Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum

The completion of the garage conversion was coming along nicely, but they stopped short of glassing in the new retail. Instead they have erected plywood fronts and painted them white. This defeats the purpose of the exercise of making Victory Lane walk-worthy.

Why did they do this? And what do they plan to do with $3.5M of PID money--I know they say it is going to the retail, but for what specifically? Except for the glass it looks like the construction is done.

Perhaps they're waiting for the neighboring Cinepolis to open, so property values increase and they can charge higher rents to tenants?

I can see that TIF money would still go to creating the place:

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/real ... l-projects

Victory Park asks city for $3.5 million in funding to help with retail projects

Written by Steve Brown

...The money - from the Victory Park tax increment finance district - will pay for new retail space and parking, renovation of currently vacant space and renovation of existing space.

...especially considering the volume of residential under construction and potential, but easing pedestrian access to the development for nearby residents should be more of a priority.

In order for victory to become a true neighborhood, it is going to need more of a retail mix
other than restaurant, bars, and entertainment.

ebird wrote:In order for victory to become a true neighborhood, it is going to need more of a retail mix
other than restaurant, bars, and entertainment.

True. Once the grocery store and movie theater have been completed, that will really help the neighborhood. For anything else that the neighborhood lacks, I feel like Uptown could pick up the slack in the short term.

While all the construction will eventually help the neighborhood tremendously, it isn't really pleasant to walk past so many construction sites in such a short vicinity.

I absolutely still hate the garage..but it's better then what was there before. Honestly, I feel they need more retail. A shopping destination would be great. More neighborhood amenities as well.

Just noticed that all of the video screens at AT&T Plaza, including the ones in the tower, have been removed. Anyone know if they're being upgraded/replaced or taken down altogether?

lakewoodhobo wrote:Just noticed that all of the video screens at AT&T Plaza, including the ones in the tower, have been removed. Anyone know if they're being upgraded/replaced or taken down altogether?

IMG_7587.JPG

I've been wondering the same.

Those things were obsolete the day the turn 'em on.

I wouldn't be surprised if they removed all of that in an effort to appease the office tenants! It was pretty cool when they first went up. I remember they'd all go in different directions and then come together to show some cool artwork etc... Then they finally stopped moving and they just placed them together at the end of the plaza. I do remember when they would move it was quite loud!

tamtagon wrote:Those things were obsolete the day the turn 'em on.

HAHAHA....was thinking the same thing. Time for a refresh.

Awww... We need more Blade Runner video walls.

Kelley USA wrote:I wouldn't be surprised if they removed all of that in an effort to appease the office tenants! It was pretty cool when they first went up. I remember they'd all go in different directions and then come together to show some cool artwork etc... Then they finally stopped moving and they just placed them together at the end of the plaza. I do remember when they would move it was quite loud!

They ended up completely removing the screens and they are now installing new screens.

Walked by what used to be the old Angela Scott space today and saw plans laid out for the 4th floor expansion of the parking garage across from the W. Looks like they will be adding an additional floor soon.

dch526 wrote:Walked by what used to be the old Angela Scott space today and saw plans laid out for the 4th floor expansion of the parking garage across from the W. Looks like they will be adding an additional floor soon.

Had no idea that was in the works. This is the garage that would have supported the large Victory/Mandarin tower?

Tnexster wrote:

dch526 wrote:Walked by what used to be the old Angela Scott space today and saw plans laid out for the 4th floor expansion of the parking garage across from the W. Looks like they will be adding an additional floor soon.

Had no idea that was in the works. This is the garage that would have supported the large Victory/Mandarin tower?

Yea, that's the one.

it's amazing how, here, development continues despite the eminent removal of the mavericks from victory park.

buildingswithlegs wrote:it's amazing how, here, development continues despite the eminent removal of the mavericks from victory park.

No offense intended BWL, but more and more the arena looks like the odd man out in VP. There has never been any synergy between the arena and the residential or retail. If anything, trying to serve the arena has distorted the planning at VP.

The development activity we see now derives mainly from the fact that Uptown is near buildout. The location between the West End, Design District and Katy is a plus. But no one wants to live or shop there because of the arena.

If the Mavs leave, no one will notice. It just means 41 fewer nights of a neighborhood clogged with cars full of people in a rush to get there and then get out.

Victory Park is the place I most often go in Dallas since I go to a lot of Stars games. Outside of the plaza itself, which barely has anything of interest, nothing in the area "helps" the arena. There's no sports bars, slim pickings on restaurants, etc. It feels like the arena was the last thing put in the neighborhood, not the other way around.

