad Moayedi. Horton will then finish out the condominiums "a floor or two at a time," he said.

"It will be another 30 or 40 days before we have an announcement."

The building site also has room for a second, 10-story condominium plus a free-standing restaurant, Mr. Moayedi said.

Horton builds more than 50,000 homes a year in 23 states. Although most of the company's construction is traditional single-family homes, the builder is increasing its offerings in higher-density housing, including townhomes.

"We have talked to a few builders that have looked at this concept," said Ted Wilson, an industry analyst with Dallas' Residential Strategies Inc. "With the competition in this market, a lot of builders are venturing into new areas."

Mr. Wilson said a company such as Horton could be a formidable competitor in the high-rise condo market.

"You have a Wall Street company acting as a principal in this," he said. "You also have Horton's strength in marketing."

Few traditional builders have entered the booming high-rise residential market, but condominium sales are surpassing single-family home activity in select U.S. locations.

"It doesn't surprise me that the big builders are moving in that direction – especially in markets where condo product has proven to have a lot deeper demand than single-family," said long-time Dallas housing analyst Ron Witten.

"The big builders are eager to maximize their volumes."

[CTroyMathis]

Arts center groundbreaking draws crowd
02:19 PM CST on Thursday, November 10, 2005
By SCOTT CANTRELL / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/111105dnentgroundbreaking.48ea1197.html

There couldn’t have been an unemployed trumpeter — or an unspoken-for gold shovel — anywhere in Dallas on Thursday morning. They were all at the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, which drew a crowd of about 1,000 to a big white tent next to the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.

Construction of the underground parking garage that will support the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House and the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre isn’t projected to begin until spring 2006. But in the meantime, several buildings will have to be cleared from the site, including the Dallas Theater Center’s Arts District Theater.

Joining the Meyerson, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center, the two additional buildings, a new Annette Strauss Artist Square and grand plaza will constitute “the largest and most complete cultural district of any city in the world,” said Howard Hallam, chair of the performing arts center board.

The opera house and sqare are being designed by Foster and Partners, the multi-purpose theater by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture. Completion is projected for 2009.

With a couple hundred donors and other movers and shakers lined up in front of tiers of wooden planters, it’s hard to imagine more dirt being turned at a groundbreaking. And Bill Lively, president and CEO of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Foundation, made a point that the dirt had come not just from the immediate site, but from all over the area. Indeed, on Wednesday mayors of several outlying cities delivered soil from their communities to Dallas City Hall, for use in the ceremony.

“We’re building something for all of Dallas,” Mr. Lively said, “not part of Dallas.”

The 10:30 a.m. ceremony was a veritable feast of fanfares, blasted out by two dozen trumpeters and an additional brass band. And after the dirt flew, and gold stars rained down from the tent’s ceiling, great bells in the newly completed tower of the Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe rang out deep tones.

Actor Tommy Lee Jones, who attended St. Mark’s School here, was a star attraction. He spoke only briefly, tracing the performing arts back to caveman communications and paying special tribute to lead donors for the arts facilities: Margaret McDermott, Mr. and Mrs. Winspear and the Wyly family.

Mayor Laura Miller cited the $275 million Art District project along with the Trinity River redevelopment, Calatrava bridges and the nearby 7-Eleven headquarters building as evidence of a newly energized downtown. And she said the City Council is committed to put funding for an additional building, for smaller theater and chamber music performances, on the next city bond election.

The adjacent Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, which will soon break ground for its own new addition, was represented by its Concert Choir, directed by Gloria Stephens. But two sections from the Requiem of John Rutter — music praying for rest and perpetual light for the dead — were an odd choice for a celebratory occasion.


---


Memory refresher for a couple parts of this project:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2541
http://www.dallasperformingarts.org/images/DCPAF_Winspear_Opera_House_Foster.jpg

[CTroyMathis]

Arts center groundbreaking draws crowd
02:19 PM CST on Thursday, November 10, 2005
By SCOTT CANTRELL / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/111105dnentgroundbreaking.48ea1197.html

There couldn’t have been an unemployed trumpeter — or an unspoken-for gold shovel — anywhere in Dallas on Thursday morning. They were all at the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, which drew a crowd of about 1,000 to a big white tent next to the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.

Construction of the underground parking garage that will support the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House and the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre isn’t projected to begin until spring 2006. But in the meantime, several buildings will have to be cleared from the site, including the Dallas Theater Center’s Arts District Theater.

Joining the Meyerson, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center, the two additional buildings, a new Annette Strauss Artist Square and grand plaza will constitute “the largest and most complete cultural district of any city in the world,” said Howard Hallam, chair of the performing arts center board.

The opera house and sqare are being designed by Foster and Partners, the multi-purpose theater by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture. Completion is projected for 2009.

