LookingUp, a lot of urban dwellers from other cities do end up moving to Dallas, but many of them end up buying a single famliy house (or a town house) when they see what they can get for the money.
You're right Owlhorn. Dallas (DFW) has a lot of flat land compared to many other large metros. The DFW area also has a great highway network, making is easy to get around the metro area. This causes the sprawl to extend way out and doesn't allow the market price in the city center to sky rocket. Without the sky high market prices, we don't see as many high rise condos compared to other cities that are near to mountains and/or water.
For the price of a high rise condo in central Dallas, you can get a much larger townhouse within 10 minutes of central Dallas. If you don't mind driving 30 to 40 minutes, you can get a huge single family house in suburbs for the price of a high rise condo in the city center.
So the contruction activity in DFW is on fire, but much of it is single family, townhouse, low rise apartments/condos and garden apartments. That's how DFW was able to pack in 150,000 people per year since 1990. (and expected to do so until the metro reaches at least 10 million people)
Here's a typical article from today's local papaer. These types of articles are usually not posted:
Townhouses to replace Oak Lawn units
09:15 AM CST on Thursday, March 16, 2006
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
Developers have bought up several Oak Lawn apartment complexes with plans to replace the rental units with townhouses.
Prescott Realty Group – the same company that's building high-rise condos at the Stoneleigh Hotel – plans to construct more than 100 townhouses on Newton, Gilbert and Bowser streets just south of Highland Park.
The first phase of the project is being built in partnership with CityView.
The California-based company was started by former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros to build urban housing. Mr. Cisneros is also a former secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
"Prescott Realty Group started on Prescott Street owning and redeveloping duplexes and apartments from the late 1990s," said president Jud Pankey.
"We have now found opportunities to go back into the neighborhood and begin a redevelopment process."
The first 58 townhouses on Newton Street near Douglas Avenue will replace about 84 apartments built in the 1960s.
"The first units should be available in January," said Prescott Realty director Louis Rothermell.
Designed by architect Good Fulton & Farrell of Dallas, the three-story units will be built starting this month.
The condominiums will range from 1,600 to 2,600 square feet and will cost between $375,000 and $550,000.
"It's all masonry for the most part on the exterior," said architect David Farrell. "Modernism is taking a fresh start in Dallas, and that's what we wanted here."
After the Newton Street project is done, Prescott will move on to another location on nearby Gilbert and construct 30 more units.
"We think there is a niche in the marketplace for higher-end townhomes," said Prescott Realty managing director Vance Detwiler.
David Griffin Realtors has been hired to market the Oak Lawn project.
Most of the condo and townhouse projects in that neighborhood are smaller, Mr. Griffin said.
"Since they have been able to acquire so much land, they are able to make an architectural statement," he said. "And there is not a better Oak Lawn location."
E-mail
stevebrown@dallasnews.com
Online at:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont....188a0e54.html