A new development in East Village is set to transform the area and give neighboring Uptown a run for its money.
Known as The Central, the East Village community will be located at the northeast corner of Haskell Avenue and U.S. Highway 75, north of the CityPlace Tower. The site for the new development once housed the so-called ‘Leaning Tower of Dallas,’ the former viral Affiliated Computer Services building that stood at a 15-degree angle after being half-demolished before eventually getting fully leveled.
Once complete, the new mixed-use project will include residential living, a hotel, office space, restaurants, and more.
“Imagine a place where walkability starts at your apartment or office door — a place where density has a human dimension… welcome to The Central in East Village,” reads a description on the project’s website.
The massive development project on the edge of Uptown spans 27 acres. Developer De La Vega Capital says the community will feature 2,000 multifamily residential units at full build-out. It will also include 2.5 million square feet of office space and 110,000 square feet of retail space.
The project organizers believe The Central could become one of the city’s emerging new hubs, especially since surrounding neighborhoods, like Knox-Henderson, are rapidly filling up. According to the hopes of some city leaders, The Central could even eventually attract corporate headquarters.
“I thought we had an opportunity to develop east of 75 and East Village and showcase its personality and its own character,” CEO Artemio De La Vega said during a panel discussion on February 1, per Dallas Business Journal.
De La Vega says local residents have been weighing in on the development’s plans, helping shape the eventual four-acre park planned for the community.
“We aim to connect the neighborhoods with the project… We basically developed the park with the neighborhoods and in partnership with them,” he said.
A previous owner of a portion of the 27-acre site, Trammell Crow, had considered building a Sam’s Club-anchored development in the area in 2014. However, neighborhood backlash drove Crow to scrap the idea, eventually selling his 16 acres to De La Vega in 2019, adding to the 11 acres he already owned.