Street Corners vs Cul de Sacs

CEOs for Cities
January 10, 2010

"Walking the Walk" and "Driven to the Brink." Hint: Good urbanism -- strong core cities and mixed-use neighborhoods -- works.

Deep Walkability

World Changing
Alex Steffen // January 10, 2010

Several pieces of Net flotsam today (local columnist Danny Westneat's clueless call for more parking lots around Seattle's new light rail stations; a NYT articleon findings that walkable density appears to increase property values and buffer against real estate crashes), got me pondering again the nature of "walkability."

Walkability is clearly critical to bright green cities. You can't advocate for car-free or car-sharing lives if people need cars to get around, and the enticement to walk is key to making density wonderful, to providing realistic transit options, to making smaller greener homes compelling and to growing the kind of digitally-suffused walksheds that post-ownership ideas seem to demand. So knowing how to define "walkable" is important.

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Spire Realty adds to its land holdings near the Arts District

Dallas Morning News
Steve Brown // January 4, 2010

Investor Spire Realty Group has bought almost two acres of land in downtown Dallas near the Arts District.

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Andy Sarwal - Austin Mixed Use Developer

AustinAmericanStatesman
January 2, 2010

Andy Sarwal

A virtual unknown in the local real estate community, Sarwal is overseeing one of the few large mixed-use projects still going forward in the region: University Park, a $750 million complex that is transforming the former Concordia University campus north of downtown into apartments, townhomes, a hotel, a movie theater, offices and retail space.

Last year, Sarwal and his mystery investors raised $39 million to finance the first office building, now home to Texas Monthly magazine and an Aveda Institute salon training school.

Financing for major real estate developments remains unusually difficult to obtain, but Sarwal said recently that funding is in place for the hotel, a Hyatt concept called Andaz, and a planned 450,000-square-foot building that will include a Premiere Cinema Corp. theater and about 340 apartments.

'I just know I'll drive longer distances and to all the ends of the Earth to accomplish something,' Sarwal said. 'I will get a deal done.'

MORE on "Whom to Watch in Business in Austin This Year"

Lessons from the Development Boom

Seattle City Brights
Chuck Wolfe

Infill development, or redevelopment of existing development, is among the key land use focal points in Washington State's urbanized areas. As entrenched land use and environmental professionals, we have long advised clients on the broad range of due diligence, compliance and related issues which arise as infill development proceeds from planning to implementation. This advice has been practical by nature, not the stuff of daily dialogue. But suddenly, our entrenched professional dialogue is mainstream.

But have we lost a practical, implementation-based perspective?

"Green", "sustainable" and "shovel ready"--and their older cousin, "smart growth"--have arrived with a vengeance, albeit often more as separate silos of ideas and inspiration than as interrelated elements of societal change. Even in a now slow real estate market, we now hear often from their advocates and thoughtful critics. How and where should we grow? Will the new residents of our region live, work and travel in a more sustainable way?

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Year's Top Smart Growth Stories

NRDC Switchboard
Kaid Benfield // December 29, 2009

(10) Despite robust ridership, transit service and quality continued to decline.
(9) Smart growth and sustainable communities were largely missing from the federal stimulus.
(8) Exciting developments in GIS- and web-based technology advanced walkability and smart communities
(7) Local agriculture emerged as a component of green development.
(6) Congress, nonprofits and other parties geared up for reauthorization of federal transportation law.
(5) Land use solutions continued to get short shrift in climate discussions that matter. ties geared up for reauthorization of federal transportation law.
(4) The Obama administration stepped up for sustainable communities.
(3) Street design became a major smart-growth issue.
(2) LEED-ND was completed and approved for implementation.
(1) The recession hurt smart development somewhat, but sent sprawl into a virtual coma.

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Favorite New Urbanism Posts for 2009

NRDC Switchboard
Kaid Benfield

Transforming the Market for Development Location
In sustainable communities, architecture and preservation, does beauty matter? Should it?
Virginia adopts innovative smart streets rules
Walmart, McCain forge new alliance to fight sprawl
Considering the role of density in smart growth
Smart growth must become more demanding, more community-oriented, and greener
“If you don’t have safe streets, all the light rail lines in the world aren’t going to save your city”

Dallas Design District's second redo takes shape

Dallas Urban Core
December 11, 2009

ustin Tamayo did a double take as he was driving through the Dallas Design District a few months ago."I was amazed to see the all apartments they had built," Tamayo said. "I didn't know all of that was there."

