North Dallas: Midtown

[Tivo_Kenevil]

And so.... after demolition then what? An empty lot for another 10-15 years? This developer has not instilled any confidence that this project will ever come to fruition.

[eburress]

That would be a bummer but the demolition will be an improvement over the post-apocalyptic scene which is there now. And maybe if its development comes in the form of a number of smaller projects, rather than the original mega project, the likelihood of it sitting empty for 10-15 years won't be as great.

[Cbdallas]

There is a lot happening around the general Galleria area so I think with this demolished and the area around this growing it will become more lucrative for this development. Also has great connection to both airports with LBJ and the Tollway right there which is important for big companies.

[exelone31]

There is a lot happening around the general Galleria area so I think with this demolished and the area around this growing it will become more lucrative for this development. Also has great connection to both airports with LBJ and the Tollway right there which is important for big companies.

Agreed, it's interesting how much ancillary development has already kicked off. The area to the west of the Valley View site will be quite a bit different regardless of whether or not the full vision of Midtown is realized.

[exelone31]

Quick update: Driving by this morning, it appears demolition work has started on the former JC Penney anchor space in the mall. The garage connected to that area on the north side of Valley View has been demolished, so it looks like some meaningful progress.

I have made tons of snarky comments about this development, but hopefully there is something positive in motion.

Stay tuned.

[lakewoodhobo]

Can we assume that the original plans for Midtown are scrapped and what we'll see is a collection of different apartment buildings with some retail mixed in? Even the Dallas Midtown Park Foundation seems to have lost its nonprofit status back in 2017, so that project's status may be in question.

[bsweat1]

Yesterday 4-2-19. Progress is being made on the former JCPenney.

[Brettoj]

Drove by today. Looks like continued progress on the mall. Also, the KDC development area of the Sears etc. is now fenced in. It looked like they were clearing out the old sears auto center building today. Cautiously optimistic.

[Tivo_Kenevil]

Update on the project.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Visio ... 83391.html

So according to this the original plan is still in place... Kick off for the project will be June 2017 per the story ..

It's says they're building a life time fitness village ..and a new AMC ..I would if the theatre will be a big box :/

[exelone31]

I went to see Avengers at the Valley View AMC, and it was amazingly eerie walking through the mall to get to the theater. They are missing an opportunity to shoot any and all zombie shows/movies there.

[The_Overdog]

hey are missing an opportunity to shoot any and all zombie shows/movies there.

Excuse me, but zombie movies are shot farther to the east in Garland.

[TDiddyDallas]

hey are missing an opportunity to shoot any and all zombie shows/movies there.

Excuse me, but zombie movies are shot farther to the east in Garland.

Zombieland reference!!

In all seriousness, I'm excited at the prospect of having potentially THREE (Red Bird, Valley View, and Collin Creek) major former malls get juiced up with redevelopment simultaneously. Does anyone know if that is happening anywhere else?

[eburress]

hey are missing an opportunity to shoot any and all zombie shows/movies there.

Excuse me, but zombie movies are shot farther to the east in Garland.

Zombieland reference!!

In all seriousness, I'm excited at the prospect of having potentially THREE (Red Bird, Valley View, and Collin Creek) major former malls get juiced up with redevelopment simultaneously. Does anyone know if that is happening anywhere else?

Maybe not simultaneously, but most of San Diego's malls have/will undergo similar redevelopments.

[tamtagon]

I'm not aware that anything like this is happening in Metro Atlanta, could be though cuz I don't really keep up with 'it.'

[muncien]

There is another "lite' version of mall redevelopment, where malls are opened up and outdoor plazas/shopping areas are added, but no additional 'uses' are included. I saw several of these in California malls during a recent visit. I'm not sure how successful those efforts will be, but at least it's something.

While the 'full' mixed-use redevelopment approach may be more risky and complicated, I have a feeling it'll be better off in the long run.

[lakewoodhobo]

Red-carpet demolition of the Sears building going on today.



Also:

Life Time Bulks Up With Village Concept It's Launching Nationwide
https://product.costar.com/home/news/shared/583714952

The once-delayed redevelopment of the site of Valley View Mall in North Dallas is proceeding with a joint venture between a Dallas developer and Life Time Inc., a Minneapolis-based company known for fitness clubs. In the process, it's pushing forward on a new nationwide development model.

