Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum

12/24/16 Update

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

Too bad these units are not for sale; this may be the best neighborhood to own a highrise unit.

Kingpin, thanks for all the pictures!

This is great. Nice pix KP.

Completely forgot about this one since it took them forever to start one it after they had cleared the land (what was it that they built first again - a dog kennel?) Glad to see that it's well on its way up.

Taken by me:

I forget this one is going up, thanks for the update.

It has quite a presence as you drive up McKinney.

This one seems to be rising ever so slowly. Can't wait to see the finished product. I'm sure it'll look impressive.

very nice!

Yeah- I'm very excited about this one. It has a lovely nod to classical designs and will fit the area well. I hope it's a catalyst for more of the same.

dwight wrote:It has quite a presence as you drive up McKinney.

It's starting to have a presence as you drive north on NCX as well.

As to the comment about how slow it's coming, I have the opposite impression. This one and Oliver & Central were announced around the same time. O&C is just sitting there without anything done after the old office buildings were scraped. The McKenzie had a slow start because of the relocation of the (three story) Doggie Daycare/Vet, but now they are going great guns. Looks like about 10 of the 22 stories are poured.

Also not only is it tall but it is also wide. This is a big building.

3/4/17
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

From Today:




By Me

Update photos from yesterday. About 8 more floors to go. Still waiting to see the brick selection.

6/5/17

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

So are they pouring the 20th floor?

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

I think we just have 2 more floors to go.

8/20

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Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

9/24/17

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

The brick work looks amazing!
We need more brick and less stucco.

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

Is this the McKenzie or is it the Case building in Deep Ellum?
They look quite similar?

Even without the lettering, this is definitely Case.

Yeah, thats definitely east Dallas..

sorry guys, wrong thread

This is 100% The McKenzie

I really like the way this one commands the northern end of McKinney Ave. it also stands out looking south from Mockinbird Station. Wonder how preleasing is going.

I realize that photos of the Case Building were initially posted, but the irony is that these are both StreetLights projects, a development firm which tends to use a cookie-cutter design with cheap off-the-rack windows and a goal to sell the project quickly. I don’t blame them, but I find most of their projects cheap with many short cuts taken, and I say this having lived at both the Taylor and the Jordan.

It sounds like you are in a better position to make the observations you made having lived in two StreetLights projects. I don't know about the windows, but the comment makes sense.

I will say that MOST ALL developers have the goal of quickly selling the project. If they don't, how do they move on to the next one? As far as the cookie cutter aspect, how many different ways can you build a 20 story apartment tower? It seems to me that all those look alike to some degree (thinking of West Village and VP's latest) regardless of who developed it. Does the architect have a role in this as well?

I will say that I appreciate that brick seems to be StreetLight's predominate skin on the towers you mention and I will give them credit for that.

interestedobserver wrote:I realize that photos of the Case Building were initially posted, but the irony is that these are both StreetLights projects, a development firm which tends to use a cookie-cutter design with cheap off-the-rack windows and a goal to sell the project quickly. I don’t blame them, but I find most of their projects cheap with many short cuts taken, and I say this having lived at both the Taylor and the Jordan.

I'm very surprised to hear that. I always regarded Streetlights' projects as a cut above most of the apartments being built out there. Yes, they use almost the same floorplans in every development but there seems to be an emphasis on high quality materials, beautiful amenity spaces, and exteriors that don't look as cookie cutter as other developments. Their kitchens are bar none the best out there in the midrange "luxury" segment.

The Case Building kitchens, which have a near identical layout and feel as their other developments:

Yeah, the finishes in that picture look nicer than my Gables unit. And I’ve been happy here!

What will the rents be like at the Case Building? Comparable to the Jordan and the Taylor?

I agree that StreetLights does a great job with unit finishes. The kitchens are fantastic. The built-in Sonos and speakers are also nice. Recessed, dimmable overhead lighting in the living room is a fairly unique feature and one that lends a more polished ambiance. I assume they are able to get great deals on a lot of these things since they must order huge numbers of the same fridge, sink, etc., across their wide portfolio of ongoing projects.

My beef is when it comes to other areas where I feel corners are cut, likely since they don't have the same purchasing power. For example, at both The Jordan and The Taylor there are two primary elevator units. They are models which have very slow door opening / closing and travel between floors. They are frequently down (less so now). Contrast that with a building like Gables Park 17 or The Brady which have four primary cars that are also higher end models with upgraded parts / motors allowing for faster travel and door opening / closing. It seems like a minor quibble but the elevator situation means I have to build in 5 - 10 minutes every day of my commute just to get to the garage. Ingress / egress at the Jordan is atrocious. Cars constantly have to back up and move out of the way in order to pass one another. And in a stroke of genius, moving trucks must park out front of the main entrance, blocking sight lines for the garage, and using the main driveway as a passage for dollies, furniture, etc.

I agree that most developers want to sell quickly, but I just find no comparison between the exterior appearance and quality of, say, The Ascent, to The Jordan. Or The Brady to The Jordan. Does anyone think that The Jordan's exterior style will look as good as The Ashton does at the latter building's current age?

Or compare The Jordan to Park District, going up just down the street. Both have bricks, but Park District clearly is done to a higher grade with much better windows and no apparent reliance on stucco.

Has anyone walked down an interior corridor of The Jordan or The Taylor and compared it to The Katy or The Brady? Night and day upgrade in terms of finish and quality for the non-Street Lights projects.

Another comparison: The Katy and its sister property at Preston Hollow Village. Better windows, better exterior finish.

I hate to sound whiny as that's not my intention, but I have been lured twice by the great photography and marketing of a Street Lights project. I won't make that mistake again (moving out next month). For the record: the management and building services at the Jordan are phenomenal.

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr
Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

It's been a while since an update on this one. I still like the way it acts as an exclamation point at the north end of McKinney Ave. They light it up at night now (very subtle, just some accent lighting at the top).

From the outside, evidence of tenants has begun (there are chairs and bikes on some of the balconies). I saw some people enter the building after walking their dog. They have finished skinning the garage. It's not disguised/hidden very well, but who's going to complain? The garage faces a storage unit facility and the dog hotel/veterinarian. I will be watching to see how well this leases up. With all the activity proposed for Knox Street, it should be fine.

It would be nice to see new residential highrises with this aesthetic in Downtown. This kind of reminds me of brand new versions of the prewar residential you'd see in older cities. I think they'd fit right in Dowtown.

^ ^ It doesn't seem to be part of the StreetLight Development strategy to build in downtown quite yet. They could make quite the statement if they did.

Tnexster wrote:https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2018/10/05/living-high-life-dallas-high-rise-aims-tip-top-rental-market
"They want high-end services like at condominiums."

"Our residents are treated like this is their home when they walk in," Chesnut said. "We went with the high-quality finish-out and custom construction."

Okay, treated like they're home owners, just not. Hopefully, anyway, the next one will be a condo tower. This northern nook Knox is on track to become the highrise equivalent of Highland Park, but the dwellings need to be owner occupied for greatest stability, renters don't really care.

$95 Million loan for The McKenziehttps://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2019/06/27/new-dallas-residential-tower-lands95-million-loan

Seems surprising they are only at 50% occupancy this long after opening (getting close to a year).

Tucy wrote:Seems surprising they are only at 50% occupancy this long after opening (getting close to a year).

"...and has apartments that rent from $3,500 a month for the smallest to more than $18,000 for a top-floor penthouse."

I think that explains it.

This is a huge building, seeking very high rents. Makes sense.