Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum

From yesterday

"Construction kicks off on huge Deep Ellum mixed-use project"

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/real ... se-project

Any idea of the hotel flag?

Look at DE, getting more upward momentum. And right up next to 345....which was supposed to be such a drag on development.

Tnexster wrote:Look at DE, getting more upward momentum. And right up next to 345....which was supposed to be such a drag on development.

Yes. And maybe with the Ascent getting wrapped up, Greystar will get going on City Lights 2 and the Tom Thumb.

Hannibal Lecter wrote:"Construction kicks off on huge Deep Ellum mixed-use project"

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/real ... se-project

looks like they updated the design



original:

Very interesting. Looks like the changed the orientation of the taller tower. Is that the residential component?

In the original rendering, it looked like the length of the building was going more North/South, with the broad side of the building looking toward dt and the other side DE.

Now it looks to be going more East/West. And perhaps a shade taller?

The gray paint is coming off Union Bankers. The re-exposed red brick facade will be carried to the new buildings on Elm and Good Latimer.

I like the look, and it is wise of them to leverage the impact of the historical building into the new construction.

Kinda diggin the updated design

The residential tower looks like it could easily be a 400 foot 30 story building

joshua.dodd wrote:The residential tower looks like it could easily be a 400 foot 30 story building

You could be right. I count 26 stories, but I could be missing a few.

Looking at those renderings I will tell you one thing. Looks like the additional property they acquired after they announced the project now allows them to have an internal street traveling east to west or maybe it's a courtyard. Either way the changes look better and I am glad they are moving ahead even without a major tenant announcement.

The Pittman Hotel? And yeah the update is pretty cool.

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/real ... ears-build

eburress wrote:

joshua.dodd wrote:The residential tower looks like it could easily be a 400 foot 30 story building

You could be right. I count 26 stories, but I could be missing a few.

The article says "20 story apartment tower". But I think that tower might be sitting on top of a parking podium.

lakewoodhobo wrote:The Pittman Hotel? And yeah the update is pretty cool.

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/real ... ears-build

This development looks really cool. (But it kind of steps on the message of those who are campaigning to remove I-345).

Here's the full quote from the DMN regarding the Pitman Hotel name:

"The landmark Knights of Pythias Temple, also known as the Union Bankers Building, will be converted into a 164-room boutique hospital called the Pittman Hotel."

Steve's getting careless, or they no longer have someone checking his work.

This morning, workers were putting up a wood fence around the shiny metal guitarist/birdies sculpture (I know it, and the companion across the street, have a name, but it's not coming to me right now). The rest of the perimeter is chain-link. Apparently the developers got a closure agreement with the city about Hawkins St. south of Pacific-Gaston (I've never known exactly where they transition) and east of Central. This afternoon, the wood fence was done and the chain-link now has blue tarp-mesh along it, and work trailers have been parked inside the Hawkins/Central/Pacific-Gaston triangle. Sorry I wasn't able to get pix of it all.

Should the Epic work have its own thread?

It should indeed! I'm kinda surprised it doesn't already, but maybe that's because nobody expected this project to actually happen. haha

jrd1964 wrote:This morning, workers were putting up a wood fence around the shiny metal guitarist/birdies sculpture (I know it, and the companion across the street, have a name, but it's not coming to me right now) [...]

Deep Ellum Traveling Man is the name of the sculpture.

eburress wrote:It should indeed! I'm kinda surprised it doesn't already, but maybe that's because nobody expected this project to actually happen. haha

It had its own thread in the old forum. When this new version was launched it is up to forum members to recreate some of the project threads.

"Huge Deep Ellum development will take more than 2 years to build"

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/real ... ears-build

I think having retail face the "internal" street is a big mistake.

ArtVandelay wrote:I think having retail face the "internal" street is a big mistake.

I have been wondering about the same thing. The design may cut their new retail off from the organic retail that brought them to DE in the first place--ironic.

In support of the design, it looks like the internal street runs from Elm nearly to Gaston and the DART stop, so it may have the feel of a natural cross street like Crowdus.

But clearly there is a risk that the internal street may feel like the sterilized retail in Legacy West instead of the funky retail in Deep Ellum--and be rejected as "inauthentic" as a result.

willyk wrote:

ArtVandelay wrote:In support of the design, it looks like the internal street runs from Elm nearly to Gaston and the DART stop, so it may have the feel of a natural cross street like Crowdus.

The DART station is going away when they build D2.

willyk wrote:But clearly there is a risk that the internal street may feel like the sterilized retail in Legacy West instead of the funky retail in Deep Ellum--and be rejected as "inauthentic" as a result.

