Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

itsjrd1964
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Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby itsjrd1964 » 21 Feb 2020 11:12

lakewoodhobo wrote:Dallas’ Hunt Realty focuses on big deals at home
https://www.dallasnews.com/business/rea ... s-at-home/


“We decided a couple years ago to redirect our strategy back — going back to our roots of investing in projects and developing sites right here in North Texas,” Kleinert said. “That shift opened the door for us to become passionate about, and ultimately acquiring, the Fields estate property in Frisco and rethinking development possibilities of our two most significant assets, Reunion and Northend.


Saw this in the Victory Park thread. So, what could Hunt be thinking of doing with Reunion? Offices, residential, mixed? The only open space there is the former Reunion Arena site, IINM. Hopefully whatever they have planned this time works out more completely than their original plans from the 1970s (yeah I know, different times, different economy, but still...).

Roman_Patrick
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby Roman_Patrick » 21 Feb 2020 11:23

i have always wondered why they havent built a mix used residential/offices/recreational space in the Reunion Arena site. its perfect, and the views would be GRAND. Hope they aim for something like that

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Zmitz
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby Zmitz » 21 Feb 2020 11:26

I wonder if they would build something grand and iconic in order to take their place in the skyline...or if they would do something shorter so as to not 'mess' with that iconic angle of the skyline. Hopefully the former.

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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby lakewoodhobo » 21 Feb 2020 11:41

How about a residential tower with a spire shaped like a cone or a pyramid. Of course it would light up similar to the ball.

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Cbdallas
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby Cbdallas » 21 Feb 2020 11:50

I would actually be fine with a more residential mixed use at Reunion to activate the surrounding area. Leave the iconic towers to take out those low rise Northend apartments next to Victory.

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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 21 Feb 2020 12:31

The site was a part of the Amazon HQ proposal so they obviously have an idea how much they could fit in that area. Realistically though that site feels so disconnected despite having a great view of the river if you like staring at the Highway.
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muncien
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby muncien » 21 Feb 2020 12:39

Not to sound like a broken record... But like I say with every corner of the CBD... A series of 10-20 floor midrise residential buildings with a few coffee/pub/neighborhood services at the bottom would be perfect. Mix owner occupied units with rentals 50/50, and you'd have a nice family oriented corner of downtown. Save the center of the core for entertainment, shopping, and office.
That's probably not at all what HUNT has on it's mind, but it's certainly something the core could use. Not everybody wants to live on Main street, or in a 60 floor luxury penthouse, but it's great to have it just a short scooter ride away.
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 21 Feb 2020 13:05

Hunt/Woodbine was previously marketing it as a corporate HQ spot for any company looking to move to Dallas. I guess they are finally going to create a proposal and see if they get any better bites. After all, they will be close to the High-Speed Rail station which will be another attractive bullet point that will make them unique vs other office projects in town.
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MC_ScattCat
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby MC_ScattCat » 21 Feb 2020 14:45

I'd love to see more retail around Union Station. Make Union a real hub. Something like St. Louis did. Make it DART, Greyhound, HSR, Streetcar all connected. Have more mid rises and maybe make it a nice little neighborhood. connect N. Oak Cliff to Cedars and downtown.

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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 21 Feb 2020 15:03

Its been dreamed up many times and recommended by many consultants but it's not a natural hub for our transit system. The West End is where DART has ost of its traffic and let's be honest they have room for the busses and trains to pick up and drop off. DART wants to phase out the East Bus Transfer station for that reason. Plus Hunt exclusively rents the top half of Union Station as their event space for the Reunion Hyatt Hotel. Now if Hunt wants to finally let go of its lease on Union Station and we can find the room to integrate all the bus connections plus the needed train connections maybe. At least the High-Speed Rail station is closer to Union Station than the West End. Hunt has the upper hand here so if they want to make it a hub they have the power to influence that direction.
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TreeFrog
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby TreeFrog » 30 Apr 2020 17:45

Wolfgang Puck restaurant at Dallas' Reunion Tower gone for good
https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/04-30-20-five-sixty-wolfgang-puck-reunion-tower-closed/

According to a release, Five Sixty By Wolfgang Puck, the upscale Asian restaurant that sits atop Reunion Tower, is closing not just for the duration of the pandemic, but permanently.