Tamayo was so taken with the neighborhood that he moved there. "I bring my friends down there, and they're surprised at what's here," he said.

Indeed, if you haven't taken a recent spin down Hi Line Drive – or don't even know where it is – the trip will be eye-popping.

Developers have built three big apartment communities just west of Stemmons Freeway, and hundreds of residents have moved in.

Restaurants and shops are on the way.

"Obviously having 1,000 apartment units with a lot of people makes it more of a 24-hour environment," said Mike Ablon of Pegasus Ablon Properties, which is marketing the redevelopment. "There's a lot of excitement about the overall Design District."

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Realizing the dream in Rowlett

Dallas Morning News
Ron Miller of Rowlett // December 13, 2009

During the settlement years of mid-America, after the Civil War and before 1890, two things almost assured the future of any new town for the first 150 years after its establishment. The first thing needed for a secure future was a railhead. The railroad must come to town. The second thing needed was a cattle trail, which subsequently would become a numbered highway.

Today, development of a prime suburban city takes a little more work.

Rowlett was a sleepy little wide spot in the road 34 years ago. It had 1,500 people. Now it has a population of 55,000. It had no railroad or cattle trail, and any roads were only two lanes without shoulders. There were no stoplights.

Rowlett grew simply because Dallas spilled out over its lip. Mesquite, Garland, Richardson and Plano all grew into major cities. Each of these cities had one feature in common. All had major highways to accommodate them. Rowlett probably should have been gobbled up, since it had few of the required resources. But it wasn't. Somehow, the little town survived and grew modestly.

Then it seemed to grow faster than contemporary civic planning could keep up. Some nice things were missing: nice parks, bike paths, hiking trails, upscale commercial development – and the jobs resulting from commercial development.

Rowlett is only now receiving a railhead and a major highway. A cattle trail was dismissed as unnecessary. DART is busy planning for the construction of the DART Blue Line, and the North Texas Tollway Authority is busy building the extension of the President George BushTurnpike through Rowlett and connecting with Interstate 30.

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Why passing the UNT Dallas master plan this week is important

Dallas Morning News
December 4, 2009

On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council will consider the University of North Texas Dallas Area Plan, a 3,500-acre economic revitalization project for the city's southern portion. Passage is critical to supporting the nascent "town-gown" relationship developing between Dallas and its first public university.

The importance of this type of symbiotic relationship has been amply displayed in other urban centers around the country, such as Boston, Minneapolis, Denver and Seattle.

Universities are among these cities' largest employers, and they are long-term, place-bound investors in economic growth. When development around universities is planned appropriately, local economies benefit from steady streams of students and university workers who patronize area businesses. Universities also are typically partners in addressing problems such as crime and traffic.

If the UNT Dallas Area Plan is approved, these are the kind of benefits the city will experience. The plan calls for sustainable economic development around the campus. Mixed-use residential areas, retail zones and entertainment venues will infuse much-needed capital into the city. As the university grows, businesses around it will grow. This will produce tax revenue and, most importantly, long-term job growth.

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New mixed-use project planned for downtown Austin

From: AustinAmericanStatesman.com
By: Shonda Novak // October 8, 2009

A South Texas developer is proposing to build a 12-story building with apartments, offices, shops and a white-tablecloth restaurant near the Capitol.

Palmco, Inc., a developer and builder with offices in McAllen and Austin, wants to build Capitol Terrace at the southwest corner of Lavaca and 14th streets.

It would have 30 upscale apartments, aimed at lobbyists and others with business at the Capitol or state agencies, as well as five floors (61,000 square feet) of office space, said John Donisi, an attorney and partner with Drenner & Golden Stuart Wolff LP.

The firm is representing Palmco in its request for a zoning change to build a larger, taller building than city rules allow.

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North Richland Hills approves mixed-use rezoning for Smithfield

From: Fort Worth Star Telegram

By: Chris Vaughn // August 24, 2009

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS — The City Council on Monday night approved a major rezoning of the historic Smithfield area that it hopes will lead to a dramatic reinvention over the next generation.

The council agreed unanimously to rezone 278 acres involving scores of property owners to a transit-oriented mixed-use category, eliminating the neighborhood’s existing codes of industrial, commercial and single-family.

