Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum

rono3849 wrote:

R1070 wrote:I’m just excited for that big junky metal sign to get torn down on the corner.

Why that old Doran Chevrolet sign remained standing has always been a mystery, but I'll be glad to see it sent to the junk yard. It's been an eyesore for years.

I used to work in the office tower on the corner across from Doran. Oryx Energy built that tower when they moved away from Northpark. Took years to get the tower planned, built and occupied and no less than 30 days after they got everyone into the building Oryx announced layoffs. 1/3 of the building would be vacant. Doran had this sign up big as Christmas that said "Your Job is Your Credit" for all those employees to see every day when they drove in. Of course Orxy didn't stop at 1/3 and today is a distant memory.

It will be interesting know what they are saying about Midtown!

https://candysdirt.com/2021/05/19/are-y ... -and-more/

derkcir wrote:It will be interesting know what they are saying about Midtown!

https://candysdirt.com/2021/05/19/are-y ... -and-more/

Yeah, very curious to see what’s said.

From the CandysDirt article:

“And if you have always wanted to know why the Midtown development at the former Valley View Mall has looked like a wasteland during the last eight years of outgoing District 11 Councilman Lee Kleiman’s tenure at City Hall, now you can ask.”

The same Lee Kleinman who owns the commercial property at SE corner of Greenville Ave and Belmont? You know the empty WalMart space he left vacant for years not caring about the impact on the neighborhood, just happy to cash their rent checks. That Councilman?

LongonBigD wrote:From the CandysDirt article:

“And if you have always wanted to know why the Midtown development at the former Valley View Mall has looked like a wasteland during the last eight years of outgoing District 11 Councilman Lee Kleiman’s tenure at City Hall, now you can ask.”

The same Lee Kleinman who owns the commercial property at SE corner of Greenville Ave and Belmont? You know the empty WalMart space he left vacant for years not caring about the impact on the neighborhood, just happy to cash their rent checks. That Councilman?

I guess I don't quite understand what you're getting at.

As underwhelming as he may have been, Lee Kleiman doesn't own Valley View and isn't some dictator who can force the individual that does own it to move any faster with redeveloping the site.

It's nice that they are willing to have this project be brought up as a topic of discussion in this town hall, but I doubt there will be much revealed beyond what we already know.

My point is that he is no catalyst for change, which is probably why he got elected and re-elected.

LongonBigD wrote:From the CandysDirt article:

“And if you have always wanted to know why the Midtown development at the former Valley View Mall has looked like a wasteland during the last eight years of outgoing District 11 Councilman Lee Kleiman’s tenure at City Hall, now you can ask.”

The same Lee Kleinman who owns the commercial property at SE corner of Greenville Ave and Belmont? You know the empty WalMart space he left vacant for years not caring about the impact on the neighborhood, just happy to cash their rent checks. That Councilman?

Not to say that Kleinman is some dynamic change agent, but the (former) councilman who owns and sat on that commercial property on Lower Greenville is Mitchell Rasansky.

https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/comm ... ntil-2032/

The article mentions a candidate that has the support of all the Midtown developers. What a ringing endorsement!

OrangeMike wrote:Not to say that Kleinman is some dynamic change agent, but the (former) councilman who owns and sat on that commercial property on Lower Greenville is Mitchell Rasansky.

https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/comm ... ntil-2032/

My bad. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that our elected council members are so forgettable that I can’t even tell them apart.

The right team of salespeople ought to be able to sell the location to some from the throng of office relocations looking at the area.

Soooo did anybody listen/attend to get our questions answered? I’m losing faith day by day

ajderry2017 wrote:Soooo did anybody listen/attend to get our questions answered? I’m losing faith day by day

Been meaning to ask this too.

My question to everyone is regarding the scope of the project/“sub-projects” within Midtown, specifically KDC’s Park Heritage.

Midtown’s future as a whole is very uncertain, but considering KDC has their own piece of the pie in Park Heritage, do we think that’ll be the only/first portion that goes vertical? Or is that most likely tied to the entirety of Midtown/dead until other portions of the “original renders” start coming to fruition?

I apologize for the terrible worded question. Hurts my head reading what I just wrote too.

I'm over this project. I'm tired of the ups and downs of it. It's been nearly 8 years or so and it has been nothing but back and forth. Was really looking forward to this. No really exciting projects anymore nowadays they just never can seem to happen here until decades after announced smh

Warrior2020 wrote:I'm over this project. I'm tired of the ups and downs of it. It's been nearly 8 years or so and it has been nothing but back and forth. Was really looking forward to this. No really exciting projects anymore nowadays they just never can seem to happen here until decades after announced smh

Right there with you on this feeling, but still holding out hope, especially for KDC's portion (Park Heritage) due to their somewhat continuous activity as of late...
• McKinney & Lemmon
• The Epic
• Parkside Uptown (KDC & Miyama tower on KWP)
• Independent Financial's campus (original building and expansion under construction right now)
• Recent completion of Block H in Legacy West
• Chase's campus expansion in Legacy West

The rest of Midtown? Yeah, don't know... If anything/anyone is going to save/start this project, I feel it's KDC. Sad, and could be wrong, because this project is a complete clusterf**k so who knows?