A release says that, "with the closure of Reunion Tower due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been decided that Five Sixty restaurant will remain closed to undergo scheduled improvements. Given this extended closure, in combination with the unknown timeline due to the Coronavirus, Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck will not reopen."

Tnexster
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby Tnexster » 02 May 2020 23:17

Can't say I'm surprised at some of these being closed.

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tamtagon
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby tamtagon » 03 May 2020 07:39

It's good to change restauranturs every so often.

cowboyeagle05
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 05 May 2020 00:03

Yeah, this sounds like their problems long existed before COVID and it was a good excuse to exit altogether.
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NdoorTX
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby NdoorTX » 15 Dec 2023 07:20

Hunt Realty unveils $5 billion redevelopment plan for downtown Dallas’ Reunion project
Workforce housing, hotels, offices and retail are being planned for the area next to new convention center.

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/rea ... s-reunion/
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TexasStar2
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby TexasStar2 » 15 Dec 2023 08:20

Wow!!!!

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ArtVandelay
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby ArtVandelay » 15 Dec 2023 09:46

Meh.....call me skeptical.

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Kelley USA
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby Kelley USA » 15 Dec 2023 10:02

I mean, it's the same company that gave us all those awesome shiny renderings of North End.

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IcedCowboyCoffee
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby IcedCowboyCoffee » 15 Dec 2023 10:32

Brought to us by the same folks that gave us this:
northend.jpg


and up to 2 million square feet of offices

Uh-huh... lol

Well it's a pretty rendering at least. And the buildings are an appropriate scale--no out-of-place skyscrapers. But the verbiage of the article makes it pretty clear this is just the current master plan for the site. No expected date to break ground on anything unless I've missed it.
The hotel directly next to the convention center seems like the only plausible thing at the moment.

But I appreciate how a park like that would feed in and out of this isolated part of the new convention center. Putting a new Dallas Streetcar stop there at the park would provide transit points at both ends of the massive structure.
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MC_ScattCat
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby MC_ScattCat » 15 Dec 2023 10:40

I'm loving the Union Station re-do in the renderings. Making that area more connected and inviting is would be a massive boost to downtown.

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Casa Linda
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby Casa Linda » 15 Dec 2023 10:53

So so many trees and grass and parks that'll never get built. Greenery in renderings give every project that wow factor that'll never happen.

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NdoorTX
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby NdoorTX » 15 Dec 2023 11:27

And now an article on Reunion's inception and previous proposals:

Reunion past: A look at 60 years of plans for downtown Dallas project
Over the years, plans for the downtown development have undergone multiple changes.

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2023/12/15/reunion-past-a-look-at-60-years-of-plans-for-downtown-dallas-project/

Image

Image

Image

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IcedCowboyCoffee
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby IcedCowboyCoffee » 15 Dec 2023 11:48

Wow, we lucked out getting the ball instead of a pneumatic tube carrier.

This article also has a clearer view of the proposed Union Station addition. I'd be happy to see Union Station get this sort of redo, but, I gotta be honest, even in this purely imaginative rendering full of fantastical and unrealistic proposals the Union Station structure manages to look cheap.

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zaphod
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby zaphod » 15 Dec 2023 19:59

I'd be happy with something at a fraction of this scale. Anything really, besides the wasteland that's there now.

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Matt777
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby Matt777 » 15 Dec 2023 20:09

What would the additional building space at Union Station be used for? Like over the tracks?
Could the potential HSR station be moved here instead of the Cedars location with some modification to Union Station?

Also... wondering how this relates to the new Mavs Stadium/Casino project. I was hoping Cuban could get ahold of this land so we could have that downtown. It would be a huge stimulus for downtown.

