Oak Cliff Becomes Cool

Dallas Observer
Jim Schultze // February 25, 2010

Can an entire city reverse field?

From World War II until now, the beckoning horizon in Dallas has been the cool, air-conditioned neighborhoods north, where houses are new and low-slung, lawns are pool-table smooth and garage doors open by themselves.

But if North Dallas has been the city's field of dreams for decades, then 10 miles south and across the river, what do we call the clanging, potholed automercado of W. Davis Street in North Oak Cliff? The word we're never supposed to use—because it's snobbish, hurtful and has racist overtones—is slum.

But there you have it.

Is it even conceivable, then, that half a century from now, Davis Street could be the city's leading edge—its realm of cool and aspiration, the Seinfeld-land of a post-automobile urban tomorrow?

MORE

Recession rattles Carrollton's plans for transit development

Dallas Morning News

Dianne Solis // February 17, 2010

The city of Carrollton hoped some zip in downtown development would emerge with the arrival of a rapid transit station from DART.

The historic plaza with its gazebo and cluster of shops and restaurants provides the building blocks, they reasoned.

But Tuesday night, they gave a second amendment to developer High Street Development unit of Trammel Crow, due to the steep slump in the economy.

Start-up of construction will be moved back eight months to June 1, 2011, for a project that includes 170 residential units and retail in the first phase and 125 more residential units in the second phase. A previous contract amendment split the development into two phases back in October.

MORE

Urban planners envision West Dallas after Trinity bridge

Dallas Morning News

Roy Appleton // February 15, 2010

The opening of the signature Margaret Hunt Hill bridge across the Trinity River will bring attention, energy and changes to West Dallas.

That's what property owners such as Larry "Butch" McGregor and his partners in West Dallas Investments are banking on.

It's also an assumption at City Hall, one underlying a new mission to transform a time-worn core of town.

The Dallas CityDesign Studio plans to be a creative force in development and redevelopment along the Trinity in the years to come. Its concerns will include the look, layout and blending of buildings, streets and open space.

And its first project is taking on a 480-acre river gateway bounded by the levee, Interstate 30 and Sylvan Avenue.

MORE

Update on Urban Projects Around the Trinity River

Dallas Morning News
Rudolph Bush // February 8, 2010

Here they are in a nutshell.

West Dallas Plan - Brent Brown's CityDesign Studio has largely completed a development plan for West Dallas aimed at reawakening forgotten parts of the city while preserving important neighborhoods like La Bajada.

Continental Bridge - The design process for the pedestrian transformation is just underway, architect Don Raines said.

Texas Horse Park - Almost all of the land for the 500-acre Horse Park near the Trinity River Audubon Center has been acquired.

Trinity River Audubon Center - Open for some 18 months, the center is one of the biggest attractions related to the Trinity. 50,000 people have been through the doors but efforts are aimed toward bringing in many more.

MORE

Dallas May Get Subway Downtown

WiredPRNews.com
February 2, 2010

Dallas city planners are considering plans for further developments in the area that may include a subway station downtown. As reported by NBC DFW News, the subway plans of Dallas Area Rapid Transit are being considered as a possible means to relieve congestion in the downtown area.

MORE

New EPA rules may aid proposed transit projects

Fort Worth Business Press
Leslie Wimmer // January 25, 2010

The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed lowering of ozone emission standards may put a stronger focus on North Texas transportation projects as a way to improve air quality across the region.

Area transportation officials expect the EPA’s proposal to focus attention on speeding up transportation efforts, including highway expansion and public transportation projects, as a way to keep traffic moving and to help meet the proposed new, lower ozone standard.

MORE

DART, TRE land FRA funds for double-track project

ProgressiveRailroading.com
January 29, 2010

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Trinity Railway Express (TRE) announced they will receive about $7.2 million in federal funds to help fund the construction of a five-mile section of double track between the West Irving and CentrePort/DFW Airport stations.