I suppose a bit of good news is that it seems the AMC is finally closed for good.

I think it had reopened briefly once the COVID lockdown restrictions were lifted, but now it's no longer listed on their website. Apparently, their lease was until 2021.

Maybe now, what remains of the mall can be demolished.

Has Beck ever done a project of this magnitude? Maybe they’re in over their heads on this one.

Hwulivn wrote:Has Beck ever done a project of this magnitude? Maybe they’re in over their heads on this one.

I agree with this statement. Once this debacle is over we will hopefully find out the truth. Im so sick of driving by this disaster every day!

Looks like Beck has been busy with other things. Definitely could be in over their heads, but it could be a combo of a bit of that, finances, and focus. "Anthem Development" is newly formed, focusing on multifamily. "Beck Realty Residential" is his new residential baby...

Focus on Midtown, Scott.

undefinedprocess wrote:Looks like Beck has been busy with other things. Definitely could be in over their heads, but it could be a combo of a bit of that, finances, and focus. "Anthem Development" is newly formed, focusing on multifamily. "Beck Realty Residential" is his new residential baby...

Focus on Midtown, Scott.

I think Scott has proven he is not able to take on this level of development. Looks like his jewel so far is a fancy strip mall in trophy club.

It's unfortunate that the stars couldn't align for Billingsley to take over this project.

I'd much rather see this come to fruition than Monarch City on Allen.

Addison wrote:It's unfortunate that the stars couldn't align for Billingsley to take over this project.

I'd much rather see this come to fruition than Monarch City on Allen.

Me too. I'd love to see Midtown become a reality, but also unsure of if Billingsley are the best for the job... Feel like they'd make it incredibly sterile, but then again, beggars can't be choosers and it'd be better than the current state of things...

Sigh.

I may drive by Valley View today to confirm, but per Reddit, it seems work has finally resumed on the site.

Also, there was this from the end of April:

Council Approves Purchase of ‘First Step’ For Dallas Midtown Park

https://www.peoplenewspapers.com/2021/0 ... town-park/

I didn’t know there is a Reddit about midtown. Anyway I drove by there earlier and I saw a small amount of activity but I’ve seen that before so I didn’t think much of it.

Addison wrote:I may drive by Valley View today to confirm, but per Reddit, it seems work has finally resumed on the site.

Also, there was this from the end of April:

Council Approves Purchase of ‘First Step’ For Dallas Midtown Park

https://www.peoplenewspapers.com/2021/0 ... town-park/

derkcir wrote:I didn’t know there is a Reddit about midtown. Anyway I drove by there earlier and I saw a small amount of activity but I’ve seen that before so I didn’t think much of it.

Addison wrote:I may drive by Valley View today to confirm, but per Reddit, it seems work has finally resumed on the site.

Also, there was this from the end of April:

Council Approves Purchase of ‘First Step’ For Dallas Midtown Park

https://www.peoplenewspapers.com/2021/0 ... town-park/

There isn't a Reddit about Midtown. There were a couple posts about it on r/Dallas.

https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news ... -beck.html

Yawn. Same ole story. “Could start breaking ground by the end of this year!”

Then the end of the year comes…

“Could start breaking ground by early next year!”

Smfh

Midtown is an eyesore now. They tore down Valley View and started moving some dirt around, yet nothing went vertical & it appears nothing is going on now. The immediate area around The Galleria has been growing by leaps and bounds with new buildings & mid-rise apartments flourishing. Why this can't be duplicated less than a quarter of a mile away is a mystery. If the planned Galleria make-over, which includes a high rise apartment tower, moves forward, Midtown will continue to languish in development limbo.

rono3849 wrote:Midtown is an eyesore now. They tore down Valley View and started moving some dirt around, yet nothing went vertical & it appears nothing is going on now. The immediate area around The Galleria has been growing by leaps and bounds with new buildings & mid-rise apartments flourishing. Why this can't be duplicated less than a quarter of a mile away is a mystery. If the planned Galleria make-over, which includes a high rise apartment tower, moves forward, Midtown will continue to languish in development limbo.

They have restarted infrastructure work on the Park Heritage portion of the site (I drove by to see for myself), but that's about it,

BTW, there's something else weird I peeped out...

I distinctively remember reading an article a while back that the AMC theatre would close for good this year (when their lease ran out). Now, they're saying the theatre may stick around for several more years.