I think any retail along Elm would be staring at the 345 exit ramps, so if authenticity means hearing all that noise, maybe I don't want it.

The internal street improves the grid and guarantees retail on both sides, something Victory Park is finally correcting.

^ Except for the Bryan Street ramp by City Lights all the exit ramps are on the downtown side of the highway. Not a factor.

The highway just isn't a noise issue. You ever eat on the patio at Cane Rosso? You're almost under the highway and you notice the noise from the 737s headed into Love Field more. OTOH, in summer the shade from the highway is a major amenity.

Even if I-345 stays, it will be rebuilt, and almost certainly the street grid interruptions will be eliminated as entrance and exit ramps are consolidated and spans are lengthened.

Cesar Chavez-Good-Latimer-Routh will morph into an access road for commuters and visitors heading into Downtown and East Dallas from Central and I-30 aiding more efficient thru traffic lanes on I-345. Pedestrian and vehicular on what's left of the original grid Pacific/Gaston thru Young/Canton will free-flow under the highway.

Bryan Place poses very interesting challenges to the street grid. Bryan Street is a series of dead ends. That pretty much answers the challenge- even if opened, there's no possible entrance into the CBD. Case closed. DART's East Transfer station becomes a traffic circle nexus for busses as wells vehicle traveling between this side of the historic & new downtown street grids and Gaston/Live Oak from East Dallas.

Sitting at the corner of downtown and East Dallas, this development is going to flourish. Lizard Lounge might hold on for a while, but the rest of this nook is going to get the same sort of mixed use renovation. As it's likely this will happen sooner rather than later, the street retail space and multi-floor garage combo pedestal and highrises will dominate.

Hannibal Lecter wrote:The highway just isn't a noise issue. You ever eat on the patio at Cane Rosso? You're almost under the highway and you notice the noise from the 737s headed into Love Field more. OTOH, in summer the shade from the highway is a major amenity.

Ha, I'll take my shade from an umbrella or any of my salty friends, thank you very much!

Seriously though, it faces away from 345 because it's butt-ugly. There's no denying that.

Hannibal Lecter wrote:

willyk wrote:

ArtVandelay wrote:In support of the design, it looks like the internal street runs from Elm nearly to Gaston and the DART stop, so it may have the feel of a natural cross street like Crowdus.

The DART station is going away when they build D2.

Two things, depending on which final route they decide on this may or may not be true. Not every D2 route eliminates the Deep Ellum station. Plus based on recent news out of the White House D2 may not get funding from the feds which would significantly slow the potential for D2 to happen in any near future.

cowboyeagle05 wrote:

Hannibal Lecter wrote:The DART station is going away when they build D2.

Two things, depending on which final route they decide on this may or may not be true. Not every D2 route eliminates the Deep Ellum station. Plus based on recent news out of the White House D2 may not get funding from the feds which would significantly slow the potential for D2 to happen in any near future.

The three alignments that are moving forward all eliminate the DE station. And I wouldn't worry about transit funding until it shows up in a bill put forward by congress.

I really hope it's not all internal facing. At the very least, Elm should have street-facing retail.

so... no Deep Ellum Station or yes Deep Ellum Staion? I haven't looked at the current D2 options enough to know which one it'll.

Hard to believe DART, the city or any entity would just get rid of a station on this side of Deep Ellum. Certainly The Epic development would want the station.

Maybe the interior facing stuff is intended more as an amenity for office and hotel patrons, like a downstairs open air food court.

tamtagon wrote:so... no Deep Ellum Station or yes Deep Ellum Staion? I haven't looked at the current D2 options enough to know which one it'll.

Hard to believe DART, the city or any entity would just get rid of a station on this side of Deep Ellum. Certainly The Epic development would want the station.

Maybe the interior facing stuff is intended more as an amenity for office and hotel patrons, like a downstairs open air food court.

Deep Ellum station is for sure eliminated. Only the Victory-Swiss alignments got moved forward yesterday.

tamtagon wrote:Hard to believe DART, the city or any entity would just get rid of a station on this side of Deep Ellum.

It's not hard to believe at all. That station gets almost no passengers when you look at the numbers. It also doesn't serve Deep Ellum nearly as well as the Baylor station does. Shutting it down will help out the tourists who assume Deep Ellum Station would be the closest station to Deep Ellum.

The Epic will probably throw down some money along with DART to enhance the pedestrian connection to Pearl Station, which is easy walking distance and gets superior service.

f4shionablecha0s wrote:

tamtagon wrote:Hard to believe DART, the city or any entity would just get rid of a station on this side of Deep Ellum.