A concept called Life Time Village at Dallas Midtown is in the works that will add an 18-story, 400-unit luxury residential tower on a site adjacent to the mall, which is currently being demolished, as well as a Life Time Athletic Club and other amenities as developers across the country lure residents with walkable projects.

Life Time has teamed up with Scott Beck of Beck Ventures, a Dallas-based real estate firm, which has been working on plans for years for the revival of Valley View Mall. The project was held up partly because of litigation, which has since been settled, and now the 46-year-old mall is back on track for demolition to make way for a new mixed-use development.

Once construction starts, Life Time Village at Dallas Midtown will be the company's largest such endeavor to date, building on Life Time's plans to extend its brand beyond the walls of being an athletic club. Life Time is also planning similar village-like concepts in Coral Gables, Florida, near Miami and Henderson, Nevada, near Las Vegas.

[NdoorTX]

Good News! It's a surprising route that gym is taking. And someone said that the KDC site was marked off? This could be exciting for the area. Lots of momentum getting started. Any insider have details on what Trademark and UBS have planned for Galleria?

[exelone31]

Life Time has teamed up with Scott Beck of Beck Ventures, a Dallas-based real estate firm, which has been working on plans for years for the revival of Valley View Mall.

The word "working" being stretched so incredibly thin here.

[Tnexster]

Part of Dallas' Valley View mall comes down for $1 billion mixed-use project

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/rea ... se-project

[NdoorTX]

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[NdoorTX]

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[NdoorTX]

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[LongonBigD]

Those renderings posted on the fence (thanks for the pics) seem to come from Omniplan’s website. See more below at this link.

http://www.omniplan.com/work/case-studies/park-heritage.html

[exelone31]

After all of the fits and starts, I really do hope this is when things begin to start taking shape. It's encouraging that the Sears site is about to get underway, in addition to demolition picking up steam on the remainder of the mall site.

A couple other random items:
- They have taken the boards off the windows of the former Steak and Shake on the north side of the mall site and it appears they are moving old equipment/chairs out. I'm not sure if they're planning to keep that little building around or just prepping it for demolition.
- There's a new restaurant on the east side of Preston (just south of Alpha) opening in the next couple weeks (https://dallas.eater.com/2019/5/3/18524251/the-market-local-comfort-cafe-opening-near-galleria-dallas). It's a cool looking Kosher spot, and I believe the building used to house a Gold/Silver exchange. It's just one spot, but maybe this could indicate a turnaround for this area?

[exelone31]

Update: Demolition of Valley View continues in full swing, and there are signs up all over the place showcasing both Beck's plan as well as the Lifetime Fitness complex.

Additionally, the old Steak and Shake has been turned into a restaurant that looks like it was ripped straight from the sound stage of some crappy mid-90's TV show. Behold....Midtown Pizza.

[itsjrd1964]

Additionally, the old Steak and Shake has been turned into a restaurant that looks like it was ripped straight from the sound stage of some crappy mid-90's TV show. Behold....Midtown Pizza.

I hope they cleaned it up good in the process. It was boarded up a *long* time, plenty of time for mold'n'stuff to be there. Too many other pizza places to choose from to get excited about this one. I figured the site would be a teardown before it would get leased to another place.

[DFW]

Don’t know if this has been posted but I assume it’s just another mock up of the tallest tower in the Midtown Development.

https://prestonhollow.advocatemag.com/2 ... ocal-ties/

[Tnexster]

Don’t know if this has been posted but I assume it’s just another mock up of the tallest tower in the Midtown Development.

https://prestonhollow.advocatemag.com/2 ... ocal-ties/

I've never seen that rendering before. Seems taller than anything else we've seen, is it real?

[Brettoj]

I will call 0-5 % chance. I have very little confidence Beck can make it happen. I hope I am proven wrong though.

[Dragon_Lady]

This is nothing more than a self-promotion puff piece by a north Dallas city councilman's over-adulating about his daughter's project work. Nepotism? ...whatever; besides it is completely an unrealistic architectural render of some blah blah avant-garde Dallas Midtown "signature tower" at that site. I don't recall the FAA allowing anything more than 450 to 500 AGL at that site. Perhaps I'm wrong. If I am then please nothing like that clap-trap modernistic bovine scatola. Instead, give us something of a neo-Art Deco tower like Williams tower by the late, great Paul Johnson. My two cents.