To add, I went to AMC's website and although the Valley View location seemed to have been taken down at first (when I checked a couple weeks ago), it's now back on the website listed as "Temporarily Closed."

Just a bunch of oddball stuff.

Addison wrote:BTW, there's something else weird I peeped out...

I distinctively remember reading an article a while back that the AMC theatre would close for good this year (when their lease ran out). Now, they're saying the theatre may stick around for several more years.

To add, I went to AMC's website and although the Valley View location seemed to have been taken down at first (when I checked a couple weeks ago), it's now back on the website listed as "Temporarily Closed."

Just a bunch of oddball stuff.

Might have to do with the cash windfall AMC got by selling shares into the crazy Reddit-induced runup in their stock price.

I think at this point the best we can hope for is that the momentum of all the development in the Galleria/Valley View area will generate enough residual value for Beck (does he even own all of the Midtown property?) to just cut and run at a profit.

I feel like a while back Beck was trying to hold some TIF incentives hostage after they reached expiration and the city said "No". I can't imagine he will start anything meaningful unless the city decides to kick in some kind of consideration, which is a real shame.

rono3849 wrote: If the planned Galleria make-over, which includes a high rise apartment tower, moves forward, Midtown will continue to languish in development limbo.

I don't recall any plans for a high-rise apartment tower being included in the Galleria's proposed make-over.

Addison wrote:BTW, there's something else weird I peeped out...

I distinctively remember reading an article a while back that the AMC theatre would close for good this year (when their lease ran out). Now, they're saying the theatre may stick around for several more years.

To add, I went to AMC's website and although the Valley View location seemed to have been taken down at first (when I checked a couple weeks ago), it's now back on the website listed as "Temporarily Closed."

Just a bunch of oddball stuff.

So I was by there today and noticed a lot of activity going on. The bulldozers are moving again. It also looks like they are about to tear down the old jewelry store on Preston across from LA Fitness.

Does anyone actually believe Beck's explanation about sewage/wastewater (or something similar) infrastructure needing upgrades, and that's what was holding them back?

I don't doubt that it's false, because he couldn't just blatantly lie about something like that, but do any of y'all actually buy that? The "city refusing to upgrade it" was holding them back, but they decided to just do it themselves (what a great guy!) so they could proceed?

Also, he mentioned that it'd be an apartment building that'd be breaking ground on first. That's the building that they're referring to in all of these stories saying "Midtown going vertical in early 2022." Most likely a 5-story copy and paste apartment building, huh?

Interesting to me how KDC has seemingly been doing work on the Park Heritage portion of the project for a little while now...

What do y'all think regarding the stuff with Beck, and what are your thoughts about KDC's portion of Midtown?

undefinedprocess wrote:Does anyone actually believe Beck's explanation about sewage/wastewater (or something similar) infrastructure needing upgrades, and that's what was holding them back?

I don't doubt that it's false, because he couldn't just blatantly lie about something like that, but do any of y'all actually buy that? The "city refusing to upgrade it" was holding them back, but they decided to just do it themselves (what a great guy!) so they could proceed?

Also, he mentioned that it'd be an apartment building that'd be breaking ground on first. That's the building that they're referring to in all of these stories saying "Midtown going vertical in early 2022." Most likely a 5-story copy and paste apartment building, huh?

Interesting to me how KDC has seemingly been doing work on the Park Heritage portion of the project for a little while now...

What do y'all think regarding the stuff with Beck, and what are your thoughts about KDC's portion of Midtown?

Do I believe what Beck brought up about the sewer was *AN* issue that would have to be resolved? Absolutely.

Do I believe it was a big enough issue to stop progress on the project? No.

I overheard today one of the employees of the LA Fitness at Preston/LBJ saying that location will be closing effective Nov. 24th. They also said the plan is to reopen at the intersection of Hillcrest and Arapaho beginning of 2022. There are not any signs posted indicating any imminent closure of the current location but the staff was pretty convincing that this was going to happen. The pending construction in the area was given as a reason for the move. We will see.

jecha wrote:I overheard today one of the employees of the LA Fitness at Preston/LBJ saying that location will be closing effective Nov. 24th. They also said the plan is to reopen at the intersection of Hillcrest and Arapaho beginning of 2022. There are not any signs posted indicating any imminent closure of the current location but the staff was pretty convincing that this was going to happen. The pending construction in the area was given as a reason for the move. We will see.

That location on Hillcrest & Arapaho was formerly an Albertsons/Minyards grocery store. The shopping center it's in has had a total makeover.

Is lifetime fitness still a thing for this so called Midtown project?

https://www.lifetime.life/life-time-loc ... dtown.html

So I noticed a little thing... Obviously, KDC had their "section" of Midtown, known as Park Heritage. Notice the "had." It's completely gone from their website. The project page that once gloated about Park Heritage & Dallas Midtown as a whole is gone. The only Park Heritage-related thing left on the site is a news article or two, as well as a PDF brochure that I found hosted on KDC.com via Google.