It's not hard to believe at all. That station gets almost no passengers when you look at the numbers. It also doesn't serve Deep Ellum nearly as well as the Baylor station does. Shutting it down will help out the tourists who assume Deep Ellum Station would be the closest station to Deep Ellum.

The Epic will probably throw down some money along with DART to enhance the pedestrian connection to Pearl Station, which is easy walking distance and gets superior service.

I don't know... That station has the most potential for passenger grown of nearly all the stations nearby. This development is an example, and plenty more around the corner, I'm sure. I agree that it is fairly useless up until now, but now is not the time to remove it.

The more and more I see of D2, the less I like it. I wouldn't be terribly disappointed to see it not get funded. I'd almost prefer to see how the southern section of the CBD, Farmers Market, and future canyon evolve, and then reevaluate D2 12 years from now.

I don't know... That station has the most potential for passenger grown of nearly all the stations nearby. This development is an example, and plenty more around the corner, I'm sure. I agree that it is fairly useless up until now, but now is not the time to remove it.

This is exactly what I was thinking. With the development of the Epic, this area will be transformed with enhanced foot traffic frequency. That will definitely increase demand for that station. I can understand removing the station because of the new alignment of tracks, but they should relocate it within proximity of this location because of the inevitable increase in foot traffic.

joshua.dodd wrote:but they should relocate it within proximity of this location because of the inevitable increase in foot traffic.

There's nowhere to put a relocated station

I think this station will be safe for at least 15 years if they are successfull at removing TIGER grants and other matching transit funds from the federal budget. We can't even begin to move forward on our own with D2 without federal money.

Fortunately DART's plans aren't set in stone. As this development brings more people to this end of DE, ridership will follow.

The Baylor station isn't THAT far away from this development. I just wish the Marquis apartment complex could be turned into something more walkable, more urban, and more connected to the rest of the neighborhood to make the walk from the Baylor station to the Epic much better.

By the time DART gets anything going on D2 they just might finally tear down and redo those apartments. With a possible grocery store only a few blocks away and restaurants and entertainment redevelopment happening in Deep Ellum. Plus the desire to save historical structures in the core of Deep Ellum that site is perfect for someone with a dream for towers connected to Deep Ellum success without pissing the entire neighborhood off.

cowboyeagle05 wrote:By the time DART gets anything going on D2 they just might finally tear down and redo those apartments. With a possible grocery store only a few blocks away and restaurants and entertainment redevelopment happening in Deep Ellum. Plus the desire to save historical structures in the core of Deep Ellum that site is perfect for someone with a dream for towers connected to Deep Ellum success without pissing the entire neighborhood off.

By the time DART gets to D2, those apartments will surely have some sort of historical protection.

I drove by this site two days ago and it is indeed full steam ahead. There was a full complement of earth moving equipment digging up dirt and hauling it away. I'd say parts of the site already had 20-25 foot excavations. This will certainly fill a massive void between DTD and Deep Ellum as well as re energize the Union Bank building.

I wish KDC could do all projects in Dallas. They know how to get things done with urgency. Maybe they could take over The Spire site and get that going. Or maybe partner with Beck Ventures and move the office portion along at Midtown. Maybe we wouldn't have lost Ryan and FedEx Office to the 'burbs.

No kidding. KDC seems to have their act together.

NdoorTX wrote:I drove by this site two days ago and it is indeed full steam ahead. There was a full complement of earth moving equipment digging up dirt and hauling it away. I'd say parts of the site already had 20-25 foot excavations. This will certainly fill a massive void between DTD and Deep Ellum as well as re energize the Union Bank building.

I wish KDC could do all projects in Dallas. They know how to get things done with urgency. Maybe they could take over The Spire site and get that going. Or maybe partner with Beck Ventures and move the office portion along at Midtown. Maybe we wouldn't have lost Ryan and FedEx Office to the 'burbs.

Webcam is now online

http://webcampub.multivista.com/index.c ... B6116A8715

NICE!

maconahey wrote:Webcam is now online

http://webcampub.multivista.com/index.c ... B6116A8715

2017-04-10_9-02-03.jpg

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Download latest version from here

2007 called. They want their webcam viewer back.....

I said the same thing. I am not downloading flash just to accommodate that cam. I will instead use the work computer...

4/16/17 update

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

These guys mean business.

The timing would be good for Greystar to deliver with this. DE is going to be all the buzz between this project and the loads of new restaurant/retail. People will want to live here for a "more authentic" alternative to Uptown. Any word on when Greystar will start?

Couple of Proposed elevation cases:
Work Schedule: 07/01/2017 to 02/01/2019
https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/se ... 2616&row=2
https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/se ... 5302&row=1