The construction of a mixed-use tower kicks off a project to develop a walkable community that connects Downtown Dallas to Uptown.
Two developers, Pacific Elms Properties and Headington Cos., own property in the area and have committed to working together on the project, with the shared vision of improving pedestrian connectivity between Downtown and Uptown.
“We both felt like the best outcome for the neighborhood would be to work together on something that’s a lot more cohesive and integrated,” explained Billy Prewitt, the chief investment officer for Pacific Elms Properties, per the Dallas Business Journal.
Together, the two firms created a unified master plan for the 30-acre stretch of land, known as the Field Street District, which runs along the Woodall Rogers Freeway extending southward. It lies between the West End District and the Arts District.
“It’s a great site to help reconnect all these districts,” Cameron Bayles of Talley Associates said, per the Dallas Business Journal. “It’s that missing link.” Talley Associates is the landscape architect on the project.
“The mixed-use development is planned to occur in phases, with the first phase to include the re-alignment of Griffin, reconfiguration of the highway off-ramp, a hotel and residential tower with garage and ground-level restaurant, and the relocation of Fire Station #18,” a Dallas Urban Design Peer Review Panel document shows.
The 30-story tower, planned for construction on Headington-owned land at the intersection of Field Street and Ross Avenue, will include 70 luxury apartments and 30 units the developers call “workforce housing.” The lower floors of the tower will house a 150-room hotel, meeting space, and restaurant space. An underground garage will provide parking for residents and visitors.
The 6-acre infill development in Phase I has been designed to “help connect” Downtown to Uptown, with “cultural sites, retail, entertainment, restaurants, offices, downtown parks and transit” within a 15-minute walk from the Field Street District, according to the urban design document.
“Design considerations for this phase include complete-street treatment of the re-alignment of Griffin and the highway off-ramp, introduction of active ground-level uses along Griffin, Field and Ross, and the introduction of open space that will serve this development and the public with amenitized uses, landscaping, and opportunities for public art.”
Pacific Elms Properties also plans to build an office tower on Harwood Street and a $359 million mixed-use tower on McKinney Avenue, the latter of which will include 300 apartments.