MORE

10 things to watch in Dallas for 2010

Pegasus News
Shawn Williams of Dallas South News // January 4, 2010

Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge
Dallas Black Dance Theatre at Wyly Theatre
Continued Main Street resurgence
511 Akard
Victory Park
Empty Southern Dallas promises
Oak Cliff streetcars

MORE

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.

MORE

Hopes are high for a hipper Las Colinas

Dallas Morning News
Brandon Formby // January 4, 2010

Las Colinas' Urban Center sees plenty of daytime traffic as thousands of North Texans make their way to and from work in its skyscrapers.

But nightlife? Not so much.

Irving leaders are betting a number of developments – many built with millions in public money – will soon change all that. They anticipate concerts, restaurants and shops will draw people to the area. They hope more businesses will then follow.

So how is this different from previous plans to turn the Urban Center into a bustling hub of tourists and locals eating and shopping around waterways and on restaurant patios? And what's to set it apart from developments at Victory Park and around Cowboys Stadium that have fallen far short of expectations?

MORE

DFW 2020

nbcDFW.com

How Will the Arts Develop?

What Will We Build?

How Will DFW Airport Change?

Mayor Speaks on Dallas' Strong Foundation of Can Do Spirit

Dallas Morning News Op-Ed
Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert // December 31, 2009

The coming of a new year and moving into a new decade provides an opportunity to reflect on where we have been and what lies ahead. In the face of this economy, Dallas has moved forward like no other city, and we have laid the foundation for even more progress in the decade ahead. The "can-do spirit," that belief in tomorrow, is again alive in Dallas. In fact, I believe at the next decade change, in 2020, people here will look back on this period as a historic point in our city's timeline that reshaped our image in a positive way, putting Big D on a world stage.

Through actions like comprehensive green building standards and the purchase of renewable energy, we are now recognized nationally as one of the leaders in addressing environmental challenges.

We'll also look back on this period as the time when downtown Dallas finally turned a corner. We welcomed AT&T, Tenet and more than 50 other companies into the city core, and major firms like Oncor and Deloitte renewed their commitments to downtown. Thousands of residents also chose downtown as home.

And we provided compassionate support for the homeless at the Bridge and, in doing so, enhanced the investments we have made in downtown.

Through strategic investments and the commitment of this community, we have built a foundation that will ensure a strong, vibrant economy in the future. And this was the time we invested in our future with the Dallas Convention Center hotel.

I also believe we'll look back at this period as the launch of southern Dallas investment – a time when businesses, developers and investors saw the future in this part of the city. In the last few years, the foundation has been laid for more investment in this area than at any time in the past. DART light rail, the Inland Port, UNT-Dallas and other investments in the southern half of the city have created the impetus for a new economic engine to benefit the entire region.

MORE

Downtown Dallas' bustling success yet to come, but Uptown is already booming

Dallas Morning News
David Flick // December 27, 2009

Downtown Dallas has yet to become the bustling success story that was hoped for a decade ago. But boosters remain undeterred.

"What we had was a little bit too much optimism and a little bit too much recession," said John Crawford, president of the nonprofit DowntownDallas

The AT&T Performing Arts Center opened in October to international fanfare, capping a decade that saw corporate relocations, the opening of new retail stores and the introduction of high-end restaurants

The most encouraging development, Crawford said, has been the growth in the downtown population.

MORE

Irving exemplifies the troubles faced by inner-ring suburbs

Dallas Morning News
Brandon Formby // December 27, 2009

In many ways, Irving is the poster child for the issues typical to inner-ring suburbs over the past decade. Its growing pains come not from population booms, but from shifting demographics and attempts at reinvention.

Irving has served as the backdrop for the national debate on illegal immigration. And it has decided the balance of political power in the Texas House. The Dallas Cowboys are gone, a convention center's going up and a light-rail line is being laid.

"In the last decade, we've actually become a world-class city," said longtime City Council member Lewis Patrick.

Representation

Hispanics remain the largest racial or ethnic group in the city. Their ranks between 2000 and 2008 grew at five times the rate of the city's overall population. Still, Hispanics often criticize the all-white City Council for not representing their needs or dealing with claims that police racially profile residents.