[ArtVandelay]

This is nothing more than a self-promotion puff piece by a north Dallas city councilman's over-adulating about his daughter's project work. Nepotism? ...whatever; besides it is completely an unrealistic architectural render of some blah blah avant-garde Dallas Midtown "signature tower" at that site. I don't recall the FAA allowing anything more than 450 to 500 AGL at that site. Perhaps I'm wrong. If I am then please nothing like that clap-trap modernistic bovine scatola. Instead, give us something of a neo-Art Deco tower like Williams tower by the late, great Paul Johnson. My two cents.

I don’t see anything wrong with being proud of your kid’s accomplishments. But if I were him, I’d stay as far away from that dumpster fire seeing that he is a councilman.

[itsjrd1964]

This is nothing more than a self-promotion puff piece by a north Dallas city councilman's over-adulating about his daughter's project work. Nepotism? ...whatever; besides it is completely an unrealistic architectural render of some blah blah avant-garde Dallas Midtown "signature tower" at that site. I don't recall the FAA allowing anything more than 450 to 500 AGL at that site. Perhaps I'm wrong. If I am then please nothing like that clap-trap modernistic bovine scatola. Instead, give us something of a neo-Art Deco tower like Williams tower by the late, great Paul Johnson. My two cents.

I don’t see anything wrong with being proud of your kid’s accomplishments. But if I were him, I’d stay as far away from that dumpster fire seeing that he is a councilman.

IMO, that tower is just a bit too close to Addison Airport to be *that* tall.

[Cord1936]

LBJ Freeway Project To Relieve Dallas Congestion Gets Fluor, Balfour Beatty As Leaders
May 31, 2019, by Kerri Panchuk, Dallas Bisnow

The Texas Department of Transportation is prepared to unleash a major roadway project on a portion of LBJ Freeway to increase capacity and relieve congestion.

The state agency awarded a reconstruction contract on 11 miles of Interstate 635 (LBJ Freeway) to a joint venture of Fluor and Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc.

The project comes at a time when the I-635 Corridor is back in the news — a portion of the highway will serve as an entry point to the Dallas Midtown and Park Heritage mixed-use projects, which will eventually infill a dated DFW neighborhood with luxury offices, apartments and retail.

As part of this infrastructure project, the JV will work on a stretch of I-635 running east of U.S. Highway 75 to I-30.

Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/dallas-ft-worth/ ... um=Browser

[itsjrd1964]

LBJ Freeway Project To Relieve Dallas Congestion Gets Fluor, Balfour Beatty As Leaders
May 31, 2019, by Kerri Panchuk, Dallas Bisnow

The Texas Department of Transportation is prepared to unleash a major roadway project on a portion of LBJ Freeway to increase capacity and relieve congestion.

The state agency awarded a reconstruction contract on 11 miles of Interstate 635 (LBJ Freeway) to a joint venture of Fluor and Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc.

The project comes at a time when the I-635 Corridor is back in the news — a portion of the highway will serve as an entry point to the Dallas Midtown and Park Heritage mixed-use projects, which will eventually infill a dated DFW neighborhood with luxury offices, apartments and retail.

As part of this infrastructure project, the JV will work on a stretch of I-635 running east of U.S. Highway 75 to I-30.

Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/dallas-ft-worth/ ... um=Browser

^^^ really should be in the Roads/highways section... most of what will be done is not in proximity to the Midtown development.

[Jay9398]

“unleash a major roadway project... to increase capacity and relieve congestion.”

They will literally never learn.

[exelone31]

Didn't we JUST do this?

[derkcir]

why didn't they take care of the Midtown portion when they finished 635 west? SMH

[muncien]

I'm not so sure this has anything to do with 'Midtown'. They state the work will span 11 miles between 75 & I30. I think they're just being fluffy when they say 'Midtown'. I'm pretty sure that section is done.

[tamtagon]

^and I'm not sure if the first attempt to redevelop Valley View (Ikon) was even a deal when TxDOT was planning the LBJ redo

[Tnexster]

New apartments on the way at old Valley View mall site

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/rea ... mall-site/

So...which building is it?