With Hunt leading this.... I'm not holding my breath for any of it. From their history of delivering on renderings.... this could end up being a couple 3 story apartment buildings, a CVS, and lots of surface parking.

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northsouth
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby northsouth » 15 Dec 2023 23:32

Can't help but laugh at how they put DART LRVs on the Streetcar track on the Houston Ave Viaduct.

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Dragon_Lady
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby Dragon_Lady » 16 Dec 2023 00:45

Sigh. I simply pine for post-Modern these days.

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zaphod
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby zaphod » 17 Dec 2023 15:06

So there was originally supposed to be a tower attached to that parking garage between the two viaducts? I never knew that.

1980s Dallas real estate tycoons must have been doing coke or something because the visionary projects from that era are just incredible. JR Ewing stuff in real life. I'm so glad that we at least got the ball-shaped Reunion Tower and just a fraction of some the towers proposed.

Union Station could be a much better part of the city. Right now it's kind of uncomfortable with so many homeless people milling around. With a higher daytime residential population combined with private property owners that care more about reporting crime it would probably clean up.

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Tivo_Kenevil
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby Tivo_Kenevil » 17 Dec 2023 15:50

zaphod wrote:Union Station could be a much better part of the city. Right now it's kind of uncomfortable with so many homeless people milling around. With a higher daytime residential population combined with private property owners that care more about reporting crime it would probably clean up.


Oh God, please there aren't even homeless by there....

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zaphod
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby zaphod » 17 Dec 2023 16:02

Sure, compared to like West End station then maybe. But if you are waiting on the DART platforms its the usual weirdos who loiter on the trains. There's so few people around the station that riding TRE you kind of feel like you are some sort of hobo. At least that was my experience.

Plus there's no coffee places, no fast food, no retail, etc unless you go to the West End which is blah. The sidewalks are pretty barren except for JFK tourism right there. The old red courthouse museum is closed. That federal building a big unfriendly behemoth, though its important for jobs in the area. The underpasses back to Reunion Tower and the hotel complex are dark *. Cars drive fast. Etc.

To get over the chicken-and-egg problem where most of downtown is gross because there's nobody around, I think some catalytic large development would need to come in and change the vibe.

*** maybe this is the answer for why there would be a canopy/bridge over the platforms at Union Station. It's not meant to house anything. It's meant to be a brighter, more inviting way to cross over the tracks and join the two halves of the development together. That or there should be some kind of elevated plaza.

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eburress
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby eburress » 17 Dec 2023 21:34

Matt777 wrote:Also... wondering how this relates to the new Mavs Stadium/Casino project. I was hoping Cuban could get ahold of this land so we could have that downtown. It would be a huge stimulus for downtown.


The new arena being in or near Downtown would be awesome, but I suspect it's going to be across the freeway from the old Texas Stadium site, where the Mavs' new owner just bought land for a resort and (hopefully, in their perspective) casino.

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I45Tex
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby I45Tex » 17 Dec 2023 22:39

zaphod wrote:So there was originally supposed to be a tower attached to that parking garage between the two viaducts? I never knew that.


Good comment. I missed that - thanks.

Still could be a building there someday?

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BigD5349
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby BigD5349 » 29 Dec 2023 11:38

I noticed The Onion posted a parody story this morning on Dallas' JFK Tourism trade. Downtown has been incrementally progressing for 25 years, but still needs some game changing investments and more reasons for people to come downtown.

https://www.theonion.com/new-immersive- ... 1851032521

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MC_ScattCat
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby MC_ScattCat » 02 Jan 2024 10:27

Jokes aside so many people come to downtown for this. The area is boring and not tourist friendly. Dallas should really take a long hard look at this part of downtown and the reunion area. More tourist type places (parking, restaurants, signage, inviting land/hardscapes, etc.) are needed here. Make it better connected and inviting to downtown as a whole. Right now is feels rundown at best.