So did KDC quit on Park Heritage? What do y'all think..? Because the complete removal of this (considering they have many other future projects/proposals remaining on the site) screams "bye" to me...

Not to mention KDC jus got that huge investment where they touted they would be able to start a number of projects that they were eager to kick off.

Ominiplan and the developments actual website is still up though. Architects keep projects up no matter if they get built but usually if a project is totally cancelled I would assume the Park Heritage website would be down. The last news on the website is from 2019. Someone call Steve Blow maybe he can write a fluff piece about it without telling us nothing new.

cowboyeagle05 wrote:Not to mention KDC jus got that huge investment where they touted they would be able to start a number of projects that they were eager to kick off.

Ominiplan and the developments actual website is still up though. Architects keep projects up no matter if they get built but usually if a project is totally cancelled I would assume the Park Heritage website would be down. The last news on the website is from 2019. Someone call Steve Blow maybe he can write a fluff piece about it without telling us nothing new.

The headline on the Omniplan website is kinda ironic:

HOW DO YOU TURN A DYING MALL INTO A THRIVING DESTINATION?https://www.omniplan.com/work/case-studies/park-heritage.html

I was doubtful of both Beck and this proposal from the beginning. So yeah...

This one is kind of interesting since actually more has been done around Midtown (even while the mall part languishes) than has been done around Collin Creek, and both started at roughly the same time, and both have a busted looking mall just sitting around a vaguely construction-looking site. Even as Collin Creek officially starts, there's not an army of workers and equipment there like most construction sites (at least not yet), there is some equipment and a couple of guys doing really basic stuff a few days a week.

The_Overdog wrote:This one is kind of interesting since actually more has been done around Midtown (even while the mall part languishes) than has been done around Collin Creek, and both started at roughly the same time, and both have a busted looking mall just sitting around a vaguely construction-looking site. Even as Collin Creek officially starts, there's not an army of workers and equipment there like most construction sites (at least not yet), there is some equipment and a couple of guys doing really basic stuff a few days a week.

While true, the approach they're taking with Collin Creek is very different, both in terms of scope/scale of the redevelopment, and the order they're doing things. The few hundred townhomes (starting at like $500K, by the way) are what's getting underway first. I'm sure that other aspects of Collin Creek will begin "shortly" after, but Midtown was overall more ambitious. Guess in this case, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

undefinedprocess wrote:So I noticed a little thing... Obviously, KDC had their "section" of Midtown, known as Park Heritage. Notice the "had." It's completely gone from their website. The project page that once gloated about Park Heritage & Dallas Midtown as a whole is gone. The only Park Heritage-related thing left on the site is a news article or two, as well as a PDF brochure that I found hosted on KDC.com via Google.

So did KDC quit on Park Heritage? What do y'all think..? Because the complete removal of this (considering they have many other future projects/proposals remaining on the site) screams "bye" to me...

"He's dead, Jim."

Big news (or not) about Dallas Midtown.

It now includes a people mover to the Galleria and Addison Transit Center.


https://www.facebook.com/91686597689/po ... 888697690/

The smell of BS is very high in that article. Mind you its a given that NBC crafted a dialogue in a way they think makes sense but I love that COVID wasn't mentioned as a delay for anyone involved either. Sounds like BECK is hell bent on keeping the story on the city while I guess the city has decided to just keep moving and ignore the blame game.

So a people move is progressive? What year was it invented oh yeah in the 1960's. Disney discontinued there's at a few parks, not the monorail the people mover. It also doesn't look like Las Colinas got a big swing of development just because of their people mover exists but I am sure it was great for marketing at the beginning. Lets calm down on the over cheerleading for a golf cart on a concrete overpass. If development ever shows up as BECK promised it might be nice but I guess this is the only positive news they have to sell right now so they are leaning on it hard as signs of momentum.

This seems so excessive and pointless and I doubt it'll be used.

Dallas rebranding Valley View mall area to attract global business, residents
The North Dallas area, which includes the Galleria, is now being called the International District

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politic ... residents/

Dallas is rebranding a 440-acre area that includes the Galleria and demolished Valley View mall as the International District.

It’s the latest step in a long-planned redevelopment of the North Dallas area that officials now say will become the city’s cultural hub and attract new global businesses.

The project was previously dubbed Dallas Midtown, but polling showed “International District” resonated most with residents, said Suzanne Smith, a project consultant with Social Impact Architects.

Progress on redeveloping the area has been slow since the council approved the plan in 2013, but city officials point to the rebranding and recent developments as positive signs it is moving forward.

It's centrally located within DFW and convenient to the airport, so perhaps this is a more fitting name.

Not altogether sure rebranding will fix the problem here.