Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum

theoryNine wrote:

tamtagon wrote:^I would say instead that people in Dallas are not going to be walkers within our suburban ways.... correct the environment to be pedestrian friendly and the sidewalks will be crowded with walkers. A cactus wont grow in a swamp and a fern wont grow in a desert.

Agreed, the more pedestrian-friendly we design our neighborhoods, the more we Dallasites seem to embrace the idea of walking. I don't think anything makes us inherently anti-walking, I think we've just designed to make people think that way for a long time. I see the attitude changing as people experience walkable neighborhoods here.

joshua.dodd wrote:What are the chances of Deep Ellum going vertical with Uptown level vertical density?

tamtagon wrote:Does anyone know where to find a comprehensive map showing all the historic and preservation districts in East Dallas? one that's overlaid with height and use zoning?

tamtagon wrote:Such a long long long and living history from someone living in the area is a Gold Mine. All things considered, HL, do you think the concrete efforts underway which will make Deep Ellum a daytime destination as well as nighttime will end up better than the vampire hours of 'the turn of the century'?

tanzoak wrote:So it's all about guest parking? I'm sorry, but I have difficulty believing the problem is as bad as you claim. I'm sure that there are some high-demand times when it's relatively difficult to find a space right outside your building. But I'm also sure that there are plenty of spaces within a 5-7 minute walk during those time periods. They reduced parking on one street. All the streets around it, every side street and every major corridor, has ample parking, in addition to the lots you mentioned.

tanzoak wrote:The focus instead should be on creating attractive, safe, and vibrant neighborhoods that encourage more people to visit and live in Dallas!

Hannibal Lecter wrote:He said that once Pecan Lodge opened he couldn't get a parking spot right in front of Luscher's any more. He stopped going then because he had to park a block or two away.

You encourage most people by making things easy and convenient for them. Not by making them walk five blocks on a cold night in a scary neighborhood.

The free D-Link bus route that circulates around downtown Dallas is being extended to the edge of Deep Ellum, giving downtown Dallas denizens a bigger free ride.

cowboyeagle05 wrote:I drove by earlier last week and the site was clearly being laid out with markings for early construction work. I have no idea what stuff they are approved to move forward with without more approvals from city hall. I assume the zoning is already in place to allow them to build what they announced. The question seems to be is the hotel first on the docket to be built or the office tower portion? They previously made the residential component look like a secondary phased project but you would think with the market still strong the residential would be the easiest project to launch.

...the assembly of college grads and music fans moved their rowdy music festival Fry Street Fair to Deep Ellum from its cramped quarters on the streets flanking the University of North Texas.

The co-founder of Oaktopia, an award-winning music and culture festival in Denton, said Tuesday afternoon the popular event might relocate to Deep Ellum, an entertainment district near downtown Dallas.
"We're not partnered with Sparky anymore," said Matt Battaglia, who co-founded the multigenre festival four years ago.

tanzoak wrote:

Hannibal Lecter wrote:That shows just how little you understand the the neighborhood. Parking is probably third only to crime and panhandlers on the list of residents' concerns. Most of the properties -- both residential and commercial -- don't have guest parking. Any visitors have to park on-street on in the paid lots (and hope their windows are intact in the morning).

(You can imagine how fun and romantic it was to have to outside at 7AM on a cold Sunday morning to feed the meter when a "friend" spent the night. Fortunately the meters are free during the day now.)

As mentioned in my earlier post about the proposed bike lane, only a couple people really cared one way or the other about it -- as long as it didn't remove any on-street parking. But they were getting the torches and pitchforks ready if it would mean losing even one space.

So it's all about guest parking? I'm sorry, but I have difficulty believing the problem is as bad as you claim. I'm sure that there are some high-demand times when it's relatively difficult to find a space right outside your building. But I'm also sure that there are plenty of spaces within a 5-7 minute walk during those time periods. They reduced parking on one street. All the streets around it, every side street and every major corridor, has ample parking, in addition to the lots you mentioned.

You're correct that I don't live in Deep Ellum. I actually don't even live in Dallas at the moment, having spent the last two years in Oakland/Berkeley, CA studying transportation engineering. The parking problem is much worse here, as it's denser, with less parking, and poor public transit. And yet still I've never had to park more than 7 min from my destination. I just don't believe that Deep Ellum has turned into this parking nightmare you describe from a reduction on one street.

