DALLAS FORT WORTH | Urban + Suburban P & C

[Thymant]

Nice updates!

[Romanwtc]

hey so i took this snapshots from my iphone of the construction!

[maconahey]

[AzDallasite]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Austin55]

This arts area is developing so beautifully, and that bridge, Damn sexy. I hope Dallas can get some national recognition on the scale of Millinium park or such.

Thank you all for providing updates and photos.

[NYC2ATX]

Originally Posted by DallasGreg

Can someone tell me what the above projects is? I don't check this thread as often as I probably should, but I take an avid interest in development going on in Dallas. Thanks!

[CTroyMathis]

^ That's the Bush Presidential Center at SMU.

[CTroyMathis]

Source: http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfa...ser_to_bec.php

There is a big hole in Fair Park. Finally. Eventually the crater will be filled with a 500-foot pole surrounded by a doughnut-shaped slowly spinning glass chamber. This new rotating ride will give visitors a 360-degree view of Dallas and, so they say, rival the Texas Star. But you knew that: We've written about the plans before at least once or twice.

At yesterday's meeting of the Landmark Commission's Fair Park Task Force, the tower ride, previously approved in general terms, was presented by architect Jon Rollins in greater visual detail with landscaping and design features. With little questioning, the task force recommended the project particulars for Landmark's approval.

More after the jump above. . .



Leslie Minora @Dallas Observer

Sketch-up render: http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfa...mb-560x271.jpg

[JoninATX]

The Canyon in Oak Cliff / Dallas, Texas

GFF Planning and Paul Shaw, AICP were hired by the INCAP Fund/Stratford Land Fund III partnership to create the master plan for a 211-acre land assembly at Westmoreland and Interstate 30, just three miles west of Downtown Dallas. The goal was to create a sustainable, mixed use, urban village on the site using best practice planning and landscape design principles with an emphasis on environmental conservation and restoration.

The resulting plan is a walkable urban community incorporating a generous mix of open space and public infrastructure within a New Urbanist block structure designed to create maximum value for the diverse future development sites. A central water feature aligns with an existing stream that bisects the site and serves as the primary orienting device for the individual tracts.

http://www.gff.com/?p=781

[JoninATX]

West Village District Expansion / Dallas, Texas

Forest City Residential is one of several developers which competed to purchase remaining undeveloped blocks of the Cityplace land assembly on Blackburn Street west of Central Expressway. Good Fulton & Farrell (GFF) teamed with Ziegler Cooper Architects of Houston to master plan three blocks for retail, restaurant, office and high-density residential uses, and design the first phase “Block 7A” in detail.
This block features 375 residential units total, including 219 units in a 21-story tower. Forest City was selected as the successful competitor

http://www.gff.com/?p=1536

[JoninATX]

$2B Master-Planned Community on Tap for Suburban Dallas

Arlington, Texas–Areas of suburban Dallas are booming in a big way, and such is the case in Arlington, Texas, where Huffines Communities just broke ground on Viridian, a 2,300-acre master-planned community in Tarrant County. The gargantuan, green mixed-use development endeavor will ultimately reach full completion at an estimated cost of $2 billion.

Huffines describes the site that will become home to Viridian as one of the largest urban infill properties in the country. The lakefront land, flanked by such major thoroughfares as State Highway 360 and Highway 183, is located near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and within a 20-minute drive of a host of leading employers, accounting for a job base of 600,000.

A veritable city within a city, Viridian will encompass 400,000 square feet of retail space, 400,000 square feet of office and medical space and an 18-hole golf course in a lush environment of protected wetlands, lakes, trails and open spaces totaling 1,100 acres. Viridian will hold the distinction of being the only Audubon International Gold Certified community in the Lone Star State.

Urban planner Calthorpe and Associates is spearheading the design and planning of the new urbanism community, the main component of which will be a variety of residences. Viridian will ultimately feature 3,600 single-family homes and an undetermined number of loft-style condominiums and high-end rental apartments in mixed-use buildings. Even if the multifamily component reached completion today, there would be a market for it.

http://www.multihousingnews.com/news...burban-dallas/

There Website: http://www.viridian-arlington.com/home.php

[llamaorama]

So are they finally going to finish the west village/cityplace area where the old driving range was?

Urban planner Calthorpe and Associates..one of the largest urban infill properties in the country.

neat.

That site is adjacent to the TRE line, correct?

[DallasGreg]

Originally Posted by StatenIslander237

Can someone tell me what the above projects is? I don't check this thread as often as I probably should, but I take an avid interest in development going on in Dallas. Thanks!

That is the George Bush Presidential Library currently under construction at SMU.

http://www.bushcenter.com/

Here's the webcam:

http://www.manhattanconstructiongrou...dential-center

[NYC2ATX]

Thanks guys!

[Thymant]

Great Stuff!