That's precisely what I mean, we actually have something desirable spilling into VP and it's not anchored by the arena as was the original plan.

Truth be told... The arena served as jumper cables to the neighborhood. Without, it would have taken much, much longer to get to where it is. That said... Once your car is running, you take off the jumper cables and throw them in the trunk. At this point, I think VP would be solid with or without the Arena. But if a move across the freeway helps stimulate activity over there, I'm okay with that as well.

muncien wrote:Truth be told... The arena served as jumper cables to the neighborhood. Without, it would have taken much, much longer to get to where it is. That said... Once your car is running, you take off the jumper cables and throw them in the trunk. At this point, I think VP would be solid with or without the Arena. But if a move across the freeway helps stimulate activity over there, I'm okay with that as well.

This sounds about right. Although I feel like the main reason the arena was able to kick things off, is because people believed what the original master plan promised, rather than the reality of the arena. So it wasn't exactly the arena itself, it was the promise that the arena brought. A promise that it never lived up to.

Either way, I'm very happy at how dense of a neighborhood this is turning into. Plenty of residential, a hotel, a lot of ground floor retail, and nice wide sidewalks throughout. Soon there will be a grocery store and a movie theater, so, once the construction calms down in the area, I could see it being a nice place to hang out.

The Mavericks are not certain to leave AAC; the practice facility being readied is literally across the street - a very big street, but truly walking distance.

Also, TxDOT, NCTCoG, DART,DMN and however many other initial groups have been made aware the reconstruction of I-35 must come with a sheltered pedestrian overpass connecting the Victory Park commuter and light rail station to the Design District. The Mavericks have taken a somewhat philanthropic approach to the host city, and will without doubt redevelop the 10 acres in the Design District (in part) as a bountiful pedestrian entrance to the Design District along the old rail corridor.

During the beginning phase of the PR announcements of new Mavericks HQ and practice facility search, there was some mention that when the eventual construction could include a new game arena bundled into a highrise --- with the stadium being stories up... a new concept. That could be totally awesome, for sure, but remains to be seen.

The current reality of disposable $200 million sports facilities is ridiculous let alone the absence of historical richness of a team playing in the same venue for decades.

I think AAC will end up remaining the stadium of choice for the Mavericks and Stars.

That green line is going northwest into the parking lot of Trinity Lofts... the old rail corridor pretty much ends at Slocum.

This is exactly what I fear... tearing down a portion of the Design District for sports.

muncien wrote:Truth be told... The arena served as jumper cables to the neighborhood. Without, it would have taken much, much longer to get to where it is. That said... Once your car is running, you take off the jumper cables and throw them in the trunk. At this point, I think VP would be solid with or without the Arena. But if a move across the freeway helps stimulate activity over there, I'm okay with that as well.

Wow, interesting we could both look at the same thing and reach such different conclusions. I would agree that the money made available by the stadium to clean up the site was instrumental in making Victory possible... i would actually say that the stadium has been a bigger deterrent to the area than a help -- at least from a retail perspective.

dch526 wrote:Walked by what used to be the old Angela Scott space today and saw plans laid out for the 4th floor expansion of the parking garage across from the W. Looks like they will be adding an additional floor soon.

There does appear to be construction activity cranking up on the top floor of the garage. What would be driving the need for more parking? Is it event parking? Making sure there is retail parking during events? They did add retail parking at the SW corner of VP. Maybe this is more of that.

Maybe they need more parking for the planned tower that will eventually sit next to it.

Victory Park has totally made an impact on the skyline, as seen during Cowboys game. It's like, there's a couple dozen 200 footers spreading across eastern Oak Lawn and they make for an impressive downtown ramp-up, but the extra height of a few towers with a bump in elevation really juices the view. I for one would like to see at least one skyscraper punctuate Victory Park closer to 750'.

tamtagon wrote:Victory Park has totally made an impact on the skyline, as seen during Cowboys game. It's like, there's a couple dozen 200 footers spreading across eastern Oak Lawn and they make for an impressive downtown ramp-up, but the extra height of a few towers with a bump in elevation really juices the view. I for one would like to see at least one skyscraper punctuate Victory Park closer to 750'.

It's really stunning when I make the turnaround from Woodall to I-35 and can clearly see VP and how incredibly dense it has become in such a short time. Hopefully that open spot across from the W will be a more iconic tower that really marks VP.

gshelton91 wrote:

muncien wrote:Truth be told... The arena served as jumper cables to the neighborhood. Without, it would have taken much, much longer to get to where it is. That said... Once your car is running, you take off the jumper cables and throw them in the trunk. At this point, I think VP would be solid with or without the Arena. But if a move across the freeway helps stimulate activity over there, I'm okay with that as well.