I don't doubt you know other people very concerned about parking. As a veteran of many a public meeting of neighborhoods I do live in or know intimately, I can attest that parking is almost always the top concern of (sorry, rude but true) older people who've lived in the neighborhood for a long time, even when it isn't justified at all. They have come to expect tons of free or minimal-cost parking provided by the city, and expect to be able pull in directly in front of wherever they're going at any time. Preventing people from having to walk 5 minutes during peak hours is not what the city's interest should be. The focus instead should be on creating attractive, safe, and vibrant neighborhoods that encourage more people to visit and live in Dallas!

After hosting its first night of soft opening yesterday, much-anticipated Deep Ellum poke shop Bowls & Tacos has officially arrived.

Announced in a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page, Bowls & Tacos will swing open the doors for lunch service starting today. In the works for more than a year and originally expected to open at the end of 2016, the restaurant will occupy a long-empty former gas station at 4300 Commerce.

The menu at Bowls & Tacos was developed by Braindead Brewing chef David Pena, and will (duh) feature a selection of poke bowls and tacos. If Pena’s Instagram account is any indication, the tortillas at this new spot will be stuffed with all manners of deliciousness like pineapple-topped trompo and pickled nopales. Beer on tap from Bowls & Tacos’ sister spot Braindead Brewing will also be on offer, along with a low-proof margarita created by Dallas bar whiz Mate Hartai.

Bowls & Tacos will swing open the doors at 11 a.m. for lunch, at which point the new poke spot will be open from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Off the beaten path in Deep Ellum -- at least for now -- there's construction stirring at Deep Ellum Art Co., an ambitious concept expected to open this summer. It's slated to be a music and art venue with two stages, a bar and a food truck park.
It'll host a monthly art bazaar, Deep Ellum's Art Festival. Not to be confused with the annual festival, this "outdoor street art gallery" is exclusively a place for local vendors, says owner John LaRue.

Earlier this week, Myers officially announced his plans to rent the adjacent space for an expansion of The Free Man, which will include a second kitchen, two more stages, a patio and multiple bars. He expects renovation to take about six months.

tamtagon wrote:DMN Wilonsky had an article about reviving the effort to renovating Commerce for local usage instead of commuter usage. One plan even included actual bike lanes.

After decades without, Dallas proper is finally going to get boba, the trendy tea with chewy "pearls." Bobaddiction, the tea-themed food truck, is opening in Deep Ellum, taking over the space previously occupied by Monkey King Banana Stand, the dessert shop whose goods are now for sale at sibling concept Monkey King Noodle Co.

Hannibal Lecter wrote:^ Someone's getting old.

Hannibal Lecter wrote:^ Someone's getting old.

Oni Ramen, one of Fort Worth’s favorite destinations for a steaming bowl of broth and noodles, is officially headed to Dallas.

The restaurant from Chef Jesus Garcia is set to open its second outpost at 2822 Elm Street, reports CultureMap.

Oni Ramen is expected to make its Dallas debut this summer, likely sometime before August. In the meantime, hit up one of the city’s currently-open options for a killer bowl of ramen.

willyk wrote:Deep Ellum is rapidly emerging as the rival to Knox for the best walking neighborhood in Dallas (and since the vibes are so different, both can be best). Easily more bang per block here than McKinney, Lower Greenville or EMC.

But with all this attention, they need to keep it real, that's all.

A new Dallas brewery that's in the works has settled on the coolest location ever: a vintage building in Deep Ellum. Westlake Brewing Company will open at 2816 Commerce St., near the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard, across the street from Zatar Lebanese Tapas & Bar.

With a targeted opening of late 2017, Westlake Brewing will sit between the neighborhood's two other breweries, Deep Ellum Brewing Co. and Braindead Brewing — a fact that greatly pleases Art Harvey, co-founder of Westlake with partners Bill Parker and Larry Picchiotti.

North Carolina investor now one of biggest owners in Dallas' Deep Ellum district

Written by Steve Brown

...Asana Partners is acquiring more than three dozen buildings and parking lots in Deep Ellum from investor 42 Deep Ellum LP....

DPatel304 wrote:Does this mean some big changes are coming to the area?

Aside from the WestDale redevelopment and Case, it's been slow and steady with a new bar or restaurant added every few weeks. I'm not complaining, but I think the area could certainly handle something bigger.

Matt777 wrote:Hopefully some residential projects to fill out some of the empty space and parking lots. I'm hoping that the Case Building leases up quick to spur some more residential, which would hopefully add some neighborhood services type retail to the mix. Deep Ellum is truly becoming a gem of a neighborhood again. Lots of energy.

Oh, and a hotel or two would be nice. Something like an Aloft, W, or NyLo.

Matt777 wrote:
Oh, and a hotel or two would be nice. Something like an Aloft, W, or NyLo.

Hannibal Lecter wrote:^ Hilton close to completion four blocks away at Hall/Gaston.