MORE

Area transportation needs face financial hurdle

Fort Worth Business Press
Leslie Wimmer // December 21, 2009

Funding will be the major hurdle for North Texas to begin a regionwide transportation overhaul.
Officials from area businesses, governments and community organizations gathered at the Fort Worth Sheraton on Dec. 11 to listen to speakers discuss economic development, transportation plans and funding challenges during the “Tracks to the Future: Rail and Economic Development in North Texas” event.

About 300 people attended the day-long event which was hosted by a number of area organizations. Speakers included State Sen. Wendy Davis; members of Fort Worth’s City Council; Mayor Mike Moncrief; representatives from the Fort Worth Transportation Authority; Dallas Area Rapid Transit; the Denton County Transportation Authority; the Texas Department of Transportation; the cities of San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City and Portland; and other area business and government leaders.

Vision North Texas Project Manager Karen Walz told the event’s crowd that the Dallas-Fort Worth region is expected to hit a population of 12 million by 2050.

“Think about what that means if we just keep doing what we’ve been doing and taking care of growth the way we have been,” she said.

MORE

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."

MORE

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.

MORE

UNT Area plan approved by Dallas council

Dallas Morning News
Rudolph Bush // December 9, 2009

With little discussion, theDallas City Council has approved a development plan for a large swath of southern Dallas around the University of North Texas campus.

The plan is exciting to advocates of walkable and transit-oriented urban design.

It focuses on developing the area in human-scaled neighborhoods linked by rail and constructed with respect for the natural setting.

Mayor's 'coffee, deals and development'

Dallas Morning News
Sharon Grigsby // December 10, 2009

In case you missed this, check out Rudy Bush's report on the Dallas City Hall blog concerning the mayor's impressive outline for southern Dallas development, which he and others spoke about this morning.

Leppert's key points:

-- We all know there are challenges in southern Dallas, but what many people don't know are the many good things going on. We want to talk about that today.

-- Cited example of economic progress, including:

-- Tax base in southern Dallas has increased 75 percent, compared to citywide average of 50 percent.
-- A 586 percent increase in construction permits in southern Dallas since 2000.
-- Eleven TIF projects investing $135 million in southern Dallas.
-- Violent crime is down more than 20 percent; 80 new police officers in southern Dallas.
-- Code compliance complaints are down 20-30 percent.
-- DART to Pleasant Grove: "the largest investment in the nation in light rail."

-- Praised Methodist for investing $100 million in its facility, Allison at Baylor for partnering on diabetes with the city, Dallas Zoo for new management structure pointing it toward First Tier status, La Reunion tower expansion and improvements, etc.

-- Cited Allen's work on Dallas Logistical Hub.

-- UNT-Dallas, Paul Quinn - progress on both counts.

-- Pinnacle Park, Mountain Creek, Capella Park, renovation of Cliff Club at top of BofA, Lake June Plaza, El Rio Grande grocery, etc.

-- Seven million feet of new industrial space. "You'll see soon another big real estate development go public."

-- We're working on getting new, small banks to locate in southern Dallas; meanwhile Comerica and Wachovia have really stepped up....

MORE

Southern Dallas ripe for private investors, mayor says

Dallas Morning News
Rudolph Bush // December 11, 2009

Southern Dallas is poised to grow, and the time has come for private investors to jump in, Mayor Tom Leppert told a crowd gathered at Gilley's on Thursday morning.

The tax base there has grown at a faster clip than the rest of the city, crime is down and public money is streaming in, he said.

"We all know there are challenges in the southern part of our city," he said. "But people understand this is the key to our success in this city, this region, this state," he said.

A who's who of southern Dallas showed up to hear Leppert, along with City Manager Mary Suhm, DART chief executive Gary Thomas, and University of North Texas vice chancellor John Ellis Price, among others.

They echoed a message of momentum for parts of the city that have stagnated so long that many Dallas residents have given up on seeing improvement.

MORE