Wow, interesting we could both look at the same thing and reach such different conclusions. I would agree that the money made available by the stadium to clean up the site was instrumental in making Victory possible... i would actually say that the stadium has been a bigger deterrent to the area than a help -- at least from a retail perspective.

Actually... I think we reached the same conclusion. Perhaps I didn't elaborate enough.

Sometimes perception outweighs reality... particularly when it comes to sporting venues. All the perceived 'great things' that come along with an arena helped kick start the area by bringing in investment. But in reality, the arena does little to help and in some ways is detrimental to the area.

So, I don't see VP becoming what it is today without the arena being part of the original plan. But now that it exists, it would probably better served without it.

/\ Yes I do agree with that... I think VP would make a great case study on the value of these arenas.

I'm not sure if this is the correct thread or if this information has yet been posted elsewhere , but there is a new Seven-Eleven at the corner of Houston and Olive on the ground floor of the Cirque where there was once a sports bar. A real indication that the area is becoming residential.

deweast1 wrote:I'm not sure if this is the correct thread or if this information has yet been posted elsewhere , but there is a new Seven-Eleven at the corner of Houston and Olive on the ground floor of the Cirque where there was once a sports bar. A real indication that the area is becoming residential.

Yeah I see it almost every day. Just never cared to share.. I suppose because it's a 7-11.

But the new 7-11 letters are cool. Nice update to the old school lettering on their logo.

Wow, I had no idea a 7-11 opened there. That's definitely promising news. I know many would say it's 'just' a 7-11, but I recall 7-11 was also in the CBD way before a lot of the new retail starting coming back, so I see it as the start of something much better.

Throw in the CVS, Pilates, Cross Fit and the salon-- starting to become a livable neighborhood.

Ten years ago, it was a big deal when 7-11 opened a store downtown! I guess it's hard to believe just how hollow downtown used to be. Victory Park didn't exist.

tamtagon wrote:Ten years ago, it was a big deal when 7-11 opened a store downtown! I guess it's hard to believe just how hollow downtown used to be. Victory Park didn't exist.

It was essentially a corporate stonehenge, really happy with the progress the city has made. If the HSR project happens it will be a huge catalyst to one of the last parts of the CBD needing a rebirth. I am looking forward to the day where Main-Street/Farmers Market/West End/Victory Park/Deep Ellum/Cedars combine in to an entirely self sustaining ecosystem.

ContriveDallasite wrote:

tamtagon wrote:Ten years ago, it was a big deal when 7-11 opened a store downtown! I guess it's hard to believe just how hollow downtown used to be. Victory Park didn't exist.

It was essentially a corporate stonehenge, really happy with the progress the city has made. If the HSR project happens it will be a huge catalyst to one of the last parts of the CBD needing a rebirth. I am looking forward to the day where Main-Street/Farmers Market/West End/Victory Park/Deep Ellum/Cedars combine in to an entirely self sustaining ecosystem.

Same. Several years ago, I was somewhat worried that some sort of economic downturn (or some other catastrophic event) would send Dallas back on the path to decay, but I feel like we've reached a point where it's only a matter of time before what you're describing happens.

So it looks like new video boards have been put up?

Kelley USA wrote:So it looks like new video boards have been put up?

Are they just like the old ones?

12/24/2016 Update

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

Magnolia Station 12/24/16 Update

http://www.architecturedemarest.com/project/magnolia-station/

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

Untitled by Around My City, on Flickr

I wanna get unit at the magnolia. These are in a great locale.

Magnolia Station is turning out to be an interesting development! Nice Pics!

There is construction activity on the old railroad right of way that runs under 35 from the VP DART station to the DD. Anybody know what's up?

Probably part of Lowest Stemmons that is just kicking off with the connector roads

Steel framing for the columns are all in place (some poured) for the 4th floor addition to the garage across from the W

willyk wrote:There is construction activity on the old railroad right of way that runs under 35 from the VP DART station to the DD. Anybody know what's up?

The new ramps to the Tollway are being constructed.

More restaurants announced, including the spaces formerly Nove and N9NE.

Dallas' Victory Park welcomes three hot new indie restaurant concepts
http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/resta ... dard-pour/

Now that the walking population is getting a toe-hold, the place really ought to gel.