[TTU Arch]

Originally Posted by CTroyMathis

[COLOR="Gray"]

There is a big hole in Fair Park. Finally. Eventually the crater will be filled with a 500-foot pole surrounded by a doughnut-shaped slowly spinning glass chamber. This new rotating ride will give visitors a 360-degree view of Dallas and, so they say, rival the Texas Star. But you knew that: We've written about the plans before at least once or twice.

At yesterday's meeting of the Landmark Commission's Fair Park Task Force, the tower ride, previously approved in general terms, was presented by architect Jon Rollins in greater visual detail with landscaping and design features. With little questioning, the task force recommended the project particulars for Landmark's approval.

Sketch-up render: http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfa...mb-560x271.jpg

This is fun to watch Fair Park undergo its slow transformation. One that I think will result in Dallas's version of Coney Island. If Fair Park does result in a year round fun park; it will be a fun / entertainment park that will have access to many people by the use of the DART system that may have difficulty making it out to Six Flags in Arlington. Admission is free to the park except during the State Fair. I had a friend visiting a few weeks ago who is a NY native. He's not a fan of Texas having done short 3 month stays in a couple of cities throughout the state, but does think Dallas is pretty cool. I took him down to Fair Park and he was rather shocked that Dallas had this jewel, but also shocked at how under utilized it was. There were families enjoying the park, but not the numbers you would expect given the population of the metroplex. There are some great civic plaza's (Esplanade to be specific http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxy72...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpUDS...eature=related ) within the park that are under utilized and one of the only very few if not the only place in Dallas that has a great plaza. The closest thing that comes to a civic plaza is either the plaza infront of city hall or Victory plaza. Victory plaza was developer driven and a bit small only able to handle 3000 people. City hall plaza is a bit too design driven, sterile and in a part of town that lacks ammenties attracting people. What Dallas lacks IMO that makes many celebrated cities great is a great civic plaza easily visible and accessible to the public. The park over Woodall Rogers may fit that bill - time will tell. While Fair Park has some great places it is in a part of the city that is away from some of the major crossroads of the city. With that said this is still a great asset to Dallas that is unique.

[UrbanImpressionist]

Originally Posted by JoninATX

West Village District Expansion / Dallas, Texas



http://www.gff.com/?p=1536

Great concept sketch.

I'm sure it'll look great from the outside but I'd be willing to bet it will be yet another square laid out apt complex with pool inside the courtyard as an after-thought only getting sun for 4 hrs a day from 11-3. Such a waste when they don't provide more open space to allow southern/westward sun to enter later in the day.

[Owlhorn]

Originally Posted by UrbanImpressionist

Great concept sketch.

I'm sure it'll look great from the outside but I'd be willing to bet it will be yet another square laid out apt complex with pool inside the courtyard as an after-thought only getting sun for 4 hrs a day from 11-3. Such a waste when they don't provide more open space to allow southern/westward sun to enter later in the day.

do you really want that sun shining on you?

[AzDallasite]

Originally Posted by Owlhorn

do you really want that sun shining on you?

Yes, thats why people go to the pool.

Dallas has so much momentum right now. Too much in fact, I just received my renewal notice from my apartment complex in uptown and my rent is going up 24.2% from last year. That is on top of a 17% increase I experienced last year. We are going to see so many new buildings in the next 5-7 years to accomodate all of the newbies to TX.

On the plus side, for those who own, these higher rents will drive up home values assuming interest rates don't spike too quickly.

[TTU Arch]

Originally Posted by AzDallasite

Too much in fact, I just received my renewal notice from my apartment complex in uptown and my rent is going up 24.2% from last year. That is on top of a 17% increase I experienced last year.

You must live at a Gables property. They are known for jacking up rent on existing residents citing 'its the market value'. Knew someone several years ago that managed a gables property while in school. Their hands were tied, but it was problematic that the renewals would be too far out for people to reason with, then the residents would move out, then the units stay empty, then they dropped the rental rate on a 'special' to fill the units and then they finally get back to the occupancy they wish. It was not uncommon for several units to remain vacant for 6 plus months, but the people in the front office would never let you know that. All this to result in a viscious cycle. My building is in the medical district and they have been doing some upgrades to all the units since an out of state owner took over last year. Some of the upgrades residents asked for, but they did not ask for the 40-50% rate hike (as is the case for the neighbors to the left and right of me). The moving fans have been doing double shifts over here on the weekends, and the people in the front office are complaining to corporate all the move outs they are having to deal with. Luckily there are plenty of buildings in the uptown / downtown / design district / deep ellum areas that do not believe in screwing their tenants over and are nice properties.

It will be a lesson for some of these owners to swallow. We still have a high unemployment, people are still weary about living expenses...etc. etc. I agree Dallas has momentum, but everyone that I know in the design / building realm is still CAUTIOUSLY optimistic. It is taking a lot more (statisfying the bankers requirements, its still considered a high risk to make large loans...etc.) to get financing these days for new projects of a certain size and greater. Its telling when the govt today is having trouble securing financing for its project...............