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DFW
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby DFW » 03 Jan 2024 13:00

Bad idea or not, but it will obscure view of Reunion Tower, regardless that most of the proposed high-rise buildings are below in height. The closer you are to Reunion Tower the less you will see the ball lights. :(

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rono3849
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby rono3849 » 06 Mar 2024 17:13

Sounds like Hunt Realty is telling the city of Dallas that any attempt to put a high speed rail line through their Reunion development will be the end of any possible new buildings on the old Reunion Arena site and possibly the building of a new Convention Center. A proposed elevated high speed rail line would result in the destruction of part of the Reunion Hyatt hotel and other pre-existing buildings in the area, plus make the area highly undesirable for both office & residential towers.

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/rea ... n-project/

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mbsharp30
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby mbsharp30 » 06 Mar 2024 17:26

I'm confused as to why they're taking this stance. Is it because of the possible noise pollution deterring tenants?

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Matt777
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby Matt777 » 06 Mar 2024 18:28

Does the elevated rail alignment run through the new proposed convention center, or on top of it? This graphic in the D Magazine article seems to suggest that. I believe the new convention center alignment extends into that corner parking lot seen in the right side of the photo.

This would be the only real potential problem in my eyes. The people not wanting to see an elevated rail line near their property need to pipe down.

Image

D Magazine article: https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2 ... 6c_index=4

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IcedCowboyCoffee
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby IcedCowboyCoffee » 06 Mar 2024 19:12

For the record, the grimy renderings in the Dallas News and D Magazine articles are commissioned by Hunt Realty, who are not directly involved in the project and are actively opposed to it. It's no shock it's as ugly and obtrusive looking as it is. :roll:

Here's the conceptual renderings that NCTCOG recently put out for their recommended alignments. Look at page 25.
https://dallascityhall.com/government/citymanager/Documents/Council%20Materials/Transportation%20High%20speed%20rail.pdf

Notice the intention to keep hotel st as it is. Notice the absence of any huge concrete barrier wall between the hotel and union station. Now look at the gallery in D Magazine. What is that, who was asking Hunt Realty to build that wall? No one.
You say you want to create a walkable area but then pretend that you're beholden to cutting yourself off from the city's multi modal transit hub?

The already existing rail tracks are the barrier to walkability for this hypothetical neighborhood. They always have been. This elevated track isn't going to change anything for the worse.
And ya know, with the elevated tracks being as skinny as they are and as high off the ground as they are, you're essentially getting a shaded stretch of sidewalk for the entire length of hotel st that won't feel claustrophobic like going under a highway overpass does. You say you want a walkable area? How about that.

Matt777 wrote:Does the elevated rail alignment run through the new proposed convention center, or on top of it? This graphic in the D Magazine article seems to suggest that. I believe the new convention center alignment extends into that corner parking lot seen in the right side of the photo.

This would be the only real potential problem in my eyes. The people not wanting to see an elevated rail line near their property need to pipe down.

Image

D Magazine article: https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2 ... 6c_index=4

The old convention center alignment extended into that parking lot. The new convention center alignment is the one displayed in that rendering which leaves that parking lot untouched. They had to move the convention center off the parking lot for its use as a construction staging site for a highway project.

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northsouth
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby northsouth » 06 Mar 2024 21:21

The Hunts have had decades to do something, anything, with all the Reunion land and they've continually done nothing, waiting for some outside catalyst instead of making one themselves. I'm not holding my breath on the HSR getting built, but I have even less confidence in any development even vaguely resembling their renderings happening. It's all about hype, it's all about getting stories in the newspapers, same old same old. When the convention center rebuild fails to spark any of these projects they'll blame it, and if the HSR line gets built they'll blame it too.

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Matt777
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby Matt777 » 06 Mar 2024 21:29

IcedCowboyCoffee wrote:The old convention center alignment extended into that parking lot. The new convention center alignment is the one displayed in that rendering which leaves that parking lot untouched. They had to move the convention center off the parking lot for its use as a construction staging site for a highway project.


Ah gotcha, thanks for clearing that up.

Do you know what the plans are for the people mover shown running under the HSR tracks at Union Station, shown on page 25 of the powerpoint presentation you linked? Would that be a people mover from Union Station to the Convention Center to the HSR station? That would be an amazingly connective link, creating so much synergy.

