Dallas City Council has greenlit a $49 million aid package to support the construction of a new mixed-use development in Downtown’s West End.
The new development, known as the West End Lofts Project, will be located near the West End DART light rail station and Dallas College. It will be mixed-use, mixed-income, and transit-focused.
The development will occupy three parcels in the West End: 805 Elm St., 711 Elm St., and 211 N. Austin St.
Sycamore Strategies, LLC is leading the over $103 million project that will see the construction of 154 mixed-income apartments, including 56 efficiencies (studio apartments), 24 one-bedroom, 69 two-bedroom and four-bedroom, and four three-bedroom units, at the historic building located at 805 Elm St. and at a still-to-be constructed six-story building adjacent to it.
Just over 40% of the units will be income-restricted, available only to households earning at or below median income, per Culture Map Dallas.
“This is an exciting project that will convert underutilized/vacant historic buildings and surface parking lots into active residential and commercial uses abutting the West End DART light rail station and across the street from El Centro College,” said City Councilmember Paul Ridley (District 14), a member of the City Council’s Economic Development Committee, in a statement, per WFAA.
“With the reconstruction and expansion of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and impactful projects such as West End Lofts, we can expect to see significant positive changes to the west side of downtown Dallas over the next several years,” said Ridley, referencing another major project Downtown, the multi-billion dollar Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center overhaul.
The project will also include ground-floor retail and commercial space. It has a nearly 26,000-square-foot plaza and promenade, along with 140 parking spaces at the parking garage on 711 Elm Street.
Over $54 million in non-City funding was sourced for the project. This includes equity in the form of low-income housing tax credits and historic rehabilitation tax credits.
“The West End Lofts development is about more than apartments to us. It is a chance to revitalize and transform an area of downtown with a brand new pedestrian plaza, street-level retail, workforce housing and the preservation of two pieces of Dallas history,” said Zachary Krochtengel of Sycamore Strategies.
“The City of Dallas has been an essential and invaluable partner to us, and we are extremely grateful for their support,” he added.