"This is significant because it is positioning an entire neighborhood, not just a single project," said Scott Polikov, owner of the Gateway Planning Group, which helped draft the code changes.

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Mixed Use in North Texas

From: Texas A&M Real Estate Center
August 3, 2009

According to the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), developers completed mixed-use projects encompassing 913,000 sf of retail space, 255,900 sf of office space, 1,488 apartment units and 39 condo units during second quarter 2009.

Construction began on 1.1 million sf of retail space, 15,000 sf of office space, 1,998 multifamily residential units and 545 single-family units in mixed-use developments.
Mixed-use developments announced during 2Q 2009 will add 108,000 sf of retail space and 68 hotel rooms.

View the complete NCTCOG report here.

Massive Mixed Use Project in SE Austin Clears Hurdle

From: AustinBusinessJournal
By: Kate Harrington // July 31, 2009

A protracted legal battle over water in Southeast Travis County may finally be at an end, paving the way for a massive planned development to move forward.

A Travis County District Court judge ruled earlier this month in favor of Carma Texas, the Texas arm of Calgary, Canada-based Carma Developers LP, dismissing a case from Creedmoor-Maha Water Supply Corp.

The dispute between the two groups goes back more than a year. Carma has been buying land just west of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in far East Austin since 2005 and has amassed about 2,300 acres.

The developer plans a master-planned community that will include about 16,000 homes, roughly 4 million square feet of commercial space, several schools and parklands at buildout, but a construction timeline has not yet been put together.

Houston Pavillions Off to a Good Start

From: Houston Chronicle
By: David Kaplan // July 18, 2009

Depending on where people view it, they could make a case that the 9-month-old downtown Houston Pavilions is either succeeding or hurting.

Stand on the corner of Dallas and Caroline, and you'll see a lively scene at the House of Blues.

But on the second level, between Fannin and San Jacinto, there are vacant retail sites.

Sixty-two percent of the massive Pavilions is leased, and about 50 percent of it is occupied.

Although it's still half-empty, the project is off to a very good start, retail analysts say, when you factor in the economic downturn and gloomy state of retail.

But if the project were to fail, it would be a major blow to the downtown area near the George R. Brown Convention Center. The three-block-long Pavilions was designed to be that district's entertainment hub and make downtown Houston more of a nighttime and weekend destination.

The $170 million Pavilions is a mixed-used development combining retail, entertainment and office space.

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Johnson Development Takes Major Role In Long-awaited Imperial Sugar Redevelopment

Fort Bend Now, June 9, 2009

Johnson Development Corp., developer of projects including Sienna Plantation and Riverstone, has become project manager for Sugar Land’s Imperial Sugar redevelopment project, FortBendNow has learned.

Placed on hold for the past several months, the highly touted mixed use project is being managed by private equity firm Cherokee Investment Partners of Raleigh, N.C.. Cherokee partnered with the Texas General Land Office to purchase several hundred acres in and around Imperial Sugar Co.’s historic char house and sugar plant at U.S. 90A and State Highway 6.

Johnson has replaced Southern Land Co. as project developer, according to sources in the real estate community and City of Sugar Land. Neither officials with Cherokee nor Johnson could be reached Tuesday morning. However, City of Sugar Land sources said Cherokee was about to announce the new project manager.

$500 MILLION RESIDENTIAL, RETAIL, SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

$500 MILLION RESIDENTIAL, RETAIL, SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
COMPLEX ANNOUNCED NEAR THE CONVENTION CENTER HOTEL
A sixty-acre, $500 million entertainment, sports, retail, and residential complex featuring a 10,000-seat privately financed professional baseball stadium, a water park hotel, and 2,500 luxury apartments located over a high-energy entertainment and restaurant venue stretching along a meandering river walk, will be developed on the original John Neely Bryan tract, 1,200 feet south of the Dallas Convention Center, it was announced today.

Bounded by the original Trinity River, the homestead of Dallas’ founder is the property most important to downtown development located outside the Trinity River levees. The old Trinity courses on three sides of the property and will provide Dallas’ first San Antonio-style river walk in the vicinity of downtown.