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mhainli
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby mhainli » 06 Mar 2024 22:05

Surprising that Hunt would oppose this, because it seems they would be the biggest benefactor. The people mover walkway under the train tracks would connect through the spine of the Hunt property, provided multiple connections to the rail station, convention center, Cedars, etc. Their land values would skyrocket and the possibilities for their property would be far more than their current development plan.

What’s not surprising is the City Council opposition. They rarely have a vision or stomach for big long term projects. Mendelson’s comments about Dallas being a car city (hence land values not necessarily increasing around rail station) may be true today but things are changing. The future Dallas will be more dense and some will not have a car. Best case project timelines: Dallas to Houston line open in 5-8 years, Dallas to Fort Worth in 6-10 years. What will the Metroplex be like in 10 years? These high speed rail projects are a game changer for Dallas. The current NCTCOG alignment needs more study and may need to be revised. Unless Amtrak and Texas Central are close on the Dallas- Houston line there should be plenty of time to get federal approval for a new station location.

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Tivo_Kenevil
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby Tivo_Kenevil » 06 Mar 2024 22:50

mhainli wrote:Surprising that Hunt would oppose this, because it seems they would be the biggest benefactor. The people mover walkway under the train tracks would connect through the spine of the Hunt property, provided multiple connections to the rail station, convention center, Cedars, etc. Their land values would skyrocket and the possibilities for their property would be far more than their current development plan.

What’s not surprising is the City Council opposition. They rarely have a vision or stomach for big long term projects. Mendelson’s comments about Dallas being a car city (hence land values not necessarily increasing around rail station) may be true today but things are changing. The future Dallas will be more dense and some will not have a car. Best case project timelines: Dallas to Houston line open in 5-8 years, Dallas to Fort Worth in 6-10 years. What will the Metroplex be like in 10 years? These high speed rail projects are a game changer for Dallas. The current NCTCOG alignment needs more study and may need to be revised. Unless Amtrak and Texas Central are close on the Dallas- Houston line there should be plenty of time to get federal approval for a new station location.


Hunt stands to gain nothing from HSR. Know this, he already has access to Rail Access to Ft. Worth. Their site is next to Union Station...the TRE. Furthermore, the actual HSR station would be further south in the cedars.

Beside HSR to Ft. Worth being silly, for a multitude of reasons, for once NIMBY Caran Meddlesome is right. The city council shouldn't vote to approve this vanity transit project by Micheal Morris without concrete details..

I'd rather have Vaporware Urban development than a Vaporware HSR station.

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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby Tnexster » 07 Mar 2024 08:55

Tivo_Kenevil wrote:
mhainli wrote:Surprising that Hunt would oppose this, because it seems they would be the biggest benefactor. The people mover walkway under the train tracks would connect through the spine of the Hunt property, provided multiple connections to the rail station, convention center, Cedars, etc. Their land values would skyrocket and the possibilities for their property would be far more than their current development plan.

What’s not surprising is the City Council opposition. They rarely have a vision or stomach for big long term projects. Mendelson’s comments about Dallas being a car city (hence land values not necessarily increasing around rail station) may be true today but things are changing. The future Dallas will be more dense and some will not have a car. Best case project timelines: Dallas to Houston line open in 5-8 years, Dallas to Fort Worth in 6-10 years. What will the Metroplex be like in 10 years? These high speed rail projects are a game changer for Dallas. The current NCTCOG alignment needs more study and may need to be revised. Unless Amtrak and Texas Central are close on the Dallas- Houston line there should be plenty of time to get federal approval for a new station location.


Hunt stands to gain nothing from HSR. Know this, he already has access to Rail Access to Ft. Worth. Their site is next to Union Station...the TRE. Furthermore, the actual HSR station would be further south in the cedars.

Beside HSR to Ft. Worth being silly, for a multitude of reasons, for once NIMBY Caran Meddlesome is right. The city council shouldn't vote to approve this vanity transit project by Micheal Morris without concrete details..