[Tnexster]

Updated: A earlier version of this story said the Toll Brothers apartments were part of the Park Heritage development at Valley View. They are being constructed on a site next door to that project but also on the mall property.

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/rea ... mall-site/

[exelone31]

Would be great to put an image on the article showing exactly where the apartments are going to be. Glad to see something is going up now, though.

[Tnexster]

I just wonder what it is, a multi-story building or a wrapped parking garage?

[Tnexster]

New apartments in the works next to Dallas Galleria
Florida-based ZOM is building the rental community on LBJ Freeway

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/rea ... -galleria/

[cowboyeagle05]

Well, what's interesting is I doubted the demand for the Midtown project as a whole but the number of apartments and mid-sized hotels that have opened or started while Valley View has continued to sit in a holding pattern seems to suggest there is a market there for new stuff. I wonder if Midtown will just catch the end of the development cycle and just be a few small parts of their original plans. Victory Park also had lavish plans for every parking lot and ended up not working the way their developers planned.

[Cbdallas]

I think this area is ripe for redevelopment I work just across the highway at Lincoln Center and there are not a lot of good food options or much else nearby for all of the office buildings in this corridor I think it is very under served and not convenient. It also is a great location for business and living as it sits at 635 with easy access to the tollway 75 and both airports. Much of what surrounds this area on both sides of 635 is older single residential use or very run down aging apartments so it could be developed with much more density.

[Zmitz]

Here is some good news from something that has been quiet for a while:

Despite not being in the news much since the end of last year, things are still moving forward and are on schedule at Dallas Midtown.

We're also starting to pour roads across the property. Hopefully towards the end of the year we can start building the first of our new buildings.
It's all mixed-use. Everything we're building has a ground floor retail component. Our first projects will be apartments with ground floor retail and offices with ground floor retail. Then we have two projects that aren't on hold but could be depending on where we're at when they're supposed to break ground.

We know we won't slow down on the apartments because those won't be done for two and a half to three years. The world will look completely different three years from now. Same with the office. That will continue to move forward. There are two main projects that could be impacted. One is a brand-new dining experience, AMC Theaters (combined cinema and dining) that sits on top of retail. The other is the Life Time Village which is a Life Time (Fitness) athletic facility sitting on top of retail combined with a new Life Time Living apartment complex, which will be 20 stories.

And here are his thoughts on the future of office space:

On one hand, you might think that there will be more work-from-home. You hear conjecture like that. I’m not hearing that, I'm actually hearing quite the opposite. Companies won't be looking for less space but more space. Those companies that are still operating may believe that additional social distancing will be the new rule of thumb. A company that used to have 300,000 square feet might now need 350,000 square feet.

https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news ... dtown.html

[eburress]

Re. companies looking for more space, I wonder where they are hearing that and if it's more that they are hearing what they want to hear.

[Tucy]

Re. companies looking for more space, I wonder where they are hearing that and if it's more that they are hearing what they want to hear.

Not sure how seriously one should take anything this developer says, when he is also apparently claiming this project is "on schedule." Developer-speak can be so entertaining.

FWIW, everyone I've talked to is expecting far more people to be working from home, permanently, but the effect of that on office space demand will likely be partly offset by requirements for increased social distancing. I have heard no one suggesting the net result will be increased demand for office space.

[cowboyeagle05]

Yeah what I am hearing more of is companies doing staggered office hours so employees spend half the week in office and the other half at home. New employees might have to work onsite for some time to make sure they can do their job and then later be eligible for work from home after a sort of 90 day. Of course a more co-working type environment would be the standard so desks could be cleaned at night. What we be curious is to see how much of the population would it take to work from home to make that big of a impact on traffic. If not everyone is trying to get home on 75 at 6 pm every day would their be some slight relief? I for example don't work in a job that allows me to work from home despite the fact I work in an office. I am overall curious how much of the available jobs in the marketplace at any given time is something that could be shifted to a separated model if there is a big reason like a pandemic.


back to this threads actual topic though I think what I am more sad about is the Liftime Fitness residence project. Seemed like a really great project and gyms aren't going away but I can see how they have been majorly impacted. Going to mine is currently a weird experience with so few people and trying to also be safe.