The old river will connect downtown and the convention center hotel district with the ballpark, water park hotel, and mixed-used residential complex by water taxi. Downtown’s skyline will fill the sky above the outfield fence of a state-of-the-art baseball stadium hosting Dallas’ first independent professional baseball team. The stadium will provide a centerpiece for retail and entertainment development and its concourse, meeting space, and restaurants will function as an additional entertainment and meeting option for convention center activities.

The development is a collaboration between Dallas’ Seib Family Limited Partnership, which acquired 318 Cadiz, LP, owner of the tract, on April 3, 2009, and certain equity partnerships. The stadium project will be developed in partnership with Reunion Sports Group, LLC, also of Dallas, which acquired six professional baseball teams and the United League on April 7, 2009. ....

Wanted: Partners to Develop 45M SF

By Amy Wolff Sorter of GlobeSt.com Thursday, June 04, 2009

With close to 60 acres firmly in hand just west of the CBD, West Dallas Investments LLC is moving forward to get the plot developed. The local partnership is seeking a partner, or partners, to help develop Trinity River West, a mixed-use project that could total 45 million square feet at an estimated cost of $120 million.

Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. vice president Scott Cullen tells GlobeSt.com that entities with both money and development expertise are being sought for the project along the banks of the Trinity River. Cullen is working with Jones Lang LaSalle managing director John Vick and senior associate Justin Bates to find partners that know how to put up full mixed-use district developments.

Though uses for the acreage are far from set in stone, the developer's thought is that the land could hold residential, retail and office product. But Cullen cautions that there is a long path to travel between here and there. "You wouldn't know, by looking at this site, that it is one 57-acre parcel," he explains. "This consists of a number of different parcels assembled over time. It's a mix of light industrial and some residential." He goes on to say that buildings on the site are still occupied.

Once the partner, or partners, are found, the next step will involve long-term planning and ensuring that the right zoning and entitlement plans are in place. And that's even before horizontal development begins.

Still, West Dallas Investments, which includes Dallas restaurateur Phil Romano and local businessman Larry B. McGregor, have spent years assembling the land. Cullen says it's a good sign that the partnership is moving forward on the project.

"The idea is to find someone, a national or internationally player, that has development expertise on this type of development," he adds. "We're talking about a totally new district in Dallas, that could be an extension of the CBD across the Trinity River. WDI has been the acquirer of the land. Now it's time to find others with a level of expertise to take this to the next step."

Economy scuttles plans for billion-dollar complex near Galleria in Dallas

Economy scuttles plans for billion-dollar complex near Galleria in Dallas

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

A prominent LBJ Freeway property that was planned for high-rise development is now posted for foreclosure.

The 15-acre tract next to the Galleria previously housed an automobile dealership.
Icon PartnersAn artist's conception of the Midtown project.

Last year, developers announced plans for a $1 billion complex on the land that was to include office buildings, a hotel, condominiums and a shopping center. But the development was delayed because of the recession and building slowdown.

Now lender RMR Investments Inc. of California has filed for foreclosure on the property, seeking repayment of more than $18 million in debt, according to county records collected by Addison-based Foreclosure Listing Service.

The loan was made to a real estate partnership that owns the land, Woodmont TCI Group IX. Officials with Icon Partners, which proposed the big development, could not be reached Tuesday about the foreclosure filing.

The Icon Midtown project was one of the largest such developments ever proposed along LBJ Freeway.

The plans included 700,000 square feet of office space, a 200- to 300-room hotel, about 500 high-rise residential units and a shopping center.

With the credit crunch that has cut builders and investors off from financing, many developers and property owners have been unable to extend or replace real estate debt.

In a growing number of those cases, properties are then posted for foreclosure.

Stage set for revival in Dallas' Deep Ellum

Stage set for revival in Dallas' Deep Ellum Dallas Morning News June 19, 2009

For a year, Dallas-based developer Scott Beck worked to buy up about 10 acres of Deep Ellum to build a mixed-use project that would have dramatically changed the heart of the entertainment district.

It was a deal that promised to revive Deep Ellum or threatened to destroy its character – depending on your point of view.

He brought in real estate broker Barry Annino, who helped draw contracts for the property at premium prices. Then the economy tanked. Property values dropped 20 percent, the agreements were overpriced, money was hard to get – and the deal was officially dead in December.

Much of Deep Ellum was on hold during the Beck deal while people tried to figure out whether they could cash in or would want out. But now, the district is beginning to stir, particularly with the upcoming link to the city's light rail system. ....