I'd rather have Vaporware Urban development than a Vaporware HSR station.


Well said, couldn't agree more.

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Kelley USA
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby Kelley USA » 07 Mar 2024 11:17

I personally think an elevated rail line would be an incredible eyesore that would not age well. Once it gets built, there it is, for decades and decades. It's kind of like the transit mover in Las Colinas, just pillar upon pillar of an elevated system that's not attractive to look at.

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IcedCowboyCoffee
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby IcedCowboyCoffee » 07 Mar 2024 11:57

Matt777 wrote:Do you know what the plans are for the people mover shown running under the HSR tracks at Union Station, shown on page 25 of the powerpoint presentation you linked? Would that be a people mover from Union Station to the Convention Center to the HSR station? That would be an amazingly connective link, creating so much synergy.

This is all purely conceptual, but yeah having a peoplemover tucked in underneath the track would be the simplest most practical route for such a connection between Cedars and EBJ Union.

Tivo_Kenevil wrote:Hunt stands to gain nothing from HSR. Know this, he already has access to Rail Access to Ft. Worth. Their site is next to Union Station...the TRE. Furthermore, the actual HSR station would be further south in the cedars.


hsr6.jpg

Let's say this 2B alignment towards fort worth gets built with the theoretical attached people-mover connecting union station; Hunt would essentially be getting a free people-mover through his fancy new neighborhood with its own stop.

Since the view of downtown on the people-mover would be blocked by the convention center, Hunt would also be getting the undivided attention of any visitor riding it from the Cedars to downtown. They get a front row seat of literally whatever Hunt wants to put there. It's like having the captured attention of people on the Disneyworld monorail as it circles around epcot before dropping you off.
This also guarantees that the Reunion Tower observation deck is every visitor's first stop by making it the first sign they see as they get off at the Union station stop. "Oh let's go up the big ball first then we'll explore downtown, it's just to the left here."

Additionally, it makes the Hyatt Regency and whatever additional hotel Hunt wants to build here into the default options for convention attendees and HSR travelers. They become the "airport terminal hotels" with seamless access to both the convention center and cedars station, making them far more competitive with the omni than they otherwise would be.

Which sure, the big caveat is that such an elevated walkway/people-mover could be constructed here regardless of the existence of a FW-DAL high speed rail leg, but at that point just building the people mover would create the same problems that Hunt is complaining about already so you might as well toss the hsr track on top of it anyways. Nor is such a people-mover guaranteed, but the city has expressed desire to connect Union with the cedars station and I think the connection is far more likely to actually materialize if it's built in conjunction with a fort worth hsr leg rather than isolated on its own; probably much easier access to federal funding in that scenario. All of this will depend on the details like you say.
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mhainli
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby mhainli » 07 Mar 2024 23:24

IcedCowboyCoffee wrote:
Matt777 wrote:Do you know what the plans are for the people mover shown running under the HSR tracks at Union Station, shown on page 25 of the powerpoint presentation you linked? Would that be a people mover from Union Station to the Convention Center to the HSR station? That would be an amazingly connective link, creating so much synergy.

This is all purely conceptual, but yeah having a peoplemover tucked in underneath the track would be the simplest most practical route for such a connection between Cedars and EBJ Union.

Tivo_Kenevil wrote:Hunt stands to gain nothing from HSR. Know this, he already has access to Rail Access to Ft. Worth. Their site is next to Union Station...the TRE. Furthermore, the actual HSR station would be further south in the cedars.


hsr6.jpg
Let's say this 2B alignment towards fort worth gets built with the theoretical attached people-mover connecting union station; Hunt would essentially be getting a free people-mover through his fancy new neighborhood with its own stop.

Since the view of downtown on the people-mover would be blocked by the convention center, Hunt would also be getting the undivided attention of any visitor riding it from the Cedars to downtown. They get a front row seat of literally whatever Hunt wants to put there. It's like having the captured attention of people on the Disneyworld monorail as it circles around epcot before dropping you off.
This also guarantees that the Reunion Tower observation deck is every visitor's first stop by making it the first sign they see as they get off at the Union station stop. "Oh let's go up the big ball first then we'll explore downtown, it's just to the left here."