With a couple hundred donors and other movers and shakers lined up in front of tiers of wooden planters, it’s hard to imagine more dirt being turned at a groundbreaking. And Bill Lively, president and CEO of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Foundation, made a point that the dirt had come not just from the immediate site, but from all over the area. Indeed, on Wednesday mayors of several outlying cities delivered soil from their communities to Dallas City Hall, for use in the ceremony.

“We’re building something for all of Dallas,” Mr. Lively said, “not part of Dallas.”

The 10:30 a.m. ceremony was a veritable feast of fanfares, blasted out by two dozen trumpeters and an additional brass band. And after the dirt flew, and gold stars rained down from the tent’s ceiling, great bells in the newly completed tower of the Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe rang out deep tones.

Actor Tommy Lee Jones, who attended St. Mark’s School here, was a star attraction. He spoke only briefly, tracing the performing arts back to caveman communications and paying special tribute to lead donors for the arts facilities: Margaret McDermott, Mr. and Mrs. Winspear and the Wyly family.

Mayor Laura Miller cited the $275 million Art District project along with the Trinity River redevelopment, Calatrava bridges and the nearby 7-Eleven headquarters building as evidence of a newly energized downtown. And she said the City Council is committed to put funding for an additional building, for smaller theater and chamber music performances, on the next city bond election.

The adjacent Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, which will soon break ground for its own new addition, was represented by its Concert Choir, directed by Gloria Stephens. But two sections from the Requiem of John Rutter — music praying for rest and perpetual light for the dead — were an odd choice for a celebratory occasion.


---


Memory refresher for a couple parts of this project:

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2541
http://www.dallasperformingarts.org/images/DCPAF_Winspear_Opera_House_Foster.jpg

[CTroyMathis]

Article excerpt from this link:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/columnists/sbrown/stories/DN-REcol_04bus.ART.State.Edition1.3439ca8.html

...Another luxury hotel and residential project is in the works for Dallas' booming Uptown neighborhood.

Crescent Real Estate Equities – which is building the $213 million Ritz-Carlton Dallas and the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton – is looking at another project across the street.

This high-rise at McKinney Avenue and Olive Street would be operated by Crescent's Canyon Ranch resort and living brand.

Look for Crescent also to push ahead with a second tower on its Ritz project, where demand for condos has far exceeded expectations...

[CTroyMathis]

Article excerpt from this link:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/columnists/sbrown/stories/DN-REcol_04bus.ART.State.Edition1.3439ca8.html

...Another luxury hotel and residential project is in the works for Dallas' booming Uptown neighborhood.

Crescent Real Estate Equities – which is building the $213 million Ritz-Carlton Dallas and the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton – is looking at another project across the street.

This high-rise at McKinney Avenue and Olive Street would be operated by Crescent's Canyon Ranch resort and living brand.

Look for Crescent also to push ahead with a second tower on its Ritz project, where demand for condos has far exceeded expectations...

[Owlhorn]

There are so many proposals that look like they will become reality now that it really is hard to keep up with how many projects are out there.

Cirque
W-Hotel and Residences
Ritz-Carlton 1
Ritz-Carlton 2
New Crescent Announcement
Hanover tower on McKinney
the DR Horton tower
Lincoln Tower
House
Cresta Bella(they are selling units on dallashighrise.com
McKinney and Cityplace West(Hank Haney site)
Cityplace West next to the above mentioned tower
Victory One
Azure
Stoneleigh
Retirement Tower on Turtle Creek(Don't know the name)
Hunt Tower
One Arts
St. Anne's
Gulf States addition
Galleria residential tower

am I forgetting some?
and has Dallas ever had this many towers that look like lock's to be built?

[Owlhorn]

There are so many proposals that look like they will become reality now that it really is hard to keep up with how many projects are out there.

Cirque
W-Hotel and Residences
Ritz-Carlton 1
Ritz-Carlton 2
New Crescent Announcement
Hanover tower on McKinney
the DR Horton tower
Lincoln Tower
House
Cresta Bella(they are selling units on dallashighrise.com
McKinney and Cityplace West(Hank Haney site)
Cityplace West next to the above mentioned tower
Victory One
Azure
Stoneleigh
Retirement Tower on Turtle Creek(Don't know the name)
Hunt Tower
One Arts
St. Anne's
Gulf States addition
Galleria residential tower

am I forgetting some?
and has Dallas ever had this many towers that look like lock's to be built?

[eburress]

...and has Dallas ever had this many towers that look like lock's to be built?
Yep...in the 80's.

I imagine things will work out better this time though -- the scale of these projects is a lot smaller than that of those 80's ones.

[eburress]

...and has Dallas ever had this many towers that look like lock's to be built?
Yep...in the 80's.

I imagine things will work out better this time though -- the scale of these projects is a lot smaller than that of those 80's ones.