Additionally, it makes the Hyatt Regency and whatever additional hotel Hunt wants to build here into the default options for convention attendees and HSR travelers. They become the "airport terminal hotels" with seamless access to both the convention center and cedars station, making them far more competitive with the omni than they otherwise would be.

Which sure, the big caveat is that such an elevated walkway/people-mover could be constructed here regardless of the existence of a FW-DAL high speed rail leg, but at that point just building the people mover would create the same problems that Hunt is complaining about already so you might as well toss the hsr track on top of it anyways. Nor is such a people-mover guaranteed, but the city has expressed desire to connect Union with the cedars station and I think the connection is far more likely to actually materialize if it's built in conjunction with a fort worth hsr leg rather than isolated on its own; probably much easier access to federal funding in that scenario. All of this will depend on the details like you say.

Well articulated.. Agree with your point about people mover giving the Hyatt and other Hunt hotels seamless and advantageous access to the convention center and cedars HSR station. Same advantages for connections to possible arena and casino site next to convention center if that transpires. Also with HSR line to Fort Worth, seamless connections for those staying at Hyatt/Hunt hotels attending events in Arlington entertainment district or Fort Worth.

Do have doubts if there will ever be enough public and private funds or political support to build either HSR line and just as much doubt that the Hunts can fund $5B worth of development over the next 30 years. But let’s give both projects a chance and see what happens. If either or both HSR lines become reality it’s a huge game changer for Dallas with the Hunt development at the epicenter.

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rono3849
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby rono3849 » 08 Mar 2024 18:29

Personally, I don't see the Hunts moving forward on this development, HSR or not. The Convention Center will have to show that Dallas is still a destination city for conventions. Las Vegas is the #1 market by far for these kinds of gatherings. Dallas just doesn't have that kind of drawing power that Las Vegan can deliver day-in and day-out. They aren't going to build hotels to sit empty and few people really have a desire to live in that part of downtown. I think they'll focus their attention to the area surrounding the Goldman-Sachs building on Field Street.

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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby rono3849 » 09 Mar 2024 16:29

I have no idea what the validity of this is, but they are reporting on the Audacy-owned Dallas radio stations that Reunion Tower will be torn down, along with the Hyatt Regency due to the HDR to Ft. Worth. Apparently, the path of the train takes out the tower & part of the hotel.

https://www.audacy.com/jackontheweb/lat ... speed-rail

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mhainli
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Re: Reunion (Tower, hotel, and??)

Postby mhainli » 09 Mar 2024 18:01

rono3849 wrote:Personally, I don't see the Hunts moving forward on this development, HSR or not. The Convention Center will have to show that Dallas is still a destination city for conventions. Las Vegas is the #1 market by far for these kinds of gatherings. Dallas just doesn't have that kind of drawing power that Las Vegan can deliver day-in and day-out. They aren't going to build hotels to sit empty and few people really have a desire to live in that part of downtown. I think they'll focus their attention to the area surrounding the Goldman-Sachs building on Field Street.

I think most of us are skeptical of and tired of seeing developer’s elaborate plans that never get built or get cheapened out over time. In Hunt’s case, they should be given some credit for keeping the Reunion site together for something big/special and not just selling off parcels to pay tax bills. Their plans for the site are very impressive and VERY conceptual and market conditions will ultimately determine what gets built and when. A hotel (or two) timed to open with the new convention center is likely. Other than that, what is there a market for? An apartment tower perhaps? I’m befuddled with Hunt’s opposition to the HSR line going through their development,” as if there is huge current demand for the $5B they are proposing. They (and the city) should be embracing the HSR to Fort Worth line and actively involved in suggesting reasonable changes and alternative routes - not demanding underground alternatives that could ultimately kill the entire HSR system. The HSR line with people mover similar to what is proposed only helps create the demand that Hunt